1800. ] 
The names of the two houfes are, the 
Shaws, ér Shaw-houle, which fome think 
is corrupted from Spaw-houfe, and the 
Orchard-houfe ; which are nearly a mile 
diftant from each- other, and both plea- 
fantly fituated on the banks of the Irthing ; 
. a very romantic river. The Shaws is in- 
deed delightfully fituated on a fteep bank 
of the river, and commands a veiy exten- 
five profpect to the fouth. Immediately 
beyond the houle, you defcend by a fteep 
gravel walk to ‘the river, where you find 
yourlelf in the midft of a finely wooded am- 
phitheatre, of ftratified rocks, which forms 
as fublime a piecé of {cenery as can almoft 
be imagined. On both fides of the river are 
feveral beautiful | walks, with -benches 
placed at proper points of view. 
Out of the loweft ftratum of the rock 
which compofes this amphitheatre, and 
which confifts of indurated aluminous fhif- 
tus, about fix feet in thicknefs, iffues the 
mineral water, through a leaden pipe not 
an inch in diametér, ina ftream as clear 
as cryfal, at the rate of about two gal- 
Jons and a half per minute. Its fimell is 
flrongly fulphurous, like the waters of 
Harrowgate and Moffat ; ftronger than the 
latter, tit lefs powerful than ‘the former. 
This fmell may often be diftinétly per- 
ceived at the diftance of forty or fifty yards. 
_ Above this ftratum of indurated fhiltus is 
. one about three feet thick of fhale, or ful- 
phuret of alumine, in a foft crumbling 
ftate; and above that, about twelve feet of 
argillaceous fhiftus; above that again, 
nearly the fame thicknefs of very foft fhale ; 
this is covered with argillaceous fandftone, 
or grit, in feveral diftinét trata, which ex- 
tend dt leaft Ewenty feet in depth, and over- 
hang the mineral fpring. The top of this 
precipice is finely clothed with wood. 
; There are feveral objeéts within a mo- 
derate diflance, which are frequently vi- 
fited by the company: among thefe may 
be mentioned a very fine caicade, about 
two miles above the Shaws, where the Ir- 
thing, whofe banks are very rugeed and 
romantic, precipitates itfelf from a great 
height, forming a fall {carcely inferior to” 
fome of the celebrated’ falls of the Clyde, 
only the accompanying {cenery isnot fo fine. 
Ata fhort diftance from Gilfland, on 
the oppafite fide of the river, the Roman 
wall between the Soloway Firth and the 
ealterm coaft near Newcaftle may be diaf- 
tinctly tracedyand ftones with infcriptions 
are fometimes found. Several of the fta- 
tions arevery con{picuous, particularly one 
near Glenweylt, near which are the riins 
of an old fortrefs called Caftle-Thelwal. 
“At the diftance of about fix miles from 
Gilfland, is Naward Caftle, a feat of the 
MONTHLY MAG, NO. 55, 
1 Keoatint of Gilfland, by Dr. Garnett. 
‘brown 
ar 
Earl] of Carlifle, which is a place of-great 
antiquity, but very perfect: a vift to it 
gives a better idea of what thefe ancient . 
fortrefles have been, than moft places I 
have feen. Many of the gafiicries and 
fubterraneous pafiages, as’ well as fome- 
very large halls, are quite entire; and it 
is faid that the ingenious author of the 
Romance of the Foreft fketched fome of 
her moft ftriking pr&tures of fuch fcenery 
from this caftle. The greateft curiofity, 
in my opinion, is the library of William 
Earl of Carlifle, whofe character is well 
known, and whofe memory is handed down 
among the common people by the appel-'” 
lation of Jelt Willie. Here are contained 
his printed books and manufcripts in vel-— 
lum bindings ; many of the manufcripts 
are very curious, and fome beautifully il- 
Juminated.. Here are likewife his chair 
and reading-defk, both of very clumfy 
workmanfhip, and a curious fcreen, on 
which is engroffed an aecount of the in- 
dulgencies fold by the Pope and his re- 
tailers. All feems to be exactly in the 
ftate in which it was left by the noble oc- 
cupier of the apartment. About a mile 
from Naward Caffle, is the Abbey of La- 
nercof?, vart of which ferves the purpefe 
of a parifh-church, but the greater part is 
in ruins, which are very fines An account 
of this abbey and Naward Caitle may _ 
be found in Nicholfon’s Hiftory of Cum- 
beriand. 
As the properties of the Gilfands waters 
are-but little known, no analytis of them 
having been publifhed that I know ef; 
during a fhort refidence at this pla ce, in the 
month of September laft, I made fome ex- 
periments on them, of which the follow- 
ing were the principal refults 
Experiment r. Chara Gers written on 
paper with aceite of lead, were foon ren- 
dered vilible by being immerfed in the wa- 
ter, or even (ufpended over it: the colour 
was at. fir brown, and afterwards black. 
2. A folution of acetite of lead in dif- 
tilled water, being dropped into the water, 
produced a very copious brown precipitate, 
which afrerwards changed to black, 
3. Nitrate of fever produced a light- 
precipitate, which / afterwards 
changed to black. 
4. Muriaie of barytes produced no effect. 
5- No change was produced by aczd of 
sugar. 
6. Izncture of ep produced no altera- 
tion, , 
7. After the water had been boiled for 
about ten minutes, ¢cetite of lead and ni- 
trate of filver produced a white precipitate, 
but rhuriate of barytes and acid of fugar 
no efie&, 
Ane From 
