110 
of Fife would fill a volume ; and many a 
volume has been written on 4 far Jefs inte- 
refting and inftructive fubjeét. But an 
idea of the fpirit and fuccefs with which 
Lord Fife purfves at once the improve- 
ment of his own immenfe territories, and 
the good of his country, may be formed 
by thofe who have formerly feen the few 
firaggling and wretched huts called the 
village of Macduff, which has become, 
under his aufpices and creating powers, 
a confiderable town and fea-port, rapidly 
increafing in population and commerce.— 
This alone appears more than could be 
fuppofed in the power of one man’s life to 
-accomplith. Yet immenfe tracts of ground, 
which were a barren waite, have been 
converted by Lord Fife into arable land, 
er covered with woods. Of the eftates 
which he poffeffes in the adjoining counties 
of Moray, Bamff, and Aberdeen, more 
than twelve thoufand acres have ina few 
years been laid outin planting. Inhis park 
at Duff houfe, it is a curious circumitance, 
that there are parts of two counties and 
five parithes, viz. the counties of Bamff 
and Aberdeen, and the parithes of Bamff, 
Alva, Bouidy, Gamnie, and Kingedward. 
This park is tweny miles in circuit. It 
contains a variety of game, fuch as deer, 
hares, pheafants, &c. and was entirely 
planted by his Lordfhip. Many of the 
trees, however, are feven and a half feet 
jn circumference. The face of Bamffthire 
now exhibits a finely-diverGfied picture of 
hills end dales, woods, rivers, and feats. 
‘The air is pure and~ keen ; the climate 
healthy ; the feil fertile. The fea and 
the rivers abound with a variety of fith, 
and the earth with minerals. A piece of 
amber as large as a horfe was once calt 
afhore on the beach*, On the weftern fide 
of the fhire, in the mountainous diftri& of 
Balvenie, watered by the river Spey, there 
is a noted rock, which produces hones and 
_ whetitones fuffcient to fupply the whole 
iflind. Here are alfo veins of alum ftone, 
and {prings of alum-water. Strathallan, 
to the north-eaft of Balvenie, abounds in 
lime-ftone fo much, that it is ufed com- 
monly by the inhabitants in ‘building their 
houfes. Great quantities, however, they 
hurn into lime, and fell in the village of 
Keith, on the Deveron. Along the whole 
coat are ancient Danifli monuments, fuch 
as cairns, tumuli, and huge flones ftand- 
ing ereGi. In Strathavin, a hilly country 
lying along the limpid river Avon, which 
falls inte the Spey, we meet with Gordon- 
cafile, a moft princely edifice, the feat of 
* This muft bea ftrange miftake: ‘The fea- 
fhore amber is always in very fmall pieces. 
Prefent State of the County of Bamff: 
the Duke of Gordon. It is fituated in the 
parith of Belle, and was founded by 
George Earl of Huntley, anno 1507.— 
The rooms of ftate are grand, and fur- 
nifhed with fine piétuyes, and a- yaluable 
library ; but as the apartments were built 
at different times, it is a>vaft irregular 
pile, furrounded by parks and plantations. 
The gardens are fpacious, and watered 
with a pond and jet d’eaux. But the 
caftle, by its low fituation, betwixt the 
river to the weft anda high hill to the- 
eaft, commands no view of the “adjacent 
country. It was formerly called the Bog 
of Gight; in Irifhh, Bog na Gaoith, or, 
the windy-bog. Adam de Gordon, an- 
ceftor of this family, for his fervices to 
Malcolm Kenmore, obtained from him the 
lands of Gordon in the Merfe. His lineal 
defcendant nipe generations afterwards 
was Sir Adam Gordon, who was killed 
at the battle of Hamildun, azzo 1401, 
leaving no iffue but a daughter and _heir- 
efs called Elizabeth. This lady- married 
Alexander Seaton, fecond fen of Sir Wile 
liam Seaton, of Winton, which occafien~ 
ed the well-known diftin@ion of the Sea« 
ton Gordons and the ancient Gordons, 
of which laft Mr. Gordon, of Pitlurg, 
is the chief ; for Elizabeth had two un- 
cles, commonly called Jock of Scurderg 
and Tom of Ruthven, who bore the pa- 
ternal arms, without any mark of illegi- 
timacy ; and of thofe the ancient Gordons 
are defcended. Elizabeth’s fon, Alexan- 
der, affumed the name of Gordon, and 
was created Earl of -Huntley, azzo 1449. 
He did the mot important fervice to King 
James II. by defeating the Earl of Craw- 
ford in the battle of Brechin on the r8th 
May, 1452, and thereby breaking the 
confederacy againft that king, who, ina 
confirmation of his lands, amuo 1457, 
ftates the caufe to be, ‘* For keeping the © 
Crown on our head.”? The firt Duke of 
Gordon was created on the 1it November, 
1684, and the prefent Duke of Gordon is 
his great-grandfon, whole youngeft daugh- 
ter, Lady Georgina, was married at the 
Earl of Fite’s houfe at Whitehall, on 
Thurfday the 23d. of June laft, to the 
Duke of Bedford. The Duke of Gordon 
has three cther daughters by his Duchefs, 
(Jane, the daughtg of Sir William Max-> 
well,) married, viz. one to General Len- 
nox, the heir of the Duke of Richmond, 
ene to Lerd Brome, the eldeft fon of the 
Marquis Cornwallis, and one to the pre-~ 
fent Duke of Manchefter. His Grace’s 
fon, the Marquis of Huntley, is ftiil un- 
married, a brave and deferving officer 5 
and his only remaining daughter, Lady 
Madeline Sinclair, is a widow. Befides 
Pe heme "2 ee een eee > w Pay nee (ee 
[Septe 2, - 
