The inhabitants of this parish are faid to be fagacious, communicative, and fenfible. Of the eminent men who were natives of this place, Doctor Robert Wallace, the learned author of "The Population of Ancient Nations," is firft among the number. Though Lord Kaimes was not born here, yet, as his ashes repofe in this parish, it claims him: he died in December 1782. Philofophy, Jurifprudence, Criticism, and Agriculture, found in Henry Home Lord Kaimes a zealous and able difciple *. As a patriot, he flood eminently diftinguished; as a judge, he was upright; and as a farmer, he was respectable in a degree feldom equalled. Enlightened by extenfive prospects of men and manners, he was liberal in his fentiments, and cheerful in his deportment, holding in contempt the narrow prejudices of little minds, while he made due allowance for any cafual bias that might dim the luftre of public spirit or private virtue.

On quitting the pleasure-ground of Blairdrummond, we keep on to the right, leaving on the left the road to the fort of Innverfnaid, by Thornhill, a village lately celebrated for making whisky, the diftillation of which (before the late compofition for excise duties took place) was carried on to a confiderable extent, to the no small injury of the morals of the inhabitants. As we proceed, we see on the right a deep dell, which appears to have been the winding course of a stream, that has either become dry or changed its courfe. Over the eminence which forms the left bank of this dell, a glimpfe of Down Caftle is caught, and produces an agreeable effect. On our approach to

*His works are, British Antiquities, Effays on Morality and Natural Religion, Hiftorical Law, Principles of Equity, Sketches of the History of Man, Elements of Criticifm, Gentleman Farmer, Loofe Hints on Education, &c.

Down Castle, Craigforth & Stirling in the Distance.

London Published March 1. 1802, by Mangman Rees, Paternoster Row.

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the Teith, we pafs by fnug cottages, the habitations of the spinfters of the Adelphi Cotton Works*. Wherever manufactories are established, woe to the neighbouring farmers; for the wages of fervants are out of all bounds, as almost every one employed about works that engage fo many hands as cotton machinery muft neceffarily require, gets great wages; of consequence, those who are greedy of gain forfake the plough, and follow the more profitable employment of the two, that of the manufactory. With regard to the plough and the loom, little doubt remains which is the moft profitable; but the queftion, which is most friendly to population and the morals of the people, would require a greater space for difcuffion than can in this place be allowed.

On paffing the Teith, over an ancient bridge of two archest, juft as we afcend the rifing ground of its left bank, we command an interesting profpect of Down-castle, now a ruin, fituated on a gentle eminence, embossed in a wood that hangs over the river, which here, fweeping round the level lawn below the castle, meets the Ardoch, a rapid stream, and both move flowly on till they are loft in one common reservoir the Forth, in their progrefs to the sea. On both fides of the river its banks are wooded, and rife in the most picturefque fwells. In the distance, Craigforth, Stirling-castle, and the higheft of the Ochil-hills, feem admirably placed for the compofition of a picture; while the fkilful painter cannot fail to add a fore-ground from the

* These works have fuffered lately by fire.

This bridge is faid to have been built by Robert Spittal, taylor to James V. (the fame who founded an hofpital in Stirling) about the year 1530.

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materials he fees at hand on the nearer banks of the Teith, which here paffes beneath his eye with a free and noble volume of water. Since the year 1745, when a garrison of the rebel army occupied Down Castle, it has been suffered to fall into decay. It is the property of the Earl of Moray. At what time it was built is uncertain. Murdoch Duke of Albany is faid to have been its founder; but this rests folely on tradition. In the reign of our fifth James, Sir James Stewart of Beath was by that monarch appointed Conftable thereof; and in 1565 his fon obtained a charter, under the great seal, of certain lands to be called the barony of Down. During the civil war in Queen Mary's reign, it was a place of retreat to the loyalists of that period *. The demefnes belonging to this caftle being erected into a barony prior to the abolition of hereditary jurisdiction in the year 1748, courts of law were held in it; but, happily for the Scotish peasantry, ever since that period, pit and gallows, as hereditary and exclufive privileges, have been folemnly conveyed to the executive government of Britain; and trial by jury fubftituted in place of thefe vile tools of oppreffion and feudal tyranny.

On the left bank of the Teith, that ftretches towards Stirling, the road is agreeably varied with wooded inclosures and gentlemen's feats pleasantly fituated on eminences which command. extensive prospects; or sheltered in fome sweet folitude, whose level lawn forms the verdant margin of the river, reflecting, as it moves slowly along, all the fylvan charms of those fequeftered retreats t. All about this part of the country, the management

* See Grofe's Antiquities, and De Cardonell's Scotish Antiquities.

Mr. Edmofton's house of Newton, close in upon the river, is embossed in wood and charmingly picturesque.

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