NUMBER VIII.

PARISH OF BIRSE,

(COUNTY AND SYNOD OF ABERDEEN, PRESBYTERY OF KINCARDINE O'NIEL.)

By the Rev. Mr JOSEPH SMITH.

THE

Name, &c.

HE ancient name of the parish is faid to have been Prefs, meaning in Gaelic a "wood or thicket." Great part of the parish was, and is ftill covered with natural wood, fuch as fir, birch, afh, alder, mountain afh, gean or black cherry, holly, hazel, afpen, and fome oaks, &c. Befides the natural wood, there are fome thoufand acres inclosed and planted with various forest trees, fir, birch, ash, elm, beech, plane, horfe chefaut, fpruce, larix, and willows of all forts, &c. &c. all are in a thriving state, and many of them already fit for ufe. The parish then takes its name from this circumftance, namely, its having always produced a deal of fine wood. The name has been greedy corrupted. It seems to have been written Preifs, then Breifs, and this is infcribed on the communion cup about a century ago. In fome writings it is called Brafs, and

now

now it obtains the name of Birse. The names of the greater part of the places in the parish are evidently derived from the Gaelic language; for example, Prefbeg, now Birsebeg, "the little bush;" Prefmore, now Birfemore," the large bush."

Extent and Situation.-Its extent from E. to W. is about 10 measured miles, and, including that range of the Grampian hills belonging to the parish; its extent from the river Dee on the N. towards the S. is in many places nothing lefs. It is indeed narrower towards the east end of the parish, but by all who are thoroughly acquainted with its extent, it is deemed equal to a figure of 10 miles square. The parish church is diftant from Aberdeen, the nearest poft town, about 27 measured miles. It is the most southerly parish in the county of Aberdeen. With respect to the inhabited part of the parish, it may be divided into three large ftraths or diftricts. The largest of which, in the fouth-east end of the parish is called Feughfide, (or vulgarly the Eaffide of the hill, meaning Corfe Dardar.) It has the Feugh running through it. It is about 3 miles long and 2 broad. The house of Finzean is in the north weft corner of it, and being furrounded on the north and weft by hills and woods, is remarkably fheltered and pleafantly fituated. Its name Finzean, is faid by those converfant in the Gaelic language to be defcriptive of its pleafant fituation. The heritor has always refided. Directly weft on the banks of the Feugh, and among the Grampian hills is fituated the Foreft or Glen Birfe, partly inclofed and cultivated, and partly in common for pafture. The middle ftrath or district is called the Water, vulgarly the burn of Chattie, as that burn runs through it. It is about 4 miles long and 1 broad. On the fouth of the burn is Midstrath, and on the north Ballogie, formerly named Tillyfnaught,

Both are delightfully fituated, being encircled with hills and woods. The proprietor of Midstrath has not for fome time refided, confequently the manfion-houfe is almost a ruin. The house of Ballogie is fitted up with tafte by the proprietor, who refides. In its neighbourhood, and on the public road that paffes through the parish from E. to W. is the neat little village of Marywell, where they are improving the fields, and building neat small houses under the aufpices of Mr Innes the proprietor. Directly weft on the banks of the Chattie is Glenchatt, partly cultivated, and partly fet apart for pasture. The most northerly district is along the fouth fide of the Dee; through it runs the burn of Birfe. In it is Balfour, where a finall heritor refides. The church and manfe are there fituated, very inconveniently for the greater part of the parish. This diftrict is about 2 miles long, and 1 broad. It is vulgarly called the Six Towns. The whole parish is divided into what was called 24 towns; and in the opinion of fome fkilful men, each town may contain from 80 to 85 acres arable. Upon this fuppofition, there may be reckoned about 2000 acres and upwards under cultivation, exclufive of the Foreft, where there are now 120 acres and odds under cultivation. The number of acres under wood in the parish may be equal to the number under cultivation. No trees, however, grow in what is called the Foreft; yet there is reason to believe, that it once produced a great deal of various forts, particularly holly. In fome old houses in the parish, fome wood that grew in the Forest still remains; tradition fays, that the remainder of the wood growing in the Foreft was confumed by fire. The nearest farm to the Foreft is called Woodend. To the parish belong in property, or at leaft by fervitude, four forefts or glens; in all of which, probably wood has been produced, namely Glen-Birfe, Glen-Aven, Glenchatt, and Glenfleudrum.

Surface, Soil and Climate.-The surface is uneven, hilly, and even rocky and mountainous. It is beautifully diverfified with hill and dale, wood and water. Many spots in it are most delightful; they afford the pleasures of a rural life in abundance, and fuch as can relish thefe pleasures must be highly delighted with the variegated appearance of the country. The foil is light and sharp, fandy in fome places, in others a dark brown loam. It is mostly on a hard and gravellish bottom. In a few places the bottom is inclined to clay; when justice is done to the foil, the produce will fufficiently reward the husbandman for his labour and expenfe. The air is pure, and the climate temperate and healthy. On the banks of the Dee fnow lies not fo long as in fome other places. There are no difeafes peculiar to the parish. Many of the inhabitants arrive at a good old age, as the population-table will evince. Some families feem to have their blood tainted with the fcrofula; fome complain of rheumatism (more frequently indeed than their forefathers), and a few young people die of confumptions. In general, however, they are a blooming healthy race, Inoculation is practifed a little with fuccefs; the fenfible part of the people do not feem averse from it.

Hills and Mofes, Birds and Game, &c.-As there are 3 ftraths or districts of which the parish is made up, so there are 3 large ridges of hills taking their rife towards the ri, ver Dee, and running in a S. W. direction till they terminate in the heart of the Grampians, of which indeed they are a part. Peter-hill, the White-hill, and Mulbrax, are in the fouth ridge. The Ords, the Shooting greens, (over which the great road leading from the river Dee to the Cairn o' Mount paffes); Tomcairn, Corfe- Dardar, (over which the public road from E to W. paffes); hills of Midftrath, and Arntilly, Lamachip, and Brackenitaik, are in the mid

dle

dle ridge. The most northerly ridge takes its rife at Inchbair, and terminates at Cairnferg. On the W. of the parish are the hills of Birfemore, Deuchry, and, Mount Ganiach, which is the highest hill in the parish. Indeed, Mount Battach, or the north fide of it, is claimed as belonging to Birfe. Its height by Garden's map of the county of Kincardine, is 1150 yards above the level of the fea. Mount Battach is confiderably higher than Mount Ganiach, which is conjectured to be about 1000 above the level of the fea. Peter-hill and Mulbrax are next in height to Mount Ganiach, and may be rated at 900 yards. Cairnferg, which is a remarkably confpicuous conical mount, may be about 700 yards. The reft of the hills fall gradually lower in their respective ridges northward and eastward, till the ridge enters the parish of Strachan, or terminates at the river Dee. There has been no map or distinct measurement of this parish. The height of the hills cannot therefore be exactly specified. In Garden's map, the fituation of part of this parish may be feen. All the hills are rocky and covered with heath, interfperfed with pasture, ftraths and green vallies. There on the Grampian hills our frugal fwains do literally feed their flocks. The hills produce a variety of herbs, the names and virtues of which we cannot pretend to specify; alfo many forts of berries, the blue berry, cranberry, cloudberry; in rocky places, the bramble, rafp, and ftrawberry of a small fize. The hills alfo abound with mofs; it is indeed inexhaustible, but of difficult accefs. In the moffes fituated in the lower grounds of the parish are dug up the remains of old oaks, which appear to have been of a prodigious fize. In the hill moffes the fir is found, commonly the root, and sometimes the whole tree, as fresh as if fallen yesterday, al-, though it has been buried hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. The oaks are not quite so freth. The hills also a

bound