belonging to this parish has ever been the subject of a criminal trial. One perfon only has emigrated to America. There is no record of any murder having happened in the parish; tradition mentions 1 fuicide about 50 years ago. Belief in the power of spells and charms ftill prevails here in a great degree; they attribute power to them only in internal diforders, and fome chronical difeafes. A knowledge of them is confined to a few families. The recourse of the people to remedies of this kind is lefs to be wondered at, as they are always adminiftered gratuitously, and many of them are at a diftance from a regular practitioner in phyfic. It must be a confiderable time before every fpecies of fuperftition be eradicated from the minds of people, who confider every thing as facred that has been fanctioned by the belief of their fathers.

Curiofities and Antiquities.-There is a water fall at the head of a den, whofe depth is about 50 or 60 feet perpendicular. This den continues for about half a mile, when it lofes itself in the Carfe of Gowrie, at the village of Baledgarno, in the parish of Inchture. In this den Mr Gray, fome years ago, attempted to open a copper mine; but though he found fome ore, it was not judged worth working. On the edge of this den, King Edgar of Scotland built a castle, to overawe a powerful body of robbers, who then infested the country. No veftige of the building now remains a farm-house, built upon the fite, itill retains the name of the castle. Upon the top of a hill, called Glennylaw, are two cairns; and a few years ago there was another in the glebe, under which a few bones were found. These are faid to have been raised in confequence of a battle between two powerful families, the Grays of Foulis and the Boyds of Pitkindie, in this parish, in which the latter were victorious. On the fame hill is one of thofe circles,

VOL, IX.

U

called

called Druidical, confifting now only of seven stones. And in Stockmuir, about a mile from this one, there is another of nine ftones; both have confifted of more; three or four have been taken from the first not long ago. In a few years, there will be no veftige of either. This laft is fituated juft at the foot of Dunfinnan Hill, on which was the refidence of the famous Macbeth. The fite of his castle was admirably chosen for a place of defence, being a conical rifing on the weft end of the hill, almost inacceffible, except on one fide. The excellence of its fituation had before pointed it out to Kenneth III. and other Kings, as a secure place of refidence. The fite of the caftle is within the parish of Collace.-Upon the top of King's-feat, another part of the fame hill, in this parish, there is the ruin of a circular inclosure, fimilar to Macbeth's caftle, but much fmaller. This, as it commanded a more extenfive prospect than the castle itself, taking in befide a vast extent of country, great part of the fea-coaft, from the mouth of the frith of Forth to the South Efk, probably was a watch-tower or out-post; and, from this circumflance, had received its name. So prevalent is the notion, that all great atchievements in former times, were performed by men of fuperior fize and strength, that Macbeth's castle, though the history of it is fo well known, is called by no other name, among the vulgar, than the Giants House.

NUM

NUMBER XI.

PARISH OF BIRNIE,

(COUNTY OF ELGIN, SYNOD OF MORAY, PRESBYTERY OF ELGIN.)

By the Rev. Mr JOSEPH ANDERSON.

THI

Name, Extent, &c.

HIS parish was named Brenuth about the beginning of the 13th century: A name probably derived from Brae-nut, i. e. " High land abounding in nuts;" for many hazle trees once grew upon the fides of the hills and banks of the rivulets, and the general appearance of the parish is hilly. The natives pronounce it Burn-nigh, i. e. “ A village near the burn or river." This etymology is defcriptive enough of the particular place now called Birnie. The remotest house is 7 miles from Elgin, where the poft goes thrice eaft and weft every week. The figure of the parish is irregular, but comes nearest to an oval shape; the diftance from the N. to the S. extremity being about 5 miles, and from the E. to the W. about 2.

Surface and Soil.-The greatest part of the furface confifting of feveral high hills covered with heath, makes in ge

neral

neral a bleak rugged appearance; the cultivated foil, however, in the valleys, and on the fides of hills, and the feveral falls of water in the rocky channel of the rivulets, have formed fome beautifully diverfified scenes. The un cultivated foil confifts of moor and peat-mofs, with fome interjacent plots of green pafture. The arable land in general is fandy, fhallow, ftony and steep, lying either on a bed of rock, or of compacted gravel. Some fields contiguous to the Loffie, confift of loam either upon a clayish or fandy bed. Several plots of a moffy and moory nature are to be found both among the high and low lands.

Rivulets, &c.-The parish is adorned with the three rivulets of Lennock, Barden and Rushcroock, which flow into the river Loffie. The Loffie taking its rife in the parish of Ediakillie, and gliding through Dallas, begins at its confluence with the burn of Lennock, to run by part of the weft fide, and then through the north end of this parish, and after a course of about 18 miles from its origin to its mouth, flows into the fea at the harbour of Loffie-mouth. The river abounds in burn trouts and eels. Some falmon, finnacs*, and white trouts swim up the river about Lammas, which give fine diversion to the angler. The most remarkable inundations happened in the years 1768 and 1782. Three-fourths of the farm of Over-bogs have been deftroyed by land floods, which have hurled from the hills an immenfe quantity of ftones and fand, and left them upon that plain field, where the river fometimes parts into two or three ftreams.

Climate.

Finnacs are a species of fish in colour and shape like a falmon. They weigh from 2 lb. to 4 lb. White trouts are of a lefs fize, but of a whiter colour. They are fuppofed to be two fpecies of fea trouts. In April, fhoals of the fry of each fpecies fwim down to the fea, from which they do not return fooner than July.

Climate. The air is pure along the banks of the Loffie, but rather moist among the hills. They rife to a confiderable height above the Loffie, and attract more showers than the low land. The inbabitants, however, in each of thefe places, are equally healthful, and free from any disorders, but fuch as are common all over this country.

Minerals, Trees, Animals, &c.-A large chain of rocks extend east and weft through the middle of the parish. The greatest part of the country houfes are built with moor ftones, which abound in every hill. Some ftrata of freeftone, of flate and limeftone, have been lately difcovered. The freeftone and flate have been used in repairing the church and manfe. There are fome oak, birch, hazle, ash, and plane trees; but they are not fufficient for fupplying the implements of hufbandry. Some large trunks of oak and fir are dug out of the moffes. Of thefe the inhabitants make very strong couples and lath for their houses. Fruit trees are scarce. The fhrubs of broom, furze, juniper, floes, hips and brambles, are innumerable. The water-lilly is the only herb, which perhaps is peculiar to this parish, it grows in the Gedloch. Moorfowl, partridge and hare are the principal game. The Earl of Moray, as tradition relates, ufed often to hunt and fhoot on these hills. That he might have accommodation during the sporting season, he allotted a croft of land to the vintner, and another to the blacksmith; for which the one paid a rose, and the other a horse shoe, yearly, if required. The crofts ftill retain the names of Brewer's-croft and Smithy-croft. The lapwing appears in March, the cuckoo in April, and the swallow in May; they all begin to disappear about the end of fum

mer.