Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

Blackhill, and planted with firs,) ftands near the head of the supposed bridge, and from the remains of a fortification on the top, feems to have been defigned to cover the landing-place. The font or veffel used in administering baptifm in the church, is of a fingular construction. It is made of brafs, 16 inches in diameter. On the interior surface are impreffed two circular lines of words; the outer circle contains, in Roman characters, DI. DAL. WVNDI*, five times repeated; the inner circle confifts of unknown characters, four times repeated, which cannot be reprefented without an engraving. An exact tranfcript of the whole was made by me feveral years ago, and prefented to the Antiquarian Society of Scotland.

General Character and Condition of the People.-The people here have an indifference, and even dislike, both to a feafaring and a military life. They prefer the occupations in husbandry or manufacture, to which they are inured from their infancy. They are rather fond of large weddings and funerals, and often incur unneceffary expenfe on fuch occafions. Of late, they have become much more ftudious of dress than they were, and have chaned for the better their mode of living in many articles of domeftic economy. They are now more attentive to cleanlinefs than formerly; their cottages are more fubftantially and commodionfly built; and their condition is daily improving. On the whole, they are fober, peaceable and induftrious. They are in general humane to one another, and show great kindness and sympathy to their diitreffed neighbours. During the last 30 years, one inftance of fuicide has happened; and one perfon has been banished. I have not heard of any perfon belonging to the parish having fuffered capital punishment.

Advantages

* I fuppofe the letter immediately before D to be N. If.fo, it is this letter inverted.

Advantages and Difadvantages.-A judicious observer has remarked, that the light grounds in the Stormont poffefs this advantage over richer and stronger foils, that though the crops are never uncommonly weighty, yet they are moderatly good, in a greater variety of feafons, than in any place where his obfervation has eached. A new road now making to Perth by Stanley, will be of confiderable utility to the parish. And confequences ftill more beneficial muft arife from the accomplishment of a plan now in agitation, for building a bridge over the Ifla, where it empties itself into the Tay, and for making a turnpike road from that bridge to Perth *. The road between Dunkeld and Cupar in Angus paffes through the middle of the parish; but, though it is a great thoroughfare, it has never been made in a fufficient manner. The ftatute-labour, being formerly exacted in kind, was ill adapted either to the conftruction or prefervation of good roads. As it is now commuted, it may be reasonably expected to produce an advantageous change in the state of the roads in the county. A marl-pit has been lately drained. There is alfo fome lime in the parish, but the want of coal renders it useless. Indeed the principal difadvantage under which the inhabitants. labour, is their distance from coal, and from lime, for the purpofes of agriculture. It is to be regretted, that fome well directed attempts have not been made, to difcover whether there is coal in this diftrict. A matter of fuch importance merits a trial. Much of the parish is ftill unin clofed. The farmers are fully fenfible, that inclosures would

be

* It is at once amufing and inftructive to reflect, that near the spot where the intrepid Agricola constructed a vooden bridge for transporting the troops who were to fubdue the valour and ravage the fields of the brave Caledonians the enlightened defcendents of thofe uncivilized but generous barbarians, are about to erect a more folid ftructure, for the older purpose of advancing the cultivation and improvement of their country.

be of effential benefit to them; and from the increafing ac tivity and spirit of the proprietors, there is every reason to believe, that in the course of not many years, the most valuable part of it will be properly divided and inclosed. Thirlage ftill continues in the parish, and is felt by the farmers as a grievance and a bar to improvement. For the fake of an industrious body of men, it is much to be wished, that this odious remainder of feudal tyranny were entirely abolished.

NUM

NUMBER XXXIV.

PARISH OF LOGIE-COLDSTONE.

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

By the Rev. Mr ROBERT FARQUHARSON.

Name, Extent, Soil, &c.

THE HE parish of Logie was annexed to the parish of Coldftone in 1618. The name of the parish of Logie is expreffive of its local fituation. It is a corruption of the word Lag, which in the Gaelic language, fignifies a "hol"low or low fituation." There is no circumstance or tradition for the origin of Coldftone. Logie-Coldftone parish is 38 miles diftant from Aberdeen. It lies in the upper part of the country called Cromar, a corruption of the word Cruievar, which in the Gaelic fignifies "the bught of Mar." It is at equal diftances berween the rivers Dee and Don. The country is furrounded by a large ridge of hills, and is in the form of a bught or fold for holding cattle. The district is about 31 miles from E. to W. and about 6 from >. to N. The foil is various. The interior

part of the country is interfperfed with a number of small hills, and large barren moors; a great many of which retain the marks of cultivation, by the remains of furrows and fences; but the ground is now fo reduced by that barbarous prac. tice of cafting muck-feal and turf, (that is, the furface), that it produces nothing in general, but a fhort worthless kind of heath. Near the manfe there is a fmall plantation of fir wood; to the S. and E. of the church, there are 5 of the fame kind. Some farms on the E. and W. fide of the manfe, called the Eafter and Western Baronies, and lands of Waterairn, are a fine rich deep loam; and though very capable of improvement, are all in a state of nature, except the farms of Kinaldie, Coldftone, and part of that of Loanhead. The first is all inclofed, and fome of the fields straighted and dressed; the second was inclosed by the heritor about 14 years ago, and lies in natural grafs, on which he pastures his own cattle in fummer and harvest; a part of the third, which lies near the manfe, is inclosed and improved. On the E. and W. fide of the church, the ground is light and fandy, a great part of it of a very poor quality; in advancing farther from the church, towards the S. E. extremity, the foil is of a fine rich loam. That part of the parish called Defkrie Side, which lies on the north fide of the hills, is of a cold wet moffy nature, and very fubject to froft and mildews.

Climate, Rivulets, Springs, &c.-The air is accounted falubrious. The froft in winter is often very intense, though the country is not near so stormy as the neighbouring parishes to the N. and W. of it, fuch as Towie, Glenbucket, and Strathdon. There are 3 rivulets in the district, which fall into the Dee in the parish of Aboyne. They are fo fmall in fummer, that they require gathered dams to drive the meal-nills, of which there are 5 in the interior part of this district, and I on Defkrie Side, driven by a burn, the one fide of which, ior 2 miles, belongs to this parish. It

falls

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »