Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 9.djvu/204

 162 NOTES AND QUERIES. [i2S.ix.AuQ.27.is2i. been a north -country neighbour. It would be interesting to know whether " Walles Cow-band " (assuming this to be a correct reading) is a known name for the jougs. Glasgow, June 4th, 1730. 2 o'cl. Dear Sr, I have got thus far on my progress thro' ye Lowlands of Scotland and intend to go by Sterling, Banockburn, Arther's Oven, Fawkirk, Lithgow, Ld Hoptoun's, Queen's-Ferry, Edenburgh, Muscle- burgh, Barwic, Whittingham [to see Tom Nevison] Rothbury [to see Dr. Sharp], and from thence thro' Morpeth to Newcastle against ye Races ; so by Durham and Darlington over Stainmore home. I have not seen enough of ys country to enter into a just character of it : but must needs say yt our Countrymen in Westm. and Cumbd are too much prejudic'd agst Scotland, and much more are ye nations of ye South. Their judgemt is form'd from Allison -bank, Annan, Graitney* or ye first house in Scotld where they just step over ye Sark| to drink French wine at 18d a bottle, and to say once in their lives they have been in Scotld. The Scots indeed may easily retort upon us, yt ye nearer their Land lies to England ye worse is their country ; for from ye Sark to Annan there's a face of meer Poverty and Nastiness, little or no land yt seems improvable, and very few appearances of Human industry, and for ye same reason very few houses. From Annan to Dum- fries ye country mends upon your hands, from thence to Drumlenric ye country grows better ; but as if all ye beauty of ye neighbourhood was drain' d to adorn yt one place, all ye country beyond for 1 5 miles to Dowglass Mill is shocking, Enterkin and Lead-Hills (where Ld Hoptoun has some rich mines) are as hideous as ye Fells abt ye Peak in Derbyshire or to compare it wth a Place better known to you and me, Hy trophead near Mur- ton Pike is only a little more frightful. Fm Dowgl. Mill to Hamilton ye country resembles ye Chalk Hills near Dunstable, and near Hamilton you see how diffusive ye spirit of yt Noble Family of Hamilton has once been ; for carry your eye round ye Town for 2 miles in a line and you see all ye Circle near 12 miles in Circumference beautified wth Lime. Walls, long Avenues and plantations, and all ys at ye expence of ye D. of Hamilton. The Stage from Hamilton to Glasgow entertained pur eye much more yn ye last from Dowglass Mill to wth in 2 miles of Hamilton. At ye end of a long Lane wth a fine spacious pavemt almost flat, adorn' d on each hand wth regular Plantations we came fm Hamilton to Beadle brigg, as 'tis pronounc'd ; and I imagin'd truly so pronounc'd wn we pd a beadle a piece for our Horses going over ; but ye true name is Bothwel] bridge famd, as I was told for a Beencounter yt happen'd there in Monmouth's time abt 81 (but it had it's name I think from Earl Bothwell 3d Husband to M. Qn of ye Scots). It brought us over ye Clydd into Clyddesdale, a fine vale where most of ye aples grow yt ye whole Kgdom of Scotland is supplied wth. The Bridge consists but of 2 Arches but exceeding neat and strong, and indeed all along as we have come we have found their t Sark a small river which separates Cumber- land from Dumfriesshire, near Gretna. Bridges, their Town Pavemts, their Highways, and publick buildings exceed ye generality in ngland. The Bridge at Dumfries is a noble work, very broad ye Passage over it, and of ye 9 arches it consists of, 3 where ye main wait of ye water flows wn ye Tide is gone, are very high and very wide. It lays over ye Nith on ye South west side of ye Town, tho Mackey in his Journey thro' Scotld places it on ye East side, as I remember and gives it 1 3 arches instead of 9. In ye place of ye Castle wch when Mackey saw it, stood at ye East end of ye Town, is now built at ye N.W. end a very beautifull Church, a fine piece of Modern Architecture wch wd appear at ye bottom of a fine long street if ye prospect were not intercepted by another publick building, their Town Hall, and nothing but its own fitness cd attone for its inter- cepting ye Church. The beauty of ys Church made us ample amends for ye mortifying appear- ance of yt at Annan, for there did we see a Church thatcht, and very ill thatched too. There did we see first a pr of Juggs fixd to ye Jambs of ye Kirk Door, (hi other places we found 'em fix'd to ye Market Cross). [?] Walles Cow-band or the Juggs are an instrumt of punisht answering in use to our Pillory ; they are no more yn 2 semi-circles of Iron turning upon a pliable loose joynt to receive ye neck of an offender, wth a hole at each end to put a hang-lock thro' : they depend from ye Wall by a Chain of 6 or 8 Links. If it had been our luck to have fallen in at Annan on a Sabath Day we might perhaps have seen ye Head of a Pilferer or Fornicator expos' d in such a place where genlly in England at lamb ing- time we see ye Heads of Ravens, Foumarts or Badgers dangling. We found sevll Gentlemn's and some Noblemn's Places all along fm Dumfries hither, wch beautify ye Scenes vastly, and in some parts shew Art very adventageously, where Nature in trowth wd but ha' had a vairy unco leuk. Drumlenrig particularly is as Sweet a Place as ever I desire to see. The carving in wood over ye Chimney pieces and Doors, richer and finer yn anything in our Chappel,* ye Pictures in ye Gallery and other apartments, ye curious prints yt adorn ye Stair- case, ye stately velvet Beds wth chairs and sofas of ye same, ye oak and cedar Wainscot, ye many rich pieces of Tapestry, and wt is most egregiously curious, ye Family of France in all its branches in Lewis ye XlVth's time, done wth needle-work in colours suiting hands, face and drapery, wch adorn ye fine Dutches of Queensbury's closet, speak all ye elegance of a modern taste ; and ye Building and Gardens with Plantations in Prospect are .monumts of yt extravagnt, ambition yt inspir'd ye 1st Dke of Queensburry in K Chles 2d's time to conquer Nature. For all ye Rock, on wch ye House and Gardens are laid out is cut into such forms as answer ye conveniences of either : and evergreens of all sorts planted on an iner Range of Hills along 3 quarters of ye space yt Invirons ye House quite intercept ye prospect of ye remoter back range of Mountains, 'bating where vistoes direct ye eye to such delightful [? hollows] as are pleasing enough at a distance : and if he has not skreen'd ye Mountains from our view on ye 4th side, 'tis only because it was not in ye power of human Industry or wealth to effect it, for a descent from his house on yt side, with a wide
 * I.e., Gretna.
 * I.e., of Queen's College, Oxford.