Pii<:e Ss (Ml. No. 10. THE TRANSACTIONS JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE DUMFRIESSHIRE S GflLLOWftY Patural tlistory \ Untiquariaii Jocietij, FOUNDED NOVEMBER, 1862. SESSION 1893-94. PRINTED AT THE STANDARD OFFICE, DUMFRIES. 1895. I No. 10. THE TRANSACTIONS AND JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE DUMFRIESSHIRE I GALLOWAY Idtural [listorif \ \\\\^m\ Jocietif. FOUNDED WOVEMBEB, 1862. SESSION 1893-94. <:^^^t^^ PRINTED AT THE STANDARD OFFICE, DUMFRIES. 189"). c o TJ isr c I Xj. Sir JAMES CRICHTON BROWNE, M.D., LL.D., F.R S. Rev. WM. ANDSON, THOMAS M'KIE, F.S.A., Advocate. WILLIAM JARDINE MAXWELL, M.A., M.P., Advocate. JAMES GIBSON HAMILTON STARKE, M.A., Advocate ^ecvetatrtj. EDWARD J. CHINNOCK, LL.D., M.A., LL.B., Fernbank, Maxwelltown. ^veaeuvev. JOHN A. MOODIE, Solicitor, Bank of Scotland. Sibvavian, JAMES LENNOX, F.S.A., Edenbank, Maxwelltown. ffiurator of ^useunt. PETER M. GRAY, 21 Galloway Street. ffiurator of ^evbaviixm. GEORGE F. SCOTT-ELLIOT, M.A., B.Sc, F.L.S., Newton, assisted by the MissKS HANNAY, Calder Bank, Maxwelltown. (QHjev ^cjnbera. JAMES BARBOUR, Architect. JAMES DAVIDSON, F.LC. THOMAS LAING, F.E.LS. JAMES C. R. MACDONALD, M.A., W.S. ROBERT MURRAY. JOHN NEILSON, M.A. GEORGE H. ROBB, M.A. JAMES MAXWELL ROSS, M.A., M.B. JAMES S. THOMSON. JAMES WATT. COnSTTEHSTTS. Page. Secretary's Annual Report ... ... ... ... ... ... .. 2 Treasurer's Annual Report ... ... ... .. 3 Antiquarianism the Handmaid of History. Sir R. T. Reid ... 5 Nun's Slab in Dundrennan Abbey (Illustrated). R. Brydall ... ... 9-35 Botanical Notes for 1893. J. M'Andrew 10 Martyr Graves of Kirkcudbrightshire. J. H. Thomson .. ... 12 Gleanings relating to Dundrennan Abbey. J. C. Aitken. ... ... 5 Early Flowers in 1893. G.Bell 28 Antiquities of Kirkbean. S. Arnott ... .. ... ... ... 29 Botanical Notes for Moffat District, 1892-93. J.T.Johnstone ... 36 Meteorology of Dumfries, 1893. W. Andson 39 Recent Investigations of the Roman Wall (Illustrated). A. D. Murray. 45 A Note on Birds J. Corrie. ... ... .. ... ... 55 Zoological Additions to Kirkcudbright Museum J. M'Kie ... ... 56 The Cairns of Kirkcudbrightshire. F.R.Coles 59 Scotland in the 18th Century. P. Grey ... ... ... ... ... 66 A List of Wigtownshire Plants. J. M'Andrew ... ... 72 Monastic Orders connected with Dumfries 500 years ago (Illustrated) J. G. H. Starke Ill Old Water Supply of Dumfries and Water Supply of the Town. J. Barbour 121 Plants of North of England and South of Scotland. A.Bennett ... 132 Ornithological Notes for 1893. II. Mackay 137 Words of the Dumfriesshire Dialect. J.Shaw ... .. ... ... 139 Occurrence of Mispickel (Arsenical Pyrites) in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Patrick Dudgeon ... ... ... ... ... 160 Notes on the Rubi and Salices of Upper Nithsdale. James Fingland 160 Field Meetings 163 The Herbarium 163 Rules 163 Honorary and Life Members ... ... ... ... ... ... 165 Ordinary Members .. ... ... .. ... ... .. 165 ; TRflNSflCTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY llatural Historn \ Untipnrio JoGietif. SESSIOIsr ISQS-Q-i. IMh October, 1893. ANNUAL MEETING. Mr James Gibson Hamilton Starke, M.A., Vice-President, in the chair. Donations. —A Collection of Bees, presented by Mr G. F. Scott-Elliot ; Nest, presented Miss A. a Wasps' by Wedderburn ; of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1891-2 the Proceedings ; Proceedings of the Rochester (New York) Academy of Science, Vol. II. ; North American Fauna, No. 7 (from the United States Department of Agriculture) ; Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow, Vol. IX., Part 2 ; Proceedings of the Holmes- dale Natural History Club, 1890-2 ; Essex Naturalist, April-May, 1893; Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 1892 (Chapel Hill, North Carolina); Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. XI., pp. 49-58 ; Reports of the Botany and Geology of Sierra Leone, presented by Mr G. F. Scott-Elliot Report of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, 1892-3 ; Notes on Potamogetons, by Mr Arthur Bennett ; Insecta, by Dr David Sharp, F.R.S, — 2 Transactions. Secretary's Report. The Secretary (Dr E. J. Chimiock) read the Annual Report : The membership of the Society now numbers 143 ordinary members, of whom 13 have been admitted during the session now closing. There are also 7 life members and 24 honorary members, two of whom, Sir Herbert Maxwell and Mr William Thomson of Kirkcudbright, were elected during the closing session. The Society has sustained the loss by death of three members- --Mr Robert Maxwell Witham of Kirkconnell ; Mr William Hastings, the taxidermist ; and Mr James Williamson, of Maxwelltown. Mr Maxwell Witham was one of the most enlightened gentlemen of the district, and always took a lively interest in this Society, which he evinced on many occasions by exhibiting his collection of antiquities and articles of interest. Mr Hastings for many years contributed interesting zoological notes to our proceedings. His place among the honorary members was filled at our September meeting by the election of Mr William Thomson of Kirkcudbright, one of the most indefatigable investigators in Galloway, both in botanical and antiquarian matters. It is an honour to the Society to have his name enrolled among its members. Eight evening meetings and four field meetings have been held during the session. At the former 25 interesting papers were read, all of which shewed laudable research, and some were very valuable. Without detracting from the merit of the other con- tributors, the papers communicated by Messrs Ardson, Barbour, Cairns, Gray, M'Andrew, and Scott-Elliot may be singled out as particularly good. It is a pity that more members do not take part in our proceedings, either in contributing papers or in attend- ing the discussions. The thanks of the Society are due to Mr Scott-Elliot for his interest in the herbarium, by his labours in increasing the con- tributions to it and in classifying and naming the plants. The Misses Hannay are also worthy of especial thanks for their care of the plants during the winter months and for mounting and arranging the specimens. The botanists of the district have formed a Field Club, under the presidency of Mr Scott-Elliot, and have had a very successful summer session, if it can be so called. This new club Transactions. 3 has the best wishes of our Society for its success and jirosperity. Further donations to our herbarium liave been made by the Rev. George Wilson of Glenluco, Miss Thomson of Settle, and Mr Tom Brown of Hatfield. Four field meetings were held during the summer to Penpont, Birnswark, Newabbey, and Dundrennan. The thanks of the Society are due to the Rev. George M'Conachie for his interesting description of the ruins of Dundrennan Abbey. On the whole the field meetings were more successful this year than they have been for several seasons. As the subscription for membership is so small it would be an advantage to the Society if the number of members were increased. After paying for the publication of the Transactions the Treasurer has very little money left for the incidental expenses of the Society. It is therefore the duty of members to try and introduce friends who will take an interest in the work of the Society, and by their subscriptions contribute to its success and usefulness. Treasurer's Report. The Treasurer (Mr John A. Moodie) read the Annual Report from 1st October, 1892, to the 30th September, 1893 : CHARGE. Balance in Treasurer'.? hands at close of last account ... £0 18 S^ Subscriptions from 117 members at 5s each .. £29 5 Do. from 13 members at 2s 6d each ... 1 12 Entrance fees from 7 new members Two subscriptions paid in advance for next year Copies of Transactions sold Interest on bank account... Donation from Mr >Scott-Elliot ... 1- Transactions. Brought forward £S 17 \-h Paid expenses of calling meetings as follows — Postcards ... ... ... ... ... £3 19 3i Paid for addressing same ... ... ... 140 Paid R. Johnstone, printer, printing same 12 5 £0 4 Transactions. 5 Address. Sir Eobert T. Keid, M.A., Q.C., M.P., then delivered an address on " Antiquarianism as the Handmaid of History." He said he was not himself a practical antiquarian ; that was to say, he had not shared in the joys of isolated curiosity discreetly ajiplied to the objects surrounding us, either of nature or history. He could quite understand the ecstatic pleasure that sucli studies could confer. Indeed he knew in his own family the intense enjoyment that antiquarian resettrch gave to one who, he was sorry to say, was no longer with us. But every educated man must take an interest in antiquarianism from one point of view, namely, regard- ing it as the handmaid of history He had his theory as to the way in which history had been written in the past ; and, although he was not prepared to carry his theory into pi'actice by writing history himself, he had a very shrewd opinion that future generations would require history to be written in a very different style. If they called to mind the histories which we were condemned to study, they wouhl find that they contained for the most part a bare record of events, events of capital importance ; particulars of the most general character about the personal character and conduct and personal appearance of kings and queens, the intrigues of statesmen, a large number of them incompetent or dishonest, many of them both, subjects which formed a very uninteresting record except so far as it was embellished by the intrinsic sublimity or beauty of the events which the chroniclers were obliged to relate. That was not what men were satisfied with now in history. What we wanted was to know the traits of character, the peculiarities, the habits, the points of view of great and distinguished men, who have made the world what it is, and also of the corporate mass of undistinguished men who have been their victims, their instruments, or it might be their dupes in some cases, or who have received the iunnense advantages that many nations have received from the efforts of many great men.