Alloa and its Environs

Alloa and its Environs

A Descriptive and Historical Sketch

By James Lothian

1861

The Subscriber, some years ago, published a pamphlet with a title similar to that of the present publication - “Alloa and its environs.” In the course of a few weeks, an impression of 500 copies was sold, but the intention to issue a second edition was never fulfilled. The want of a small hand-book for the district has been oftentimes felt, and the subscriber hopes that the following Descriptive and Historic Sketch will be found prepared with such care and completeness as to render the work not only of interest to the community generally, but useful to the passing tourist, and acceptable to those at a distance who claim connection with Alloa or it's immediate neighbourhood.

J. Lothian, jun.

Alloa Advertiser Office,
Alloa, June 1861.

ALLOA

In the Charter granted to King Robert I., in the ninth year of his reign (1315), the town of Alloa is described as being situated on the north side of the Forth, 28 miles by water higher up the Frith than Leith, and 11 lower down than Stirling. To this an explanatory word is required, that, by land, the distance from Leith is greater, and the distance to Stirling is less than here represented. Kennedy, author of "Glenochil," alludes to the probability of Alloa haying derived its name from Aloa, an autumnal feast observed by the Romans; and another authority says that the town is indicative of the site of the Allana of Ptolemy. Dr Jamieson, author of the Scottish Dictionary, and who, by the way was educated at Alloa, states that the most probable etymology of the name was from Aull Waeg, signifying the way to the sea or the sea-way. The name has been variously spelled, but the present mode cannot be traced as in use further back than 186 years*.

Alloa, on the whole, possesses little that is historically valuable, but as an active centre of trade and manufactures, and as the leading town of a county which, though small in geographical limits, contributes, from the excise duties arising from spirits, malt, etc., about a sixty-eighth part of the revenue of the United Kingdom, it assumes considerable importance.

Besides, there are scattered over the district not a few trustworthy traditions and historical facts, of deep and enduring interest, while the beauteousness of the surrounding region commands general admiration, and has not infrequently been celebrated in song. The climate of the district is very salubrious, and there is no disease of peculiar prevalence in this locality. A strong tidal river sweeping along the windings of the Forth, onwards to the German Ocean**, the Ochil range of hills sheltering much of the county of Clackmannan from the severity of the north winds, and the healthful pursuits of the bulk of the community, may contribute much to this, while the lake of Gartmorn, whence the inhabitants of Alloa are plentifully supplied with water, has been pronounced by eminent chemists to contain water remarkable for its excellence and purity.

* 1675
** The German Ocean was renamed the North Sea in Britain after World War 1

The population of the municipal burgh of Alloa, according to last census, is 6440, which is only 2200 less than Chalmers, in his Caledonia, gives as the number of inhabitants in the whole county in 1755 ; and the population of the parish, according to the census of 1861, is 8713, - being, from various causes, somewhat below the census of 1851. But the progress of Alloa is more particularly marked by its modern buildings, its fine ecclesiastical structures, substantial public edifices, and handsome private villas, its well-formed and well-kept streets, its spacious and elegant shops, and extensive manufactories, - all indicative of a thriving trade and a prosperous community.

The “New Town” is the designation commonly given to the houses composing Forth Street, and its immediate vicinity, and the first built house of that district was the one at the east end of Forth Street, as will be seen by the following memorandum taken from the Family of Mar papers :- “JOHN FRANCIS ERSKINE, Esquire of Mar, having laid off this field for the purpose of building a New Town, the first stone of the first house, the property of Alexander Mustard, shipbuilder, was laid by Mr John Younger, Master of the Ancient Lodge of Free Masons in Alloa, attended by a great assembly of the Brethren, and in the presence of the principal inhabitants of the town of Alloa, on the 12th day of August, in the year of our Lord, 1785.” After the house here referred to was built, it was long before any other was erected, and the first impulse to the extending of the New Town was by our late townsman, Mr John Smith, architect, who built several houses in Forth Street, after which, the buildings in that street and Castle Street, rapidly advanced.

Even our “Old Town” has of late years undergone a marked change for the better - thanks chiefly to the enterprise of private business firms which, with a view to the extension of their establishments, have bought up and swept away whole tenements of dilapidated dwelling-houses, and planted in their room more enduring and useful buildings. By authority of the Commissioners of the Burgh, the streets and lanes, too, have of late years been greatly improved, and buildings and ruinous houses dangerous to the lieges have been removed out of the way. But time was when the “Old Town” really embraced the whole of Alloa, judging from an engraving of the town as it stood 200 years ago. This engraving, which indicates the houses to be all thatch-roofed, and clustered in what is now known as the “Old Town,” bears the following inscription :- “Prospect of the House and Town of Alloua. This plate is most humbly inscribed to the Honble. James Arskine of Grange, Esq., one of the Senators of the College of Justice.”

For a long series of years the affairs of the town were under the immediate management of Trustees appointed by Act of Parliament, and matters connected with the harbour under a different set of Trustees, similarly appointed. The late Mr Robert Jameson held the appointment of Baron Bailie of Alloa, and he was succeeded by Mr Moir, who was appointed by the Earl of Mar. The first Act of Parliament appointing Trustees for the management of the town's matters was passed in the year 1803, and subsequently amended by an Act passed in 1822. The duties of the Town Trustees were to appoint a treasurer and clerk and other officers, and to assume from time to time additional trustees - to superintend the management of the cleaning, lighting, paving, and repairing of the streets of the town, - to bring a proper supply of water for the inhabitants, and generally to carry into effect all necessary regulations for preventing nuisances, and the superintending and maintaining a proper police. Ample powers for carrying all these purposes into effect, by borrowing money, and assessing the inhabitants to a limited extent, and otherwise, were conferred on the Trustees by the Acts referred to. In addition to this, Alloa was entitled to all the privileges of being a Burgh of Barony. In the crown charter of 1829, vesting the estate of Alloa in the present Earl of Mar, several allusions are made to Alloa as being “a free Burgh of Barony and of Regality.” Nevertheless, in course of time, an impression began to prevail amongst not a few that the local Acts were inefficiently administered, or that the taxed inhabitants might be placed under more efficient municipal regulations. Repeated efforts to have the management of the town affairs put upon a more popular basis were frustrated, owing to various difficulties in the way of any important alteration, the chief of which was a debt of about £5000, which had in former years been contracted for the purpose of forming and paving streets, bringing water into, and generally improving the town, and for this debt the Trustees were personally responsible. At length, after some preliminary newspaper controversy and platform discussion, a meeting was held in the Assembly Room, on the 19th of January 1854, of the occupiers of premises of the annual value of £10, and upwards, with a view to the adoption, in whole or in part, of the Police and Improvement Act - an Act “to make more effectual provision for regulating the Police of towns, and populous places in Scotland, and for paving, draining, cleaning, lighting, and improving the same.”

The late Dr McGowan moved the adoption of the Town's Police Act for the future management of the affairs of Alloa, which motion was seconded by Mr McNellan. Mr Spence, while favourable to the adoption of the measure, saw difficulties in the way, owing to the existence of certain local Acts, and moved an amendment “that a Committee be appointed to inquire, and report at a future meeting to be held that day four weeks.” Mr Arnot seconded the amendment, as he disapproved of ungraciously hurling the Town Trustees from the position they held. Mr MacWatt supported the amendment, being opposed to a precipitate adoption of the Act. The Rev. P. McDowall, with a view to reconcile both parties, tried to frame a resolution combining motion and amendment - namely to adopt the Act, but to settle at a future day whether the Act should be accepted in whole or in part, but this motion Mr McDowall found it necessary to withdraw. The vote was then taken, when Mr Clark, Sheriff-Substitute of the county, who presided, declared that there was a preponderating majority in favour of the adoption of the whole Act. Thereafter, on the motion of Mr Alexander Blair, it was resolved that the numb of Commissioners be nine, and that it was unnecessary to divide the town into wards. Nine Commissioners having been afterwards elected by the qualified householders, Dr McGowan was chosen by the Commissioners as the Senior Magistrate of the Burgh, and Mr McNellan and Mr Moir were elected Junior Magistrates, Mr John Ewing, who promoted the adoption of the Act, being chosen as Clerk. At the present time, the constitution of the Board is as follows:

JAMES MOIR, Esq., - Senior Magistrate.
JAMES KIRK, Esq., - Junior Magistrate.
WM. PATON, Esq., - Junior Magistrate.

Commissioners:-
Mr James Kirk, merchant, Mr T. Brydie, banker, Mr W.Paton, colliery manager ,Mr A. Ketchen, upholsterer, Mr R. O. Arnot, writer, Mr John Liddell, shipowner, Mr McGechaen, confectioner, Mr John Thomson, manufacturer, Kilncraigs, Mr James Moir, banker.

The appointment of Clerk to, and agent for, the Board, is held by Mr MacWatt, writer; Wm. Baird, late of Inland revenue, acts as treasurer and collector; Procurator-Fiscal for the Burgh, Thomas Anderson ; valuator of Burgh property, Thos. Frame; collector of town customs, John Brown.

Under the judicious management of the Burgh Board the town of Alloa has unquestionably prospered. With a Burgh assessment of 2s per £., many important repairs and improvements have been effected, while the lighting, paving, cleansing, and draining, of the streets, are attended to in a more satisfactory manner than formerly. The peace of the town, too, is better preserved, and Saturday night and Sunday morning riotings are greatly abated. The Burgh Police Court is somewhat of a terror to evil-doers, although on a Monday morning there always are, and probably ever will be, a few worthies placed at the bar.

“To tell the news o' crackit crowns and broken brows.”

The HARBOUR OF ALLOA is under the charge of trustees appointed in conformity with the Acts of Parliament, 26 Geo. III., cap. 13, and 43 Geo. III., cap. 65. The trustees are, by these Acts, authorised to borrow money for new works; to levy three farthings per register ton for anchorage, on all ships or vessels coming to the harbour ; and shore dues on goods landed or shipped according to the schedule appended to the latter, for the purpose of improving the harbour, paying debt and interest, and keeping the works connected with the harbour in repair. It is also their duty to make and maintain regulations regarding the ballasting, the piloting, porters, and other matters connected with the port of the town. By 26th Geo. III., they are authorised to pay a sum towards keeping the roads leading to the harbour in repair, and accordingly, an annual payment has been made to the Burgh Commissioners for that purpose, but the Commissioners have no right of control at the harbour. Very recently a substantial high-level loading-berth has been erected at the harbour, by the Alloa Coal Company, with a view to facilitate the loading of ships at high water - a far less objectionable mode than that hitherto pursued of having long inclined gangways with horses pulling up the waggons, a mode of loading vessels which frequently obstructed the ground traffic at the harbour. It is confidently expected that the new high loading erection, conjoined with the wet dock now in progress, will have a tendency to increase considerably the shipping at the port of Alloa.

A CUSTOM-HOUSE, wherein the public revenue is collected, and all matters in regard to trade and shipping are at present managed by Mr J. T. Ansell, collector, assisted by an efficient staff of waterside officers, was established here a short time after the Union. For many years however, subsequently to 1745, Alloa continued merely a port of Borrowstounness, which included sixteen creeks, (so called), extending from Queensferry to Stirling ; but Grangemouth having been placed upon the footing of an independent port some time previously to the year 1822, Alloa then became a member thereof, but was afterwards advanced to the dignity of a sub-port by Treasury Order of February, 1838, and further constituted an independent port by a subsequent Order of both November 1840, its limits having been defined by Exchequer writ, dated 11th January 1838, as extending from the new bridge of Stirling to Higgins neuk on the south, and the new pans of Kincardine to the said bridge of Stirling on the north of the Firth of Forth.

Alloa now enjoys bonding privileges of a high order, as all goods which may be legally bonded, (except tobacco and European silks), and also tobacco removed under bond from ports of importation for home use, or for shipment as stores, may now be warehoused under Treasury sanction, granted in 1858.

Notwithstanding the port possessed modified bonding privileges as far back as the year 1838, the same have been only lately availed of, commodious premises having been fitted up, and approved by the Commissioners of Customs, wherein wines, spirits, and dry goods are now stored under the joint locks of the crown and the merchant, thereby obviating the inconvenience and risk to the importer of warehousing his goods at other ports.

Under the Act 22 and 23 Vic., cap. 40, for the establishment of a Reserve of Royal Naval Volunteers, the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, with the approval of the Lords of the Admiralty, have appointed Alloa the depot for the enrolment of seamen for the ports west of Queensferry in the Firth of Forth. It speaks well for the spirit of the men from Stirling to Kincardine inclusive, that the able-bodied sailors have joined almost to a man ; indeed, there is some reason to believe that the district of Alloa, until very lately, had supplied a contingent more than equal to all the ports in the Forth.

In thus referring to Alloa proper it may not be irrelevant to glance at the capabilities of South Alloa for accommodating an extensive traffic. Unlimited quay room and good berthing, might be had for vessels ; and if railway interests could only be induced to consult a little more liberally the public accommodation, there is no reason why South Alloa should not assume its right to become a highway to Glasgow for cargoes of vessels from the continent. A glance at the map will be sufficient to indicate our meaning.

Duties levied in 1836, - £ 450
Do. do. 1860, - 5,362

Cargoes inwards in 1836, - 7
Do. do. 1860, - 68

Cargoes outwards in 1836, - 30
Do. do. 1860, - 536

The Public Works in and around Alloa are very diversified, and have, during the past five-and-twenty years, increased considerably in numbers and extent. Exactly a century ago, woollen-cloth was manufactured at Kilncraigs, and the first manufacturer of worsted yarns was the late John Paton, who here commenced the trade in 1816, and the business has since then prospered continuously. At the present time, under the firm of John Paton, Son, & Co., the establishment contains nine sets of carding engines, and gives employment to 150 operatives. Not less than 6000 tons of wool are converted weekly into common wheeling, lambswool, and Saxony yarns, in other words, the number of cuts of yarn spun per week is upwards of 40,000. The erection of a new and beautiful block of buildings has just been completed, the former factory having been destroyed by fire in February 1860.

Gaberston factory, now carried on by the trustees of the late D.F. Lambert, is favourably known for the excellence in texture and design of its tartan shawls, plaids, and handkerchiefs. The mill contains five sets of carding engines, and affords employment to about 300 operatives. Springfield mill, the property of Thomson Brothers, is a new building of imposing proportions, containing, like Kilncraigs, machinery of the most modern construction, and here, with seven sets of carding engines, the production of tweed and wincey yarns is extensively carried on. At Keilarsbrae, once famous in our local annals for the extent of its woollen manufactures, a number of hands are employed by Drummond & Henderson in the spinning of fine yarns.

Alloa has long been celebrated for the superior quality of its ale - a manufacture that gives constant employment to several local cooperages. The 'Pale India' ale produced at the Townhead brewery, owned by Alexander Blair, and consigned chiefly to agents in London, Liverpool, and Dublin, has had its excellence testified to as a healthy, agreeable, and invigorating beverage, by the late Professor George Wilson of Edinburgh, and Sheridan Muspratt, M.D., Liverpool. George Younger & Son, to meet the requirements of business, have two breweries in full operation. Andrew Roy & Son have extensive premises known as the Alloa brewery, and there are the Shore brewery carried on by John McNellan, Son, & Co., the Mills brewery of James Maclay, - the Bass-Crest, or Robert Meiklejohn, Son, & Co's. brewery at Grange, and there is the ale brewery at Cambus belonging to Robert Knox & Son.

The district is also celebrated for its whisky - the distillery at Carsebridge, of which John Bald & Co., are proprietors ; Cambus owned by Robert Moubray; and Glenochil, carried on by McNab, Brothers & Co., producing weekly about 40,000 gallons of whisky.

The manufacture of green and other glass bottles, by Steuart & Co., keeps in operation two cones at the Alloa Glassworks, and gives employment to about 120 hands.

The shipbuilding trade has somewhat revived since the arrival amongst us of Mr Adamson, who has done much for the prosperity of the town and port, and who has built several large vessels of beautiful mould, so high as 700 tons register, some of them (taking size into consideration) being admittedly the fastest vessels afloat. The shipbuilding yard has been extended, and the dry-dock enlarged as to receive vessels of great burthen. Opposite the dock there is considerable depth of water, with first-rate anchorage, and the Trustees of the Harbour lately concluded a contract with Thomas Paterson, builder, to form the well known “big pow” into a wet dock - an undertaking with which satisfactory progress has been made, and which will greatly improve Alloa as a shipping port.

Contiguous to the shipbuilding-yard, is the extensive wood-yard of Andrew Thomson, on whose premises are a powerful steam saw-mill and floor-dressing machine. Alloa has been noted for upwards of a century as a place for the manufacture of bricks and tiles, and the brick-work is now under the management of William R. Carmichael, the successor of the late Mr Alex. Bald. At Clackmannan, there is also a brick and tile manufactory of which David Gillespie is the proprietor.

In Alloa, there has been for some years a pipe-work, where tobacco-pipes are manufactured by Charles Hall, giving employment to fourteen individuals. At the Alloa Foundry, Mackie, Brothers, have for a number of years been engaged in the manufacture of steam-engines and other kinds of machinery, and the process of casting is carried on by them to a considerable extent. There are also the old established Alloa copper-works and foundry of John Miller, while the building in Broad Street, originally built as a place of worship by the West Free Church, has been adapted by Robert Willison for his business of plumber and brass-founder - part of the premises being occupied by David Robertson & Co., machine-makers.

Amongst the public works in town must also be mentioned the Alloa rope and sail-work, carried on at Forthbank by John Dalrymple, and the rope and twine manufactory of Robert Preston at Mar Place. The Alloa Pottery, one of the oldest works in town, has undergone a marked improvement and extension since becoming the property of Joseph Bailey, whose manufacture of various kinds of earthenware is creditable to the district.

The Alloa Mills, leased to A. & A. Mitchell, are the property of the Earl of Mar and Kellie. From a stone in the building, part of the mills appears to have been built in 1731. They are driven partly by water, and partly by steam. There are seven pairs of stones for the manufacture of flour, with all the most approved machinery for making flour of the first quality. There are also silk and wire-cloth machines in use for dressing flour; two pairs of stones for oatmeal; two pairs for bruising grain for cattle, a malt mill, and two barley mills.

There are malt multures belonging to them, part of which are paid to the landlord and part to the tenants. The water of the stream, known as Alloa Burn, used for driving the water wheels, was for many years quite clean, but of late it has been a local nuisance, owing to so much deleterious stuff being put into it before it reaches the Mills. Carsebridge distillery, of late greatly extended, polluted this stream so much by the discharge of pernicious wastes, and the health of those who resided in the neighbourhood was so much affected by the poisonous character of the gases arising from the burn, that repeated efforts were made to abate the nuisance, and secure the purification of the air. At length, in the spring of 1858, a pipe-track was formed at great expense, the large vitrified pipes, having spigot and faucet joints, leading direct to the sea, removing all refuse, mill-dyes, etc., along with the dreg, direct from the dreg-cistern at Carsebridge. Occasional complaints are still made as to the very noxious smell arising from Gaberston dam, but it is believed that if the connections at Carsebridge work with the main pipe-track, were always carefully maintained, these complaints would not arise.

In the year 1813, James Lothian, sen., set up in Alloa a printing-press, being the first in the county of Clackmannan, and in 1841 he established, as a monthly periodical, and in 1855 as a weekly newspaper, the Alloa Advertiser. He is also the publisher of an annual Register for the county. The late Alexander Wingate, bookseller, commenced in 1844, as a monthly sheet, the Clackmannanshire Advertiser, but after a time this property was acquired by Stephen Nicol Morison, who carries on the paper weekly, under the title of the Alloa Journal. A map of the county, as politically extended, has been published by him. Before the days of cheap newspapers there was a reading-room in Alloa, but now there is here no such place of resort.

Even congregational and other local libraries are at a discount--the “Clackmannanshire Library,” founded in 1797, and containing upwards of a thousand volumes, having been brought to the hammer in October last - the sum realized being only £60. But the leading magazines and reviews are well read, and there are select reading clubs in the district; while, in the months of winter, useful courses of popular lectures are delivered.

In addition to the Academy and Infant School, there are the Parish School, two charity schools, and various other educational seminaries. There is also a Ragged and Industrial School, maintained by the contributions of the benevolent, and a Government grant. It was for this institution that the late Dr McGowan presented the munificent donation of his house in Broad Street, while, till possession of that building could be taken, the promoters of the school were indebted to Dr John Duncanson for giving a commodious school-room since 1857 at a merely nominal rent. At a sale of ladies' work in March of that year, there was realized for this institution the sum of £500, and the trustees of the late Mr John Ferguson of Cairnbrock, contributed to the school the sum of £100. Mr William Dawson, merchant, Alloa, who died in May last, bequeathed to it £100.

The friendly, sick, and funeral societies, in Alloa, are numerous, some of them of long standing - the Shipmasters and Merchants' society having been established so far back as the year 1707 - and have been the means of diffusing much benefit to those connected with them, who may either have been in distress or bereaved of relatives. There are also religious and charitable associations - the Rev. P. McDowall's congregation alone contributing, in the year 1859, for missionary and benevolent purposes, £339, and for congregational purposes £487 - in all £826. A Shakespeare club flourished in Alloa many years ago, and the leading gentlemen of the district were connected with it, but at this day the club is without a living representative. The Clackmannanshire Union Agricultural Society has flourished here since 1828, and the Clackmannanshire Horticultural Society since 1835, while a Grain Stock Market was established in 1850. A Volunteer Rifle Corps was organized in Alloa in November 1859, but it was not till June 1860 that the officers were furnished with their commissions, and the corps gazetted as First Clackmannanshire Rifle Volunteers.*

*Captain-Commandant of the Corps,. Alex. Mitchell, Esq.
Captain of the Second Company, W. B. Clark, Esq.
Chaplain, Rev. J. McLeod.
Surgeon, P. Brotherston, F.R.C.S.E.

First Company.
Lieutenant, J. B. Harvey.
Ensign, Robt. Buchanan.
Color-Sergeant, Robert Strang.

Second Company.
Lieutenant, Wiliam Paton,
Ensign, John Younger.
Color-Sergeant, Robert Willison.

Honorary Secretary J. Gregory Wallace.

The first centennial celebration of the St John's Lodge of Free Masons took place on the 23d of November, 1857. From the records of the lodge we find that “grand and solemn processions” through the town of Alloa were not infrequent in the good old times, and here follows a favourable specimen of how these processions were conducted :- “On the 22d of September, 1762, being the anniversary of the coronation of his Majesty King George III. and his royal consort Queen Charlotte, the brethren of the Alloa Mason Lodge made a grand and solemn procession through the town, attended with a great number of flambeaux, music, etc., and the whole town was richly illuminated with candles, bonfires, etc. They repaired to a large bonfire near the lodge, where a table, covered with wine, was placed at the expense of the brethren, to which the ministers of this and other parishes, the Sheriff, the gentlemen of the Customs; and others of the principal inhabitants were invited and attended. A great number of loyal toasts, in bumpers suitable to the day, were drunk - each toast being attended with a discharge of five cannon, (brought from the ships to the bonfire on purpose), amid the acclamations of some thousands of spectators. A grand display of 'squibs and rackets' took place in the evening, and the town bell rang a merry peal. The inhabitants declared the like was never seen in Alloa before.” Then, as now, there were country correspondents of city newspapers, for we find in the Edinburgh Courant and Caledonian Mercury, of a century back, the following paragraph of local interest :- “June 4th, 1761, being the anniversary of the birth of his Majesty King George III., a grand procession took place in Alloa in honour of the event. All the ships displayed their flags, cannons were fired, and bonfires were lighted in several parts of the town. The bells were set a-ringing ; bands of music accompanied the procession; and covered tables, with claret, etc., were prepared by the zeal and loyalty of the inhabitants for the refreshment of those composing the procession - particularly at the Custom-house, by Mr Smith the collector, through whose liberality all the loyal and patriotic toasts were drunk and several cannon discharged.”

The first steamer that plied with regularity on the Forth was the Stirling, which was built at Greenock. She commenced to ply in 1813. The Morning Star (placed on the Edinburgh and Alloa passage in 1815), and the Lady of the Lake (on the Edinburgh and Stirling passage), were both built at Kincardine. At an early period there were two rival companies, but they afterwards united under the designation of the Stirling, Alloa, and Kincardine Steamboat Company," and to this company the public are indebted for cheap, comfortable, and expeditious travelling between Stirling, Alloa, and Granton Pier. The steamers now on the river are the Victoria and Prince of Wales. Refreshments are supplied on board by the steward, Alexander Bain, and omnibuses from the Alloa “Royal Oak” and “Crown” hotels, run to both steamers on their arrival at Alloa, conveying passengers and luggage free to their respective hotels. A steamer was wont to ply hourly between the north and south sides at Alloa Ferry, but passengers are now conveyed in a small boat, and vehicles and loaded carts are taken across in boats suited to the purpose.

On two occasions the prospectus of a proposal has been published to construct a bridge over the Forth at Alloa Ferry: the first appeared in the year 1817, when it was proposed to build a bridge, “providing the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds, or such sum as shall be necessary to build the bridge, shall be advanced by Government - certain subscribers binding themselves, their heirs, and successors, to guarantee the regular payment of the yearly interest at five per cent.” But subscribers not coming forward, the money was not advanced, and the scheme was abandoned.*

*It was not long after this that a distinguished distiller in this county offered, at a public dinner in the Tontine, to build the bridge himself if Government would only remit his excise duties for one year!

In 1844-45, when every newspaper was teeming with railway announcements, the idea of having a bridge across the Forth was revived, and the prospectus was issued for the construction of a bridge, - capital £100,000 in £20 shares. But men of means, not seeming to approve the sinking of their money in the Forth, failed to second the efforts of the promoters of the scheme.

In August 1850, the line of railway from Dunfermline to Alloa was opened for traffic, but owing to engineering difficulties on the Tillicoultry section, the portion of the line from Alloa to Devonside was not opened till the 3d of June 1851, on which day the Alloa Harbour branch was opened. The throwing of the bridge over the Devon, at Glenfoot, delayed for several months the opening of the line to Tillicoultry, and it was also about the close of 1851 before the line from Alloa to Stirling was opened to the public. At the present time the formation of the “Devon Valley Line” is in progress - a line of thirteen miles, extending from Tillicoultry to Kinross, and which, when completed, will form an important link in the chain of communication with the east and west of Scotland. The “Alva Railway;” - a short line from Alva to Glenochil, thence to skirt past Menstry, curve southwards, cross the Devon, and join the Stirling and Dunfermline section of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway at Cambus - will shortly be proceeded with.

The Magnetic and the Electric Telegraph companies extended their wires to Alloa in October last.

In Ecclesiastical Architecture, Alloa has something to boast of. The Parish Church, an engraving of which graces these pages, is a beautiful Gothic edifice, and universally admired, though the effect of Time's corroding fingers is perceptible, and it is to be regretted that, in the case of such a building, some attempt should not be made to arrest in its progress the process of deterioration. The old place of worship within the burial-ground having in 1816 been condemned as unsafe, the congregation of the Establishment temporarily worshipped in the Tabernacle, New Entry, till the completion, in 1819, of the new structure, and the following are the facts therewith connected :

The Foundation-Stone of this Church for the Parish of Alloa, was Laid on the 24th of February, 1817, and in the 57th year of the Reign of George III., King of Great Britain and Ireland. The Church was opened for divine service 20th June, 1819 ; John Francis Erskine of Mar, and the Hon. George Abercromby of Tullibody, Chief Heritors. The expense of the Church was £7000.

There was bequeathed by the late Lady Charlotte Erskine, of pious memory, the sum of £1200, For ornamenting the Church and providing seats for the poor. The other part of the amount was paid by the heritors and feuars proportionally. The Spire was built by subscription.

The Rev. James Maxton, minister; the Rev. John Maxton, assistant-minister.
James Gillespie, Esq., Edinburgh, architect. Messrs John Smith and Ramsay Traquair, Alloa, builders.*

*The first child baptized in the new church was John Francis Erskine, son of Mr Robert Hutton, and in commemoration of this, the then Earl of Mar presented to Mr Hutton a silver cup bearing a suitable inscription.

The foundation stone of the elegant and commodious place of worship at Townhead, for the Rev. P. McDowall's congregation, was laid on the 27th of June 1850, and the building was opened for worship on the 2d of March 1851, being the commencement of a new quarter of a century of Mr McDowall's ministry, and on that occasion, the collection at all diets amounted to £338. The nucleus of this (our First United Presbyterian congregation,) was formed in 1746, the members identifying themselves with the Anti-Burgher body, and in the following year they built, in the Old Town, “o'er the burn,” their first place of worship. The foundation stone of the very handsome structure in Bank Street, in the pointed Gothic style, for the Free Church congregation, under the pastorate of the Rev. John McLeod, was laid with masonic honours on the 24th of April 1855, and the building was opened for worship by the Rev. Dr Candlish, on the 29th of June 1856, when the collections at all diets amounted to £245. St John's Episcopal Chapel, erected in 1840, at the east end of the town ; Bedford Place United Presbyterian Church ; and East Free Church (Rev. John Wright's), have the merit of being comfortable and commodious buildings. There are also in Alloa places of worship for those belonging to the Primitive Methodist, Baptist, and Swedenborgian denominations, and the mention of these completes the ample list of religious denominations in Alloa.

There are very elegant mansions, villas, and public buildings, which give an interesting architectural variety to Alloa. Foremost amongst these must be ranked Alloa Park mansion, the seat of the Earl of Mar and Kellie - a building in the Grecian style, pleasantly situated on a gently rising ground, fronting the south, about a furlong east of the ancient tower. The front of the house, with the wings, is 120 feet, the depth extending backwards 185 feet, the whole forming an oblong square of polished ashlar building, having a large court-yard in the interior. The beautiful white freestone of which the house is built was procured from a quarry in Alloa Park. Cut out on a stone above the archway leading to the court-yard is the following inscription : -

“John Francis Earl of Mar Lord Erskine Garioch, and Alloa ;
Earl of Kellie Viscount Fenton Baron Dirleton
Commenced and completed this Edifice: Ann-1834 to 1838.”

Previous to the building of Alloa Park mansion, the Earl of Mar resided west of the Lime Tree Walk, in a house which subsequently became the property of Mr Jameson, Sheriff-Clerk of the county, and which has since been much improved, while the surrounding grounds have been laid out with much taste. The Commercial and Clydesdale Banks in Bank Street, the Union Bank in Mar Street, are substantial modern buildings, and ornaments to the town, while the National Bank is to be by and by transferred from Shilling Hill to foot of High Street, where the erection of a beautiful building will shortly be proceeded with in the old Scotch Gothic style of architecture.

The approaches to Alloa are deservedly admired. From the east, we pass Gaberston, Hutton Park, Ashbourne, and Millgrove with its tasteful grounds, summer-house, and bowling-green; from the west Cambus, Tullibody House, Woodside, Grange, and Cowden Park, the last built on a gently rising eminence, with its graceful terraces, pleasant walks, and embellished grounds. From this western approach to the town, a fine view is obtained, (and a better still from the south bank of the Forth,) of the neat cottages and elegant villas, (mostly designed by John Melvin), at Claremont Terrace, along the margin of the old Tullibody road, and also of the mansions at Marshill, while a view is likewise to be had in the same direction of Alloa Academy, erected in 1826, and the Infant school contiguous to it, erected in 1844. In approaching Alloa from the Shore, the traveller at once enters that beautiful umbrageous avenue of trees, known as the Lime-tree Walk, - a Walk that was formed and the trees planted in the year immediately preceding the Scottish rebellion of 1715, and has long been the justifiable pride of the inhabitants and the admiration of strangers. To uphold the picturesque and symmetrical appearance of the Walk, the process of decay having begun, some of the trees were lately rooted out, and their places supplied by others.

The poor of the parish of Alloa were supported, prior to 1843, by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants, and up till that year, from £200 to £400 per annum was found to be an adequate sum for the maintenance of those on the roll. Many individuals, however, refusing to give voluntarily their equitable contributions to the parochial funds, it was at length found necessary to have recourse to a legal assessment, which, accordingly, was reluctantly imposed by the heritors and kirk-session in October 1843. Mr Brydie, banker, at this time acted as collector of poor-rates, but on the new Poor Law Act coming into operation in 1845, the late Alex. Galt, was appointed inspector of the poor, and Mr Brydie only continued the collectorship till arrangements were completed for the appointment of Mr Galt. Under the old parochial law, the assessment was imposed according to rental. Under the new Poor Law, the means and substance mode was adopted, but in 1856, the Parochial Board reverted to the rental mode of assessment, with a classification of lands and heritages. The annual assessment for the poor of the parish has reached so high as £1900; the authorised sum for 1861-62 is £1700, but there is hope that, under the careful management of the new inspector and collector, Mr W. Macleay, there may soon be a perceptible abatement of the large sum hitherto imposed on the parish for the support of the poor. With a view to economise the funds, in May 1860, an old building (1695) in Kirkgate, at one time used as a divinity hall by Professor Moncrieff, and now the property of Mr Younger, was adapted to the purposes of a lodging-house. The more helpless poor are thus better superintended and cared for, and a saving effected in the aliment of paupers. Since the year 1805, Robert Hutton, first as kirk treasurer, and afterwards as assistant to the parochial inspector and collector, has been connected with the administration of the funds for the maintenance of the poor of the parish, and his services are still retained by the Parochial Board.

Alloa, with its varied advantages, greatly lacks a Town Hall commensurate in size and elegance with the importance of the locality. The largest public-room will not accommodate above 300 individuals, and so much has been spoken and written in regard to this that the hope is entertained of active steps being ere long taken, by gentlemen of capital and enterprise, to erect a suitable edifice for public meetings and entertainments, - a building whose spacious dimensions and ornate architecture will be creditable to the community, and adequate to the requirements of the district for many future years. The want of proper Court-house accommodation may also be referred to as a long-tolerated grievance, but the Commissioners of Supply for the county, having publicly referred to this matter, are likely soon to take the initiative with a view to bring about a remedy for the present unsatisfactory arrangements.

Former proprietors of the estate of Mar appear to have taken much delight in beautifying with gardens or pleasure grounds the family estate. In the manuscript geographical collections relating to Scotland, in the Advocates Library, Edinburgh, written in 1722, it is recorded that “The seat of the Earl of Marr, with fine gardins lying betwixt the house and Forth, are very much commended throu the kingdom, and by all strangers that see them, for their situation, fine walks, and regularitie. On the east side of the house lyes a large wood throu which are cut several fine vistues. On the N.E., upon very handsome terrace walks, cut out of a rising ground within the wood, is designed a fine summer-house.” The Rev. Alexander Carlyle, in his “Autobiography,” speaks of the garden of Lord Grange being “an object of curiosity down to the year 1740, insomuch that flocks of company resorted to it from Edinburgh, and were highly gratified by the sight, there being nothing at that time like it in Scotland, except at Alloa, the seat of the Earl of Mar, of which, indeed, it was a copy in miniature.”

Now-a-days, there is no fine garden, with “handsome terrace-walks,” to be seen - no pleasure-grounds in which the visitor may perambulate.

ALLOA TOWER.

Ages on ages, still against the tide
Of ruthless searing Time, thy wall hath stood;
Bold as thy dauntless Barons, who subdued
Stern foes of other days---days of thy pride-
When thy roof sheltered princes. But no more
Life echoes through thy casements, as of yore,
When gaily dazzling in the light
From gems, and jetting lamps on high,
And lovers' glances darting bright,
Thy chambers sparkled as a sky-
And meteor-like beyond compare,
Scotland's and Beauty's Queen was there!
Stirling's far turrets, Forth's meandering stream,
Speak of thy bygone glories--now a dream !

Time was when a townsman could accompany a friend or tourist to view this hoary relic of the 13th century, roam over its apartments, and enjoy from its summit a view of the surrounding district. This privilege, however, the present Earl of Mar has deemed it proper to withdraw, and none are now permitted, except with the express permission of his Lordship, to have a view of the spacious but gloomy interior - gloomy, because of the windows having been darkened so as almost to exclude the cheerful rays of the sun. The Tower, with the Town, came into the family of Lord Erskine (which has since inherited the peerage of Mar) in the year 1365 - the tower itself having been built prior to 1315, and that nobleman received it from David II., in exchange for the estate of Strathgartney in Perthshire.

With the family of Mar, Queen Mary, while reigning in Scotland, cultivated the closest friendship. They had the custody of three generations of the royal family in childhood, and during that period, gave one regent to Scotland, and various high officers of State, but were much injured in fortune during the civil war. Hence the difficulties which are supposed to have caused John, the tenth Earl, to take a prominent part in the insurrection of 1719. During the course of that national convulsion, Alloa House was frequently threatened with fire, by the royal army which occupied all this part of the country. Accidentally, however, owing, it is believed, to the carelessness of a servant searching below a bed with a lighted candle, it was destroyed by a dreadful conflagration, on the evening of the 28th of August, 1800, between the hours of eleven and twelve, and nothing left of the extensive range of buildings save the present Tower. No engine could be procured for some hours after the discovery of the fire, and the rivulet near the house happened unfortunately to be dried up. No assistance being thus within reach, the flames continued to rage with incredible violence, till , by two o'clock in the morning, the roofs had fallen in, and before daylight the house was burned to the ground. All the books and papers were saved, with part of the furniture and most of the pictures. Many valuable curiosities were consumed, among which was a picture of Queen Mary, on copper, perhaps the only genuine original then existing in Scotland, gifted by her to one of her ladies before her execution. It is thus described by Sir John Stoddart, (who saw it when on a visit to Alloa House,) in his “Remarks on Local Scenery and Manners in Scotland, in 1799 and 1800,” published in 1801 :- “It was presented to the Earl of Mar by a religious house in Antwerp, to which it had been left by a lady of rank, one of the personal attendants of Mary, who, after the death of her royal mistress, ended her days in Flanders. The painter was no mean artist, and the piece was highly finished. The features were probably drawn with accuracy, but what little character these possessed was unpleasant, and might better have suited the cold and artful Elizabeth, than the tender and animated Mary. It appeared, however, to have been painted at an age when she had been long written in 'sour misfortune's book,' and had, perhaps, lost that warmth of feeling which was at once the bane of her happiness and the charm of her manners.”

On the 19th June, 1565, Queen Mary was delivered of a son, afterwards King James VI. of Scotland, and I. of England, in the Castle of Edinburgh, and Mackie, in his “Castles, Palaces, and Prisons of Mary, Queen of Scotland,” informs us that when the time of her confinement was past, the Queen left Edinburgh and sailed along the Forth to Alloa House, the residence of the hospitable Earl of Mar, where she was reconciled to Darnley. The Queen was attended by several of her nobles ; but Darnley, in his perverse humour, proceeded by land, It was while residing at Alloa that Secretary Maitland was first permitted to wait upon the Queen, having obtained her pardon for his participation in Rizzio's murder, by the influence of Athole and Murray, in opposition to the interest of Darnley and Bothwell - which shows that at this important period Bothwell was less in favour with the Queen than Murray and Athole. The Queen, on the 22d of September, 1566, carried the young prince to Stirling, where he was committed to the care of the Earl of Mar, who resided alternately at Stirling Castle and Alloa Tower. Mary then went into Perthshire, and was again at Stirling on the 22d of September 1566, where the Court had assembled, bringing with her the young prince, who is described by Le Croc, the French ambassador, as being a very fine child, and as thriving so well, that, by the time of his christening, the godfathers would feel the weight of him in their arms. About the end of September, the Queen removed to Edinburgh, but the prince, being committed by the Queen to the Earl of Mar, was occasionally brought to live at Alloa during his boyhood, but his general residence was the Castle of Stirling, of which Lord Mar was hereditary keeper. The subsequent Earl of Mar standing in the same relation to Prince Henry, son of King James, this accomplished youth spent his boyish days there, occupying, perhaps, the same cradle, and using the same implements for his childish games. This, the last heir of the Scottish monarchy, died in his eighteenth year. A cradle of rude but massive construction, formed to rock on suitable curves, together with a baby's chair, were long shown in Alloa House as the cradle of the infant Solomon, as also a golf club, said to have belonged to Prince Henry, his son. Some of these curiosities, and almost all the family pictures, came into the possession of Lady Frances Erskine, daughter of the late Earl ; and on her decease, many years ago, they were purchased by the present proprietor of Mar.

The late Earl of Buchan, to whom Scotland is indebted for his contributions to her literature and antiquities, supplies the following rare piece of information, which at least shows linen to have been a scarce commodity in the days of James VI. In the archives of the Mar family, under a section dedicated to antique costume, it is stated that “the royal charge (James) continuing under the nurture of his governante the dowager Countess of Mar, (as towards his mouth and ordering of his person,) had, in the dead of night, been seized with a colic. The ladies of honour were all summoned from their warm beds to attend his heeniss; when, as was remarked, none of the ladies had any shifts, except the auld Countess of Mar, her ladyship being tender (sickly).”

In 1645, on the evening of the march of the Marquis of Montrose from Kinross, previous to the battle of Kilsyth, he quartered his men in the wood of Tullibody, and his Irish auxiliaries are accused of barbarously plundering Alloa. This violence, however, did not prevent the Earl of Mar from sumptuously entertaining at dinner in Alloa Tower, the Marquis and his chief officers. As a set off to this, his rival, the Marquis of Argyle, who was with the covenanting army a day's march behind Montrose, burnt Menstry House, the seat of the Earl of Stirling, secretary to Charles I., and a mansion belonging to Graham of Braco, the uncle of Montrose. He also sent an intimation to the Earl of Mar, that Alloa House would receive similar treatment, which would teach his Lordship what kind of guests he must in future entertain - a very idle threat on the part of Argyle, as the battle of Kilsyth proved.

Alloa Tower is a quadrangular building, and though of high antiquity, still remains a place of great strength, and is a noble relique of a former age. The walls are eleven feet thick, and the highest turret is eighty-nine feet from the ground. In one of the rooms is a statue, much defaced, of St Mungo, (holding an open book,) which at one time stood in a niche of the steeple of the old parish Church. St Mungo is reckoned the tutelary saint in this, as in many other parishes in Scotland. He may be claimed as a native of this county, for we are told he was found by St Serf exposed by his parents on the northern shore of the Frith of Forth, and rescued like the great prophet of Israel from the waters of the river. The good Servanus carried the infant to his cell at Culross, and there educated him, and in course of time St Mungo scattered broad-cast over the regions of the west the seeds of holy truth. St Serf seems to have been an itinerary apostle, who for some time carried on his spiritual functions at Tullibody. Standing within Alloa Park, in the midst of pleasingly diversified scenery, and partially surrounded with fine old oaks, limes, beeches, and sycamores, Alloa Tower

“Still breathes its monitory tale of ages and decay.”

The following authentic story may here be given, and it is published for the first time :

Peter Lindsay, baggage-man to the Earl of Mar, having charge of the money-box, when he saw the battle (Sheriff Muir) going against them, seized the box and fled with it to Menstry Glen and hid it among the brushwood, where it lay till a convenient time for taking it home. Four years after (1719), in old Bridge Street of Alloa, he built a house of which the ruins are still standing, bearing the initials ”P. L.,” and those of his wife, “M. A.”. Many years after, when he had become weak sighted, an old woman, a neighbour of his, came in with a guinea asking for change. He went and brought an old leathern bag, and counted down twenty-one of what he said were “bonny pickit shillins.” She also being infirm in sight, looking over them said. “Peter, I wish they may be good, for they look unco yellow like.” Peter, examining them, with his hand over his eyes, and the bag still in his hand, swept them all into the bag, having found by that mistake they were guineas, and said to Janet, “ye auld bitch, it's the wrang bag,” and, going to the other, brought her the “ane-and-twenty bonny pickit shillins.” It may be added that the representatives of the Mar family could never endure to hear the name of Lindsay, whose family appears now to be extinct.

THE MAR FAMILY.

According to Douglas, the Peerage of Mar is, it is believed, as ancient and honourable as any of which Scotland can boast. No genealogist can with certainty trace its origin ; but the only probable account that has been given of its origin assigns to it no inglorious occasion. It is founded on traditionary report, and confirmed by the family arms. In the reign of Malcolm II., a Scotsman of high distinction having, in the battle of Murthill, killed with his own hand Enrique, one of the Danish Generals, cut oft his head, and with the bloody dagger in his hand showed it to the king, and in the Gaelic exclaimed 'Eriskyne !'or, according to the modern orthography, Arascion, i.e. on the dagger; adding, in the same language, “I intend to exceed what I have just now done.” To perpetuate the memory of this exploit, and to encourage him in his heroic designs, the king imposed on him the surname of Erskyne, and designed for his armorial bearing, a hand holding a dagger, with “JE PENSE PLUS,” for a motto, which to this day continues the crest and motto of that ancient and noble family.

The late estimable and accomplished Mr Brodie, who drew up the statistical account of the parish of Alloa, writing of the family of Mar, says--The Erskines are of a very ancient family, and distinguished themselves in the service of their sovereigns, so early as the beginning of the thirteenth century. Sir William Erskine was an eminent adherent of King Robert Bruce. One of his descendants, Robert Lord Erskine, claimed the Earldom of Mar, to which he was served heir in 1438. Robert, the fourth Earl of this family, fell at the battle of Flodden Field. He was succeeded by John, the fifth Earl, who was regent of Scotland, and who had the custody of his infant sovereign, Queen Mary, whom he retained until the year 1548, when the estates of the kingdom ordered him to carry her to the Court of France. His son, John, the sixth Earl, was appointed to an office of similar trust to that of his father, and had charge of James VI., afterwards king of England, when an infant. He was greatly distinguished by James VI., and was the friend and fellow-labourer of Napier of Merchiston, the inventor of logarithms. John, the eleventh Earl of Mar, was unfortunately engaged in the rebellion of 1715, and adhering to the fortunes of the Pretender, followed him to Rome, and afterwards to Paris and Aix-la-Chapelle, where he died, in 1732. His attainder took place in 1716. His Lordship was twice married ; first to Lady Margaret Hay, daughter of the Earl of Kinnoull, by whom he had two sons-John, who died in infancy, and Thomas Lord Erskine. He married, secondly, Lady Frances Pierrepont (sister to the celebrated Lady Mary Wortley Montague), daughter of Evelyn, Duke of Kingston, by whom he had one daughter, Lady Frances Erskine, who married her cousin, James Erskine, son of Lord Grange, through whom the line of the family is kept up.

Whatever errors his Lordship may have committed, it cannot be denied by any one who reads the papers he has left behind him that he had the general improvement of his country greatly at heart. It deserves to be generally known that plans of the North and South Bridges, and the new town of Edinburgh, were found in his portfolio after his death. His Lordship was the original projector of the Forth and Clyde canal ; he also planned the new town of Alloa. Yet he who set the example of embellishing his native country was compelled to leave it, and, an expatriated wanderer, to abandon the delightful seats of his renowned progenitors.

John Francis, Earl of Mar, who died in 1825, had the titles and honours of the family restored to him in 1824. The Earl having endeared himself to his tenantry by a life devoted to their happiness, and in unremitting attention to the prosperity of Alloa, on the happy news of the restoration of his titles, the inhabitants resolved to celebrate the occasion which had brought so much honour to their noble landlord. Accordingly, on the 21st of June, a general jubilee was proclaimed, and all hearts united in a display of honest loyalty to his Lordship - processions, ringing of bells, firing of cannon, ladies and gentlemen wearing “favours” in their dress, were the order of the day. A public dinner on the 25th of the same month, at which there were 115 gentlemen present, took place in the Tontine Hotel, where the universal feeling prevailed of doing honour to a man whose old age was gladdened by an act of such royal beneficence. On the 3d of September, this venerable nobleman, accompanied by his two amiable daughters, the Ladies Frances and Charlotte Erskine, along with other members of the family, visited Alloa, when he was received with public demonstrations of joy, exceeding even the former effusions of attachment. As already stated, his Lordship died in 1825, and was succeeded by his son (John Thomas), who, in 1795 married Janet, daughter of the late Patrick Miller, Esq. of Dalswinton, and had issue two daughters, Lady-Jane Janetta (who married Edward Wilmot Chetwood, Esq.,) Lady Jemima, (who married J. W. Goodeve, Esq.), and a son, the present Earl. John Thomas, Earl of Mar, did not long enjoy the high position to which he had attained. He died in 1828.

John Francis, the present Earl of Mar, son of the preceding, is the premier Earl ; and as Viscount Fenton he is the premier Viscount of Scotland. He is also Earl of Kellie. On the 24th of April 1827, he married Philadelphia, daughter of Sir Charles Granville Stuart Menteith, Bart, of Closeburn. The Countess of Mar died, without issue, on the 15th of December 1858, in the 60th year of her age.

She was a thoroughly kind-hearted and generous lady. By marriage, she was the wife of the present possessor of the oldest earldom in Great Britain. Her own birth was equally illustrious, as, through her direct ancestress, the Lady Catherine Marie Hastings, daughter of Theophilus, seventh Earl of Huntingdon, she was the direct lineal descendant of William the First, and of John de Hastings, competitor to the Scottish throne, in the time of Edward the First, and united, from various sources, in her person, the blood of the old monarchs of Scotland, prior to the House of Stuart, that of William the Conqueror, and the Plantagenets, as well as that of Robert the Second, and the ancient Earls of Menteith.

It is here worthy of remark that there have been no fewer than three intermarriages between the Mar and Menteith families. Walter, third son of Walter, third High Steward of Scotland, married, in 1258, the Countess of Menteith, and thus acquired that earldom ; his name frequently occurs in the transactions of the thirteenth century; and we find him gallantly distinguished at the battle of Largs in 1263, when his brother, the High Steward of Scotland, had the chief command. The Earl left two sons, who both assumed the surname of Menteith, namely, Alexander.

Sir John, governor of Dumbarton Castle, and who took an active part in the political convulsions of his time, to him tradition ascribes, whether truly or not, is still a matter of historical dispute, the surrender of Sir William Wallace ; but which transaction, the learned Lord Hailes, who writes the annals of Scotland, rather ascribes to have been caused by a follower of Wallace's own, named Ralph Haliburton ; however that may be, it is certain that Lady Elyne Mar, daughter of Gartney, eleventh Earl of Mar, married the said Sir John Menteith, who had a daughter Christian, who married Sir Edward Keith, Marischal of Scotland, whose daughter Janet, married Sir Thomas Erskine, whose son, Sir Robert Erskine, in 1435, claimed the earldom of Mar in right of his grandmother, who was great grand-daughter to Gartney, eleventh Earl of Mar, and thus brought the earldom of Mar into the Erskine family.

The second intermarriage with the Menteith Family is Agnes, daughter of Alexander Lord Erskine, who married Sir William Menteith of West Carse (ancestors of the Mar Family), who was succeeded by his son, Sir William Menteith of West Carse, in Stirlingshire, and of Alva, in Clackmannanshire, of which county he was hereditary Sheriff. Alexander the eldest son of Walter, third High Steward of Scotland, and Earl of Menteith, succeeded as sixth Earl of Menteith, and was one of the boldest defenders of Scottish independence against Edward I., and from whom was descended the late Sir Charles Granville Stuart Menteith, who was created Baronet of Closeburn in 1838, and who was considered to be the head of that ancient family, and who was also descended from Theophilus, seventh Earl of Huntingdon - his grandmother, Lady Catherine Hastings, being the daughter of that nobleman, - and Sir Charles daughter, Philadelphia, the late Countess of Mar, made the third intermarriage with the Mar and Menteith families.

The Earldom of Mar descends to a nephew of the present Earl, Mr Goodeve, of Bath, whilst the Earldom of Kellie is inherited by a cousin of the present Earl, Lieut.-Colonel Walker Erskine, son of the late Hon. Henry David Erskine, who, previous to his decease, lived with his wife and family in one of the villas, situated west from the town of Dollar. At an early age he went out as a Cadet to our Presidencies in India, and his conduct was so regular and soldier-like, that he obtained promotion, and gained the esteem and regard of his brother officers, and also of the Governors of India. Many years ago, the Colonel married an English lady, the daughter of a military officer. The reason of the division of the Mar and Kellie titles now is that the Earldom of Mar goes to heirs in general, while the Earldom of Kellie is of a more recent date, and is limited to heirs-male. The estates of Mar and Kellie devolve on Colonel Erskine.

TULLIBODY

“Tullibody claims a name high on the list of Scottish fame.”

This interesting little village is of very ancient date, having been founded about the year of the accession of Kenneth, King of the Scots, in the year of our Lord 834. Though its scattered cottages have withstood the ravages of a thousand years, it still stands, more flourishing than ever, as a lasting memorial of the fidelity, power, and conquests, of the Scots.

For upwards of three centuries there seems to be a complete blank in the all along scanty annals of Tullibody; either history and tradition have omitted to note her revolutions in the calendar, or Time, the arch sexton, has committed them to the tomb of oblivion.

In the year 1149, David the First, King of Scotland, built the Church of Tullibody, and by charter, bearing the same date, granted unto it certain lands in the neighbourhood, together with certain Inches in the Frith of Forth, as revenues for its priest. This church, the pious monarch ordained as subordinate to the rich and splendid Abbey of Cambuskenneth, which he had, two years before, built on the very spot where his royal ancestor Kenneth gave the fatal blow to the Pictish dominion. In this church, the Romish religion held an uninterrupted sway for more than 500 years, and if at any time during this dark period anything like light made its appearance, it resembled more the faint rays of the pale empress of night, than the bright beams of the orb of day. And it was not till the Reformation morn began to dawn on our benighted land that it could be truly said that the shadows of the long night of ignorance, superstition, and idolatry, were beginning to fade away. A sample of one of those “wandering stars” which long rested over Tullibody, shedding its malignant rays, will be found under the notice of “the Maiden-stone.”

But, in truth, the depravity of the Church had about the beginning of the sixteenth century, become so great as to revolt some even of her own functionaries. Thus, we are informed that, in the year 1538, Thomas Forrest, vicar of Dollar, a man of great learning and piety, espoused the principles of the Reformation, and publicly exposed the errors and corruptions of Popery. He was apprehended and suffered martyrdom for the truth. But the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. This transaction roused the indignation of Thomas Locklaw, at that time priest of Tullibody; and led him to inquire into the principles espoused by his late brother in the faith, in common with reformers in general. The consequence was that he adopted the same principles, and became one of the bitterest enemies of the Church of Rome. Among other things he inquired into the subject of marriage, and finding it warranted, not only by the express declarations of scripture, but by reason, he gave practical expression to his belief by actually entering into the marriage relation. It is asserted that the superior clergy were, in consequence, so much exasperated, that, at their instance, three or four men were publicly put to death at Stirling*, for the simple offence of attending that marriage, and eating flesh in Lent. Locklaw himself, along with Robert Logrie, canon-regular of Cambuskenneth, who also had renounced the Romish religion, retired into England, and in common with the persecuted of the time, sought an asylum under the protecting auspices of the mild and pious Edward VI. This was the last priest who officiated in the church of Tullibody.

*Thomas Forret was burned for heresy at Edinburgh.

The union of the parishes of Alloa and Tullibody took place about the year 1600, and it appears that at that time Alloa was a chapel dependent on Tullibody. At the period of the reformation, the Church of the latter place was unroofed on a remarkable occasion :- “In 1559, when Mons. d'Oysel commanded the French troops on the coast of Fife, they were alarmed by the arrival of the English fleet, sent to succour the Reformers by Elizabeth, and they thought of nothing but a hasty retreat. That was in the month of January, and unfortunately for them, at the breaking up of a great storm of snow, by which the rivers pouring down into the Forth were swollen so as to be un-fordable. Kirkcaldy of Grange, attentive to these circumstances, marched with great expedition, and broke down the bridge which then spanned the Devon, to prevent the retreat of the French, who, coming, up, and finding themselves thus obstructed, saw no other means of escape, but to take the whole roof bodily off the parish kirk, and lay it carefully down to supply the place of the bridge. This they accomplished successfully, afterwards marching over quite safe, and continuing their retreat to Stirling. The church continued in a dismantled condition upwards of two hundred years, when it was again covered in by George Abercromby, Esq., of Tullibody, and it was the burying aisle of the noble family of Abercromby.” The roof was again taken off, and a new one put on, of oak, and covered with large flag stones.

Shortly after the disruption of the Church of Scotland, in 1843, a neat place of worship for the adherents of the Free Church was built in Tullibody, and as there is no stated service in the old building, the adherents of the Establishment, in the Tullibody district, attend the Parish Church of Alloa. The Rev. W. F. Goldie is the talented pastor of the Free Church congregation. It may here be remarked that in the year 1745, when the rebel army, consisting of 4000 men, had got possession of the town, though not of the castle of Stirling, the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, the founder of the Secession Church in Scotland, found it necessary to retire for a season from Stirling, and preached to his people in the wood of Tullibody.

Tullibody is distinguished as having been the birth-place of Sir Ralph Abercromby, under whom the British arms met their first success in the French revolutionary war. Such at least is the oft-published popular belief, but there is uncertainty, even amongst the Abercromby family, as to whether Sir Ralph was born at Tullibody, Brucefield, or Menstry - the impression being rather in favour of Menstry. He was the eldest son of George Abercromby, a gentleman of ancient and respectable family. He was born in 1734, and his father, having a numerous family, thought it advisable to destine him for active employment. Ralph was educated with a view to the military profession, and entered into the army in early life as a cornet in the third regiment of dragoon guards. After an honourable and valorous military career, the last service in which Sir Ralph was permitted to engage was that of commanding the troops, destined to drive the French from Egypt,-thereby rescuing our Eastern empire from the grasp of the ambition of the First Napoleon. In few words we find it thus recorded :- “On the 30th of November, 1800, he arrived at Malta, and after inspecting his troops, the whole embarked, being 15000 strong, and on the 8th March, 1801, landed at Aboukir, after a severe contest. Other encounters followed, and on the 21st was fought the celebrated battle of Alexandria, in which our veteran chief, although dismounted, and wounded in two places, succeeded in disarming his antagonist, whose sword he presented to Sir Sidney Smith. Notwithstanding his wounds, he kept the field until he was assured of the total defeat of the enemy; and it was not until the evening that he allowed himself to be carried on board the Admiral's ship, where, after lingering a week, he expired, on the 28th March 1801. His body was conveyed to Malta, and interred beneath the ramparts of the castle of St Elmo, where an inscription, recording his name and services, was placed ; a monument with a fine statue, voted by Parliament, has also been erected to his memory in St Paul's Cathedral. His widow was created Baroness Abercromby, and a pension of £2000 per annum was conferred on her.” This pension was also continued to the first and second Lord Abercromby, the grandfather and father of the present peer. The Abercrombies have for years represented the county of Clackmannan in Parliament, and James Abercromby, the grand-uncle of the present Lord, was elected (by a majority of ten over Manners Sutton), the first speaker of the Reformed House of Commons. Hence the inscription on an old flag which is sometimes to be seen still flaunting in the breeze is not inappropriate :

“Tullibody has served its country
With valour in the field,
And with firmness in the Senate.”

The Abercrombies were always beloved by their tenantry as excellent landlords. Mr Alex. Paterson, who, along with his sons, carries on an extensive tan and currying work in Tullibody, has been honoured with the friendship of five lairds of Tullibody, and enjoyed the aquaintance of the great Sir Ralph himself.

Many important historical associations, pleasing recollections of the Abercromby family, and amusing reminiscences of worthies in the olden time, cluster around “couthie, cantie, Tullibody.” The following legend, of which Menstry is alleged to have been the scene, may here be given :-

“The wife of a miller at Menstry being very handsome, engaged the affections of some of the “good neighbours,” or fairies, and was, in consequence, stolen away by them. The unfortunate husband was much distressed, more particularly when he heard his lost spouse singing from the air the following verse :

Oh Alva woods are bonny,
Tillicoultry hills are fair ;
But when I think o' the bonny braes o' Menstry,
It maks my heart aye sair.

This ditty she chaunted every day within his hearing, in a tone of the greatest affection. At length, as he was one day riddling some stuff near the door of his mill, he chanced to use a magical posture; the spell that held his wife in captivity was instantly dissolved, and she dropped down from the air at his feet.” Robert Chambers's “Rhymes of Scotland.”

On the following page will be found a story of a more grave and truthful character, the “Maid of Myreton.”

THE MAIDEN STONE.

“The reign of papal power is gone, but still remains the MAIDEN STONE.”

About the year 1449, in the reign of James the Second, Peter Beaton, at that time priest of Tullibody, fell deeply in love with Martha, a lady of great beauty and accomplishments, the only child of Wishart, the laird of Myreton. The passion appears to have been reciprocated by the lady, who, however, though quite aware that

“The Church in Papal pride
Allowed her priests no earthly bride ;
Yet Hope would whisper, Myreton's charms
Might lure him from the Church's arms-
Make him prefer broad lands and gold
To Tullibody's narrow fold-
A blooming, fond, and faithful spouse,
To frigid, dull, monastic vows.”

But the intentions of the priest of Tullibody were not honourable, and when this was discovered the circumstance affected her sensibility so much that her health gave way, Not until near the close of her earthly career did Miss Wishart reveal to any one her intimacy with Beaton. When dying, her express desire to her parents was, in the words of a modern ballad entitled “Martha of Myreton,”

“That my poor worn and wasted frame,
Encoffined be in stone,
And by the church-door closely laid,
Nor mould nor turf thereon ;
That as he passes out and in,
It still may meet his eye.
She heaved one deep convulsive sob And said-- Farewell, I die.
And like some lovely tender flower,
Of timeless storms the prey,
Stript from its drooping parent stem,
In death fair Martha lay.”

As to what became of the perfidious priest, history is silent, but his treacherous conduct alienated not a few from the Romish Church. It is to be regretted that so remarkable an object as the Maiden-Stone should not have been protected from the wanton attacks of the unprincipled relic hunter. Twenty years ago, the coffin in which the remains of Martha Wishart lay, was entire, but since then, this striking relic of the olden time has been much defaced and chipped away by tourists - regardless of it having been “consecrated by time, tradition, and poesy.”*

*A poem on the subject of the “Maiden Stone,” appeared in an Edinburgh Magazine many years ago, written by the late Mr Balfour of Arbroath, author of “Contemplations and other Poems.”

THE TOWN AND TOWER OF CLACKMANNAN.

All, or nearly all, that is interesting about Clackmannan is centred in the Tower. The town is the capital of the county, it is beautifully situated on an eminence rising out of a plain, and is 100 feet above the level of the Forth, but decay appears indelibly imprinted upon its streets and houses.

As early as the year 1195, we find Clackmannan mentioned in a bull of Pope Celestine III., as at that time with its chapels and forty acres of land belonging to the Abbey of Cambuskenneth. King Malcolm also granted the mill of Clackmannan to the monks of that monastery, excepting at the same time the mullers of the King when he should visit that place, showing at this early period it was a royal residence. It is also stated that at one time William the Lion resided here with his Court. It continued to be the property of the Crown of Scotland till granted by King David Bruce to his cousin, Sir Robert de Bruce, since which period the Bruces have been proprietors.

Tradition asserts that the old castle was built by the great King Robert Bruce, and consequently it is of peculiar interest to the visitor. All that now remains of its once lofty terraces is a large square tower of the architecture of the early part of the 14th century. There is no doubt that the barony of Clackmannan was the domain of the liberator of Scottish independence. King David Bruce, his son, resided there, for, in 1329, Reginaldi Moir, his chamberlain, issued his public accounts “apud Clackmanane.”

The granaries at Clackmannan are also named in these accounts. Local names and traditions point out some curious matters in connection with this royal home. For instance, in this village there is a large stone preserved with reverence. On this stone, the great King Robert is said to have left his gauntlet when residing at the Castle, and sending one of his knights he used two words clach, a stone, and mannan, a glove, from which, it is said, the county and town since derived their name. But this cannot be correct, for we find it called Clackmanane in 1195. In the neighbourhood of the castle is a farm called the “King's Meadow,” another farm is named Craigrie or Craigroy, the King's rock--all pointing at the illustrious name with which the history of this place was associated.

In 1359, King David Bruce, by a royal charter, granted this castle and barony to Sir Robert de Bruce. In this charter, the King styles him “beloved cousin,” - he also, by another charter of later date, gives him the lands of Rate. Robert III. confirmed these charters, and this Sir Robert de Bruce was ancestor of Sir David Bruce, Baron of Clackmannan, who attended at the General Council held at Perth, Nov. 1516. His eldest son, John Bruce of Clackmannan, was ancestor of the Bruces so long the feudal proprietor at that place. The last laird died in 1772. His widow was Catherine, a daughter of Bruce of Newton, a cadet of the house of Clackmannan. She survived to the year 1791, residing at the old House and Tower of Clackmannan. On distinguished friends she would sometimes confer the honour of knighthood, with the two-handed sword of her great ancestor, a ceremony by no means considered jocular, or barren of distinction. With this sword she conferred that honour on the late Rev. Dr John Jamieson, the author of the Scottish Dictionary, whose mother was a daughter of John Cleland, by his wife Rachael Bruce, the daughter of Mr Bruce of Garlet. She also conferred the same favour on Sir Robert Strange, who had married Miss Lumsdane, also a cousin of the laird of Kennet. On Robert Burns, in the year 1787, as is elsewhere noticed, this excellent old lady, paralytic with age, conferred the honour of knighthood. This sword, and what was said to be the helmet of King Robert Bruce, had been in the possession of the family from time immemorial, and is now in the possession of the Earl of Elgin, the chief of the family of the Bruces.

The present Parish Church of Clackmannan, beneath which lie the bones of many chiefs of the illustrious house of Bruce, though now no marble or brass chronicles their glorious deeds, is a large modern structure erected about fifty years ago. There is nothing of interest to the tourist or antiquary. In the church is a monument to the memory of the hon. Robert Bruce of Kennet, one of the Senators of the College of Justice, who died April 8, 1785, aged 66, also, to his son, Alexander Bruce, Esq., of Kennet, who died 12th July, 1808, aged 53.

Among the old Session records are many curious notices throwing light on the customs of the period. In 1704 there is a charge preferred against the laird of Kennet for searching after a bride in the town of Clackmannan, - “in the night season entering houses where he could, and beating at doors and windows, and using threats and taking oaths to see where she was.” He was also guilty of feasting with his kinsman the laird of Clackmannan, who at that time was under the censure of the church of Scotland, in so much that he was an excommunicated person.

From the Parish records we find that between the years 1595 and 1711, the office of Bailie existed at Clackmannan, a title long fallen into disuse in that decayed town. There are, however, two fairs held annually, the privilege for which was granted in 1517 by King James V. to Sir David Bruce, again confirmed in 1542. In the centre of the town is the old cross, at the top of which are carved the arms of Bruce. Or, a chief and Saltire Guies ; crest, an arm erect holding the sceptre of Scotland.

Clackmannan Tower, now the property of the Earl of Zetland, is 80 feet in height, and stands on an eminence which makes it a conspicuous object through all the level carse and surrounding mountain ranges. Both from its architecture and its traditionary history, it will repay a visit. The following lines, written by the late Mr Alex. Bald of Alloa, appeared in the “Scots Magazine” for April 1805 : -

CLACKMANNAN TOWER.

Hail, ancient Tow'r! once the gay seat of kings
And warlike heroes of most high renown;
But now, alas ! like all created things
Thy stones to dust are daily mould'ring down.

Tho' mute thy bell, and drear thy empty halls,
Long I've revered thee and will love thee still ;
Though nought but ivy deck thy garden walls,
Oft let me wander on thy beauteous bill.

For here I've sauntered at the “peep of dawn,”
With fond companions of my earlier hours ;
Oft, too, at eve, we've strayed across the lawn,
Climb'd thine ascent to pluck wild blooming flow'rs,

Now childhood past - I mount the rising ground
With tardier step to view the hilly north;
Admire the variegated scene around,
And trace meand'ring Devon to the Forth.

How pleasant 'tis to view the plain below,
Where Plenty waves her treasures in the breeze;
How cheerful 'tis to hear the cattle low,
And lively songsters warble 'mongst the trees.

To meet the requirements of the parish, and with a view to the convenience of a scattered population, a new place of burial was opened in July 1857. This cemetery is situated on the north of the town, is one imperial acre in extent, and is enclosed by a substantial wall. It is complimentary to Arch. Sutter, Civil Engineer, Edinburgh, that to him was entrusted the duty of laying out the ground of the new places of sepulture for Alloa, Clackmannan, and Tillicoultry.

The Black Devon, a stream to which no reference has hitherto been made, passes the town of Clackmannan on the north. It takes its rise in the hills of the western division of the parish of Saline, and after running first in a westerly course, subsequently takes a south-easterly direction, pouring its waters into the Forth nearly opposite Clackmannan.

On the margin of the Forth stands Kennet Pans, the old mansion of the Steins, who for the past century have been connected with distilling in this district. The house has now become an establishment for the cure of persons of intemperate habits.

Kilbagie House is a large mansion, the property of W. Downing Bruce, Esq., having been erected at various periods. It was named Kilbagie about a century ago, but at what time the distillery was first erected is not known. It was, however, famous in the days of Burns. Previous to 1780, the distillation of spirits carried on at this work was more extensive than any known in Britain. The produce was chiefly forwarded to London, and found a ready sale in that market. In the year 1788, the quantity of grain used at Kilbagie was 60,000 bolls, which was grown on the farms in the district, at that time all in the hands of the proprietors of Kilbagie. Recently, it was converted into a chemical work for the manufacture of artificial manures, which, for their excellency stand high among the agriculturists of Scotland.

To the north of Kilbagie, once stood the village of Shanbody, not one vestige of which now remains. Below Shanbody, stands Garlet, a quaint old house of the 17th century, forming part of the barony of Shanbody. About a mile to the north is Brucefield, now the property of Lord Abercromby. On its right formerly stood the old castle of Shanbody, one of the towers of which was standing at Harshaw, a farm close by, at the beginning of this century. In 1358, Sir Thomas de Moravia or Murray granted this castle and barony to the Stewarts of Rosyth, who held it till 1648, when it was purchased from them by Robert Bruce, Esq. of Kennet, in whose family it remained till sold by the late Lord Kennet to the Abercrombies. The celebrated Sir Ralph Abercromby resided at Brucefield for many years. The mansion is now much dilapidated, and falling to decay through neglect.

KENNET HOUSE.

In the county of Clackmannan, within a short distance of the remains of the ancient castle, so long the feudal residence of the chief line of the Bruces, stands the present mansion of Kennet, situated amid pleasure-gardens and plantations of great beauty, on a rising ground overlooking the basin of the Forth. It is a handsome edifice, built by Alexander Bruce, Esq. of Kennet, the father of the present proprietor. Internally, great elegance has been displayed, and some valuable family pictures adorn the walls; among others, excellent portraits of General James Bruce, who served in the army of the Margrave of Brandenburgh, and subsequently returning to England with the Prince of Orange, attained the rank of Brigadier General ; of his son, Major Alexander Bruce, distinguished in Marlborough's wars, and of Lord Kennet, in his robes of office.

The lands of Kennet, together with the castle and barony of Clackmannan, were granted by David Bruce in a charter bearing date 1359, to Robert Bruce, whom the King therein styles his “beloved cousin and kinsman.” This Robert Bruce died in 1393, leaving several sons, of whom Sir Robert Bruce, the eldest, was his heir, and James became Lord Chancellor of Scotland and Archbishop of Glasgow. Sir Robert Bruce died at Clackmannan in 1405, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir David Bruce, whose descendants continued to reside at the old castle, still in existence, until 1772, when the line failed in Henry Bruce, and the representation vested in the Earl of Elgin, and ROBERT BRUCE, Lord Kennet, descended in the direct male line from the Clackmannan family, and through an heiress, Margaret Bruce of Kennet, from the ancient Bruces of that place, who were also scions of the Bruces of Annandale. Lord Kennet's grandson, ROBERT BRUCE, Esq., is the present representative of the Kennet branch of the illustrious house of Bruce of Annandale, and the inheritor of their broad lands. He formerly sat in parliament for the county, and in early life served as Captain in the Grenadier Guards, with that distinguished regiment in the Peninsula and at Waterloo. It is gratifying to have to add that there is every probability of the early restoration of the ancient baronies of Burleigh and Kilwinning, in the person of Mr Bruce of Kennet. The petition of Mr Bruce was submitted to the Queen in the course of last year, and, by Royal command, it was afterwards referred to the Committee for Privileges.

OUR PLACES OF BURIAL.

“What is man's history? Born-living-dying-
Leaving the still shore for the troubled wave-
Struggling with storm-winds, over shipwrecks flying,
And casting anchor in the silent grave.”

It is a reproach to the inhabitants of many districts in Scotland that their places of burial are badly situated, confined within narrow bounds, and present a disordered and repulsive appearance. Too long have our provincial and village grave-yards resembled quarries, as if any receptacle were good enough in which to bury from the sight the remains of relatives. But better ideas now generally prevail as to the interment of the dead-places of sepulture being chosen with some regard to beauty of situation, the health of the living, and the respect due to departed friends.

The inadequacy of the burial-ground of Alloa to the requirements of the population was long felt to be at once a local grievance and a disgrace, and the attempts to remedy the evil gave rise to much controversy. Different parks in the immediate vicinity of the town were from time to time suggested as suitable sites for a new cemetery, but for some years nothing was definitely determined on. The Earl of Mar, approving of the movement, considerately intimated his willingness to give the greater part of the old shrubbery or flower-garden, contiguous to the existing place of burial, as a new cemetery, - the ground extending to one acre and twelve falls, at £18 per acre. This offer was at once accepted by the heritors and kirk-session, and allayed agitation, for though the desire of some of the inhabitants was to have a place of interment in a less populous locality, with a finer approach, the great majority of the people seemed satisfied that their new place of burial should be so closely connected with the old, where not a few of them have precious dust reposing, and the soil, situation, and extent of the flower-garden, were all in favour of the new spot. The charter for the ground is dated 3d May 1855, and some time afterwards an acrimonious discussion arose as to levying an assessment to meet the cost of levelling and laying out the ground, draining it, surrounding it by a wall, building a cottage for the sexton, and erecting a suitable entrance-gateway. Controversy, however, was, early in 1857, happily set at rest by Lord Mar generously paying the whole of the preliminary expenses, amounting to within a trifle of £700. The cemetery grounds are under the care of the brothers Blair, and the fine old trees within the Earl of Mar's policy, whose wide-spreading branches partially shade this last resting place of the departed, give a becoming beauty to this place of burial which would have been wanting had the site for the cemetery been chosen upon any other portion of the estate of Mar. Generally, the monuments which have been erected, display good taste, and there is a commendable desire for ornamenting with iron railings, within which are planted flowers and shrubs, but in the old burial-ground of Alloa, and in most places of interment throughout the county, there is a want of suitable avenues or pathways, and of seats to which kindred and friends might retire to indulge in feelings of affection and regret.

The Mausoleum of the Family of Mar, within the old burial-ground, was built immediately after the completion of the new parish church, and partly covers the ground occupied by the former place of worship. Sir Robert Erskine of Erskine, whose grand-aunt, Mary Erskine, was wife of Sir Thomas Bruce, brother of King Robert, great Chamberlain of Scotland in 1350, Ambassador to both France and England, and great Justiciary of Scotland, beyond the Forth, died 1385, and was buried at Alloa. His son, Sir Thomas Erskine of Erskine, had charters of the barony of Alloa and forest of Clackmannan, from Robert III, He was Ambassador to England, and died 1419, and was buried at Alloa. His son, Sir Robert Erskine of Erskine, was the first designated in charter of “Alloa,” on the death of Alexander, Earl of Mar. He claimed that Earldom in 1435. His grandson, Alexander Lord Erskine, and third Earl of Mar, had a confirmation of the Barony of Alloa, with the forest of Clackmannan, 1480, and founded a chaplainry in the church of Alloa for the welfare of the souls of himself, King James III., and Christian Crichton, his deceased spouse, in 1197, and died 1519. His son Robert, third Lord Erskine, and fourth Earl of Mar, fell at the battle of Flodden 1513. His son, John, fourth Lord Erskine, and fifth Earl of Mar, was Ambassador to France 1515, and was governor to the young King James V., and died 1552. On a tomb near the Mausoleum is this inscription :

To the Memory of
JOHN FRANCIS ERSKINE, Esq.,
Eldest son of the hon. Henry David Erskine,
Born 17th November, 1808. Died 29th September, 1845.

The late Mr Robert Johnston, merchant in Alloa, bequeathed, in the year 1739, some property, and £500, for the maintenance of an assistant-minister for the parish - the appointment being vested in “the male heads of families being communicants.” On a large board now in the Session-house of the Parish Church, is the following inscription in faded gilt letters :-

”The pious and well-disposed ROBERT JOHNSTON, merchant in Alloa, with consent of HELEN HAMILTON, his Spouse, From a fervent zeal to the glory of God and prevailing love for the real good of this parish, did not only mortify his house and yard in Candle Street, but also £500 sterling, as a fund for maintaining a pious helper or assistant to the minister, to be chosen by the Session and majority of heads of families. And after his death, his wife from the like pious principle did not only add one hundred pounds sterling, but also gave two silver cups, for the more decent administration of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and her tomb in the church-yard to belong to the said assistant and his successors for ever. He died much and justly lamented, August the 16th, 1739. Aged 54 years.”

On a stone at the tomb in the church-yard are inscribed the following lines : -

Before this Monument of stones,
Lie honest Robert Johnston's bones,
He lived devoutly, died in peace,
Prompt by religion and grace,
Endow'd a preacher for this place.
With consent of his wife to lie,
Here by him when she falls to die.
At her expense this tomb was raised,
For him whose worth she prized and praised.
Obiit R. J. Aug. 16, A.D. 1739.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

In connection with Mr Johnston's bequest, it may be stated that the Lady Charlotte Erskine in 1787, bequeathed, for the same purpose, the sum of £800. In this case, “the right of nominating and presenting the assistant minister is in the gift of the proprietor of the estate of Mar.”

A stone, bearing date 1719, has the following inscription :-

The Law says doe, and ye shall live
The Gospel sayes - ye most believe
The Law is just indeed and good
Yet it can give noe spiritual food,
Because believing comes in its room
To save poor sinners from its doom
By Christ the Son of God.
Sae hair I ly in sweet repose.
Because when risen Ile rejoice.
And theire in Heaven sweetly sing
Praise to Jehovah King.

Monuments with the following inscriptions have been erected in the Alloa burial-ground by the congregation of which the Rev. P. McDowall is now the pastor :-

Beside this stone is reserved for the resurrection of the just, the earthly part of

THE REV. WILLIAM MONCRIEFF,
Minister of the Gospel, in the Associate Congregation at Alloa.
Patris perdigni filius non degener.

Likewise, of MARGARET Wilson, his spouse, who died in her 40th year, 18th Jany., 1778 ; and of Janet Watt, her mother, whom she survived nearly 17 years. Also, of the eighth and tenth of their twelve children - three sons and nine daughters - Rachel and Matthew, who died within their first year, 1770 and 1772.

He rested from his labours on 14th of August, 1786, in the 57th year of his life, the 37th year of his ministry, and 24th year of his being employed by the Associate Synod as their Professor of Divinity. He was an able, practical, and faithful preacher of the Gospel, in its unadulterated purity and simplicity, not with enticing words of man's wisdom, and continued a zealous supporter of the Reformation Testimony according to the genuine state of the Secession church, leaving his name in good remembrance among the true friends of that cause. The above epitaph having been defaced by time, restored by the congregation 1842.

To the Memory of
THE REV. JAMES MUCKERSIE,
Son of the Rev. John Muckersie, Minister at Kinkell, and grandson of the Rev. William Wilson, minister at Perth, one of the four brethren, the founders of the Secession Church.

This Monument is erected by the first Associate Congregation of Alloa, of which he was pastor (ever beloved and revered) From his ordination, on the 21st Feby., 1788, till the 8th of March 1827, in the 40th year of his ministry, and the 67th of his age, when he gently fell asleep in Jesus. He possessed mental excellencies, seldom in the same degree combined :A sound and vivid understanding, an elegant taste, a cheerful temper, and a sympathising and benevolent heart, Even from a child his delight was in the Holy Scriptures.

The work of the Ministry was his early choice, His literary and theological acquirements were ample and various. His pulpit discourses were characterised by a mild radiance of evangelical truth, by a winning sanctity of spirit and tendency, by a chaste sympathy of style, and by a grave and unhesitating utterance. He discharged his other official duties, whether among his people at large or among the afflicted, the destitute, the aged, and the young, with calm diligence and affectionate wisdom. His habits were domestic, and in his family he was equably benign. In his general intercourse with society he maintained an easy but firm dignity: And exerted for unpatronized and unknown talent, for unfortunate rectitude, and for many a useful public institution, a generous influence widely effective. In all the deliberative preparations for the Union of the two great bodies of Seceders he was conscientiously co-operative: Its happy consummation gladdened his heart: and he never ceased to evince, as he had always done, a determined but liberal zeal for the principles of the Secession church, as the most congenial to the spirit, and conducive to the ends, of the Protestant Reformation.

In October 1856, the West United Presbyterian congregation, erected a handsome marble tablet in the old burying-ground to the memory of their former revered pastors, the Rev. Thomas Waters and Rev. William Fraser. The inscription is as follows:--

In Memory of THE REV. THOMAS WATERS,
First Minister of the Associate Burgher Congregation,
Who died on the 1st Aug., 1809, in the 74th year of his age, and 41st of his ministry, In the firm belief and assured hope of that Gospel Which he faithfully preached.

And of

THE REV. WILLIAM FRASER,
sometime of Crail, And afterwards for 43 years The faithful Pastor of the West U.P. Congregation, Who adorned throughout his life the doctrines which he preached, And died in the esteem of his fellowmen On the 3rd Septr., 1853, in the 74th year of his age, And 51st of his ministry.

And also of his Children,
Andrew, who died 12th Feby,, 1812, aged 2 months.
John, who died 1st Feby., 1819, aged 9 years.
Magdalene, who died 31st Decr., 1837, aged 17 years.

On the 20th of April 1853, the Rev. John More was ordained colleague and successor to the Rev. Wm. Fraser. On the 19th of October 1860, Mr More, acting on the best medical advice, left Alloa for Algiers, with a view to the improvement of his health, which had suffered for sometime from an affection of the lungs. He reached the French province on the 1st of November, but to the deep regret of his congregation and numerous friends, he died on the 10th of that month, in the 32d year of his age, and in the beautiful cemetery of St Eugene his remains were interred.

The following inscription was penned by the late Mr James Donaldson of Devon :

This Stone was erected by a few friends
To the Memory of Mr JAMES McISACK, late Bookseller in Alloa, Who died 15th May, 1834, aged 66 years.

Reader!
For all the books I've bound
Here now with valley clods,
In sheets I'm rotting under ground,
Death makes a mighty odds !

Waiting the final dawn,
Mine ashes here are laid ;
Life's labour's o'er, and I'm withdrawn,
Here I have found my bed.

Thus, at the shut of day, the weary bird,
Leaves the wide heav'ns, and in the lonely brake
Cow'rs down, and, waking with the break of day,
Then claps its freshen'd wings and bears away.

Tullibody, so rich in historical associations and interesting memorials, contains the following amongst other valuable inscriptions on cenotaphs or tablets within its ancient church or old church-yard :

GENERAL SIR RALPH ABERCROMBY, K.B.,
Eldest son of the late
GEORGE ABERCROMBY, Esq., of Tullibody,
and MARY DUNDAS, Daughter of the late Ralph Dundas, Esq., of Manor,
was mortally wounded in a Battle, fought 21st March, 1801, with the French, near Alexandria, in Egypt; and DIED the 28th of said month on board of a ship in the Bay of Aboukir ; And Interred at MALTA, with Military Honours, Aged 66 years.

MARY ANN,
Daughter of John MENZIES, Esq., of Fern Tower, Baroness ABERCROMBY,
Widow of General Sir RALPH ABERCROMBY,Was born the 4th day of April, 1747, And Died 11th February, 1821 ; Possessed of every gentle virtue that adorns the female character, she fulfilled in an exemplary manner, as a Wife, a Mother, and a Friend, every duty of this life ; while in all its vicissitudes her faith and piety never ceased to anticipate a better.

From the parochial records of the parish of Alloa, it appears that Captain Ralph Abercromby, younger of Tullibody, was proclaimed in Alloa Church, 14th Nov., and was married to Mary Ann Menzies, of Fern Tower, parish of Crieff, 17th November 1768 ; consequently the General was four days a bridegroom, and having died 28th March 1801, was thirty-three years a married man.

Sacred to the Memory of
MONTAGUE BARONESS ABERCROMBY,

born 30th April 1772, died 10th March 1837. After a long and severe illness when returning strength seemed to hold out the promise of future health, she was unexpectedly removed from the midst of her family and friends.

Those who knew her require no monument to keep her in their affectionate remembrance, but when they like her shall have been gathered to their rest, this tablet may then serve to remind her descendants that born to high station she formed the centre round which the affections of her family clung, while she was the channel through which comfort and happiness were diffused over the wide circle of all around her. Her remains were committed to the tomb amidst the heartfelt tears of those who had known her and loved her in life, and in the humble hopes of her Resurrection to an eternal reward through the merits of Her Redeemer.

On another tablet is the following just tribute to the memory of the late Lord Abercromby, grandfather of the present Baron :

Here, by the side of his beloved partner in life, repose the mortal remains of
GEORGE BARON ABERCROMBY,
Lord Lieutenant of the county of Stirling.
He was the eldest son of General Sir Ralph Abercromby, and Miss Mary Ann Menzies, and was born on the 14th October, 1770. For many years he represented his native county of Clackmannan, in Parliament. While he abstained from mingling in the strife of party, he quietly but earnestly advanced the true interests of his country; in the promotion of which he bore his part, and lived to see accomplished many most important legislative measures. Residing on his property, he justly earned for himself the title of an upright magistrate, a kind landlord, and a generous friend.

To the oppressed he was ever open, and his sound judgment always at their service; and the unfeigned tears of the poor bore testimony to his never failing but unostentatious charity. Beloved by his children, esteemed by all who had the good fortune to know him, and in full reliance on the merits and mercies of his Redeemer, he closed his mortal career on the 18th February, 1843, bequeathing to those who follow him a bright example of spotless integrity, unwearied benevolence, and unaffected piety.

In Memory of
GEORGE RALPH 2ND BARON ABERCROMBY,
Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, and Lord Lieutenant of the County of Clackmannan.
He was born on the 30th of May, 1800, And after enduring for several years the calamity of the loss of sight with great patience and cheerful resignation to the will of God, was suddenly removed by death on the 25th of June, 1852. Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord cometh ; but the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore, sober, and watch unto prayer.

In Memory of
JAMES DUNCAN,
Who bequeathed Two Hundred Pounds to the Poor of this his native village, And who served his country upwards of 20 years in the British Navy.
Born 1756 ; Died 1825.

“His march was o'er the mountain wave, his home was on the deep."

With reverential feelings, reference may here be made to the burial-place of the Family of the late Mr Crawfurd Tait of Harviestoun. This place of interment, or “Tomb,” is situated in proximity to the castle of Harviestoun, and the waters of the Devon flow closely past it. The remains of several members of the Family repose here, and monumental columns or cenotaphs have been erected to their memory. The three following inscriptions possess special interest

CRAWFURD TAIT, ESQ. OF HARVIESTOUN,
Died May 1832, aged 67.
His taste adorned this lovely valley, in the bosom of which he lies.
His genius, in advance of the age in which he lived, originated in a great measure the improvement of the district, and pointed the way to much throughout the country destined to be accomplished by a future generation.

His Children, thankful for Abraham's gift, a Tomb, and the promise of a Redeemer, here record his name, in humble hope that, though the place which knew him shall know him no more, he has, through Christ, found a home “not made with hands eternal in the heavens.”

To the Memory of
COLONEL THOMAS F. TAIT, C.B., AND A.D.C. TO THE QUEEN,
third son of Crawfurd Tait, Esq. of Harviestoun.
He served in India with much distinction, commanding the 32 Bengal Irregular Cavalry (Tait's Horse) in the campaigns of Affghanistan, the Sutlej, and the Punjaub.
He died on 16th March, 1859, surrounded by his brothers and sisters, in the house of his youngest brother, The Bishop of London, and is buried at Fulham.
Loving Brother,
Faithful Friend,
Gallant Soldier,
Rest in Christ.

Sacred to the Memory of
BETTY MORTON AND MARY RUSSELL;
Who lived as faithful nurses and servants, in the Family of Crawfurd Tait, Esq. of Harviestoun, the former for 30, the latter for 50 years. “Not with eye-service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ.”
They cherished our Childhood,
They comforted our Youth,
They directed our thoughts to that heavenly country,
where, through our REDEEMER's love,
we hope to meet them again.
Erected by the Family. 1856.

In the parish church of Alva, there is a marble tablet to the memory of John Erskine, Esq., advocate, remaining son of the Hon. James Erskine of Alva, a senator of the College of Justice, who died 16th of January, 1792. The finely-situated Mausoleum of the family of the House of Alva is contiguous to the church and burial-ground, and three of the tablets therein bear the following inscriptions :

In Memory of
JOHN,
Fifth son of Sir James Johnstone of Westerhall, and Dame Barbara Murray his Wife.
He was born 25th June, 1734, and served with distinction in the East Indies, both in a civil and military capacity, during the eventful period of the Administration of Clive. By his science in Artillery he aided much to the success of the battle of Plassey, And was afterwards preferred to the Council of Bengal, Returning home to Britain with the well-earned fruits of his services, he was elected to represent the Fife Burghs in the Imperial Parliament; Purchased the Estates of Alva and Denovan in Stirlingshire, Hangingshaw in Selkirkshire, and Douglen in Dumfriesshire;. He established the residence of his family at Alva, and caused to be built this Mausoleum, to shelter the remains of his Wife

CAROLINE ELIZABETH KEENE,

Daughter of Colonel Keene of Norfolk, who died at Alva, 16th December, 1778. He died 10th December, 1795, and is placed beside his Wife in this Tomb. They left issue James Raymond, his heir and successor, and Anne Elizabeth, afterwards married to James Gordon of Craig.

Sacred to the Memory of
JOHN JOHNSTONE, Colonel of the Hon. E.I.C. 25th Regiment Madras Light Infantry, second son of the late James Raymond Johnstone. He died in the discharge of duty, being lost with a great part of his regiment in crossing the Bay of Bengal, May 1854, aged 41 years.

He left a widow, Caroline, daughter of the Rev. John Pannel, and Mary Augusta Harriet, their only child. “Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is.”

Sacred to the Memory of
BARBARA SOPHIA,
daughter of F. W. Johnstone and Maria Johnstone.
Born 21st September, 1844: died 8th April, 1849. “He shall gather the lambs with His arms, and carry them in His bosom.”

In the Church-yard of Clackmannan is a slab with the arms of Bruce, and dated 1709; a monument to the memory of James Bruce, Esq., who died 21st May 1819 ; a slab to Sheriff John Bruce, who died 8th Jany., 1815, aged 85. The following is the oldest inscription :

Here lyeth John Scobie Messinger, who died at Clackmannan, 27th Januarie, 1665, his age 59.

There is a monument to the memory of the Rev. Dr Moodie, minister of the parish ; one to the Rev. David Lindsay, for forty-five years minister in Clackmannan, who died 21st. Octr., 1834; there is a monument by Wm. Wylie, in memory of his deceased children. The Wylies had long been farmers in the parish. James, a second son of this William, settled in Russia, and became medical attendant to the late Emperor.

Immediately adjacent to Tillicoultry House is the old burial-ground of Tillicoultry, but the right to inter there is now limited to one or two families. The remains of the late Mr Harrower of Shannockhill were there deposited. In the ordinary place of interment is a monument to the memory of the late Rev. Alex. Stirling, LL.D., formerly minister of the parish, who died 13th March, 1807. Mr Stirling was an accomplished man, and a published volume of his sermons displays great elegance and taste.

In the burial-ground of Dollar, is erected a tablet to the memory of the Rev. John Gray, “whose unwearied, not unwilling labours, were continued in Dollar from the 18th September, 1700, till his death, 16th February, 1745;” a tablet “to the memory of the Rev. John Watson, M.A., minister of Dollar. The erudition of the scholar, the manners of the gentleman, and the accomplishments of the divine, were in him duly blended, while the graces of the Christian imparted life and lustre to the whole. Born 27th April, 1737 ; died 16th December, 1815.” The walls of the old place of worship are still standing, and underneath the spot formerly occupied by the pulpit were deposited the remains of the late Dr Mylne, and a tablet has been put up bearing this inscription “Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Andrew Mylne, D.D., for forty years minister of this parish, who died 27th day of October, 1856, in the 81st year of his age.” The oldest stone bears date 1692, and the most modern has the following comforting lines :

From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm-a sure retreat:
The SAVIOUR, on His Mercy-seat.

DEMYAT.

Demyat, whose name indicates the hill of the good prospect, though forming part of Perthshire, holds a conspicuous place amongst the Environs of Alloa. It is situated on the northern bank of the Forth, about three miles to the north-east of Stirling, and one of the highest of the Ochil hills, - Bencleuch being the highest of the range. It commands one of the noblest views any where to be met with. From its conical summit a part of thirteen counties is discernible, and the gorgeous panorama which the eye beholds is in the highest degree captivating-comprehending a view as romantic and beautiful as varied and extensive. Hector Macneill, in his fine poem, the “Links O' Forth,” exclaims,

Or fragrant whar, at opening day,
The whins bloom sweet on Aichill brae,
Here, whan inspired by lofty lay,
He'd tak his flight,
And towering climb, wi' spirits gay,
Demyat's height.

To the right lies, spread in all its loveliness, the vale of Strath-Allan, - the fine stream from which it takes its name flowing through its midst, and imparting a healthy irrigation to its verdant meadows, while to the far west the blue mountains gradually border the scene. In front, and extending eastward, lies the carse of Stirling-a valley which, either for beauty or fertility, need yield the palm to none in Scotland. Here the eye can distinctly trace the fantastic mazes of the far-famed windings of the Forth, as they flow in many a curious turn through the rich plain between Stirling and Alloa. The latter worthy town appears embosomed in a wood, the only indications of its presence being its fine picturesque steeple, the vast cones of the Glass works, and a light cloud of blueish smoke, rising from among the trees. Beyond Alloa the river gradually widens, till in the distance glimpses of the broad frith may be caught shining in the sun ; on its right bank, lining the very verge of the horizon, the Pentland hills are distinctly discernible, and Dun-Edin's towers are faintly sketched, where “the Empress of the North sits on her hilly throne.” Nearer, on a rich green knoll, amid a cluster of ancient trees, stands the fine and picturesque tower of Clackmannan-sacred to the memory of THE BRUCE. Nor must we omit to mention the admirable view that is obtained of Stirling's venerable fort, “grey with the mist of years,” and of the romantic town which it protects. On every side the scene is rich and lovely, and, indeed, presents many features eminently picturesque:

"Where is the coward that would not dare To fight for such a land ?"

Gazing from such a spot, the Scotchman is feelingly reminded that his ancestors have fought for it, and lavished their best blood on these very plains for freedom and for fatherland. Before us lies the field of Bannockburn ! behind is Sheriffmuir ! - names familiar to our ears as household words. Nor can we forget how much we are indebted to the great minstrel, who has thrown the spell of his genius round the finest scenery in the land, and rendered it doubly interesting and attractive. Much of the scene of the “Lady of the Lake” is dimly or more distinctly visible, - and, in the “Lord of the Isles” he thus speaks of the very object before us. It was the evening before the battle of Bannockburn : -

“It was a night of lovely June,
High rode in cloudless blue the moon,
Demyat smiled beneath her ray;
Old Stirling's towers arose in light,
And, twined in links of silver bright,
Her winding river lay:
Ah! gentle planet ! other sight
Shall greet thee next returning night,
Of broken arms and banners tore,
And marches dark with human gore,
And piles of slaughtered men and horse,
And Forth that floats the frequent corse.
But now, from England's host the cry
Thou hear'st the wassail revelry,
While from the Scottish legions pass,
The murmurer prayer, the early mass !
On Gillies' hill whose height commands
The battle-field, fair Edith stands.
0! with what doubtful agony

She sees the dawning tint the sky !
Now on the Ochils gleams the sun,
And glistens now Demyat dun;
Is it the lark that carols shrill,
Is it the bittern's early hum?
No !-distant, but increasing still,
The trumpets' sound swell up the hill,
With the deep murmur of the drum.
Responsive from the Scottish host,
Pipe clang and bugle-sound were tossed,
His breast and brow each soldier crossed ;
And started from the ground;
Armed and arrayed for instant fight-
Rose archer, spearmen, squire, and knight,
And in the pomp of battle bright
The dread battalia frowned !

Such scenes are spread around Demyat, and such associations are inseparably connected with them. It may here be remarked that Demyat was formerly a portion of the estate of Blairlogie, which belonged to the ancient family of Spittal. The heiress married the late Robert Bruce Dundas of Blair Castle, and his son sold Demyat and Blairlogie, in 1845, to Robert Bruce, Esq. of Kennet. At the base of Demyat is Blairlogie, also the property of Mr Bruce, considered a favourable residence for valetudinarians, or those suffering from pulmonary complaints.

Nor, in noticing Demyat, can we forget that on the summit of the Abbey Craig, in the immediate vicinity, and within the boundary of the county of Clackmannan, is shortly to be erected a monument to Sir William Wallace, the patriot hero of Scotland. A national meeting, to further this object, presided over by the Earl of Elgin, was held at Stirling, in the King's Park, on the 24th of June, 1856. The site is believed to be admirably chosen for the purpose. Geographically, Abbey Craig is in the centre of Scotland ; it is likewise the centre of the Scottish battleground for civil and religious liberty. It overlooks the field of Stirling Bridge, where Wallace obtained his greatest victory; and the monument will surmount the spot where he is believed to have stood while surveying the legions of England crossing the bridge, in their path of destruction. This spot, the highest of the Craig, is 360 feet above the level of the river Forth. The monument, from a design by Mr J. T. Rochead, architect, Glasgow, will be a Scottish baronial tower. The apex of the tower will exhibit the form of an open imperial crown, to be built of pure white sandstone. The tower will be 220 feet in height, and 36 feet square at the base. An open octagonal winding staircase will conduct to the coronal summit. In the interior, a succession of spacious and lofty halls will be appropriated as visitors' reception rooms, and as museums for ancient armour, and other remains, illustrative of national history. The monument will occupy four years in building, and will cost about £6500~the sum which the Committee have being fully £5500.

ALVA

In the year 1790, the population of the village of Alva was only 600, and in 1801, there was only one woollen mill. Serges and other coarse stuffs then formed the chief manufacture of the district. Since 1828, however, when shawl manufacturing commenced, the progress of Alva has been steadily onward, and no one can now visit the place without observing in the busy workshops, the numerous woollen mills, new buildings completed or in progress, elegant places of business, fine private residences, and a people's park for recreation, amusement, and the celebration of the annual Gymnastic games for which the village has long been famous, very gratifying proofs of commercial and manufacturing prosperity, and advancement in social comfort. “Dalmore Acres,” ten acres in extent, was presented by Mr Johnstone to the people of Alva, on the 2nd of February, 1856, amid the rejoicings of about 1500 of the villagers.

Those who visit this thriving village, in search of objects of attraction, will be at once directed to Alva Glen, or as it is sometimes called the Strude Glen, no doubt from the word stride or strid, the name of a similar place near Bolton Priory, of which Wordsworth says :

“This striding place is called the strid,
A name it had of yore,
A thousand years hath it borne that name,
And shall a thousand more.”

Here is a chasm, deep and dark, through which, unseen, and pent up in a narrow channel, the mountain torrent works its troubled way among rocks, which are so near at top that they may almost be bestridden. At length a waterfall, from about thirty feet, flings itself into the dizzy whirlpool beneath. The spectacle is grand and unique, and the admirer of the picturesque will behold in the romantic spot, and in that little mountain-torrent “singing to itself its own quiet tune,”

A scene sequestered from the haunts of men, The loveliest work of all that lovely glen.

The water of the stream not only contributes much to ornament the landscape, but also affords a powerful arm to industry, by turning machinery in the village. Where the water finds repose in a large linn, a dam has been constructed at much labour and expense for retaining a collection against times of summer drought and scarcity. Cast metal pipes for conveying the water to the mills run along the side of the walk, forming as it were a barricade from the precipitous depths of the ravine-a splendid example of man's power to control nature, and subject her to the dominion of his rational faculties.

Judicially, the parish of Alva is connected with the county of Stirling, but politically, it is incorporated with Clackmannanshire, which unites with Kinross in returning a Member to Parliament. Frequent attempts to have Alva incorporated with the county of Clackmannan have failed, in consequence of the inhabitants generally preferring to remain united to Stirling. There is a well-founded tradition that the parish of Alva originally belonged to Clackmannanshire. Its annexation to Stirlingshire is understood to have arisen from a quarrel between the Laird of Alva and the hereditary Sheriff of the county, and the former, wishing to have his estate removed from the jurisdiction of the unfriendly Sheriff, obtained an Act of Parliament to get the parish of Alva connected with Stirlingshire. In corroboration of this tradition it is noticed, in the Acts of the Scottish Parliament, during the short reign of James II. of England, that the Laird of Alva was Convener of the Commissioners of Supply in the county of Clackmannan.

At the east end, and at the head of the village, are the parish church and manse. The church has recently been much improved and enlarged, and over the entrance to it may be seen carved on a slab the following inscription :

Remember
To Keep Holy the Sabbath Day
1637.

Alva House, with its fine glass veranda, the residence of Mr Johnstone, is planted on an elevated site on the beautifully wooded hill of Alva, surrounded by a park with a .flourishing plantation, the lawn in front being formed into terraces and groves, ornamented with jets d'eau, whose streams ascend a height of fifty feet. It forms a picture set on its edge against a wall whose measure is miles in width, whose height is the grand altitude of the Ochil hills, whose shady woodlands, brown heath, craggy rocks, and sinuous river in front, is such as man cannot paint. Adjoining the house is a choice conservatory, and the fine taste displayed here and in the gardens, with the high perfection attained by the flowers and fruits, is most creditable to the gardener, Duncan Campbell.

Various mineral veins have from time to time been discovered in the Alva hills, and a silver vein was wrought advantageously for some time, but afterwards with great loss. The communion cups in use at the parish church, were made from silver found in the Ochils at Alva.

TILLICOULTRY.

By the chartularies of Cambuskenneth, the woollen manufacture appears to have been carried on in Tillicoultry since the days of Mary, Queen of Scots, and some indication of the progress of the district may be gathered from the fact that while, in 1755, the population of the parish was 787, in 1861, as shown by the recent census, the population is 5054. The first fabric manufactured was a species of shalloon or serge, sold at about ls a-yard, and throughout Scotland, Tillicoultry serges became famous. In those simple days the vast energies of water-power and steampower were comparatively unknown, and little applied to the purposes of life. Then all was hard labour, and no wonder that the gudeman of those days might be heard saying or singing to the patriarchal music of the spinning wheel, which was in every house,

“I think my wife will end her life before she spins her tow.” (woo?)

The wife certainly seems to have had the heavy part of the business, and to have been by no means a sleeping partner in the concern. The wool was carded by hand-cards, and the long separated from the short wool, by the gudewife; it was spun on the muckle-wheel, as it was called, in contra-distinction to the wee wheel for spinning lint; this also was generally the woman's work. Instead of the fulling-mill, the goods received what has been facetiously called the Scotch Stamp duty, i. e., with the feet in the burn, which was also the business of the females, until a waulk-mill was set up. The work of the gudeman of the house was to weave the yarn into cloth, which, for lack of the modern innovation of tenters, was stretched between two trees which served the purpose equally well. The long wool, when spun into yarn, was called worsted, and was spun upon the little wheel; the short yarn was called wheeling, being done on the great wheel; the former served for warp and the latter for weft. The domestic co-partnery carried on in our early woollen trade seems to have been chiefly under the management of the females. The gudewife was the purchaser and retailer of the stock in general, and travelled also for the establishment. When a stock of wool was wanted, the gudewife set off to Glendevon and the hill farmers of the Ochils, generally in the morning, and returned at night with her cargo. It is told to the honour of one of the thrifty dames of ancient Tillicoultry, that she commonly set out a-foot in the morning to Edinburgh, and returned the same evening with a stone of wool upon her shoulders. When the wool was woven into cloth, it was carried on the back of one of the partners of the trade into Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, or Perth, and sold to the merchants.

But this primitive mode of doing business came to an end. Tillicoultry possessed in abundance the three great elements of manufacturing importance, coal, iron, and water, and half a century ago men of energy and perseverance set off this district on a career of industry, skill, and enterprise, which has done much for the present, and promises more for future generations. It was not till 1824 that the tartan in this district began to be cultivated with vigour. Hitherto the trade had been confined to a coarse kind of plaiding, blankets, and washing cloth, but the introduction of the tartan shawl manufacture gave new zest to the manufacturing interest, and so successful did this branch of trade prove that it gradually diminished, if not well nigh extinguished, the former. The hold which the tartans of the Hillfoots have got in the markets--and in this term of Hillfoots is included Alva, Tillicoultry, Devonside, and Devonvale - is likely to be permanent, for, from J. & D. Paton, & Co., the largest manufacturers, to the proprietor of the smallest mill, there is an honourable rivalry to produce pleasing and enduring fabrics. At the Hillfoots, shawls and dresses have been produced of the finest texture, which have adorned the Queen herself, and the clan and fancy tartans there manufactured are prized and worn by the humblest of the daughters of the land. It so happens, however, that seasons of manufacturing prosperity have been often followed by seasons of adversity, and J. & R. Archibald of Devonvale were the first in the district to commence on an extensive scale, in addition to their woollen shawl trade, the manufacture of tweeds, while Messrs Paton have been fortunate in directing attention to the manufacture of silk fabrics.

To Building Societies, the provident and intelligent working-classes of Tillicoultry have for many years given a hearty support, and the result is that many individuals in comparatively humble life are there the proprietors of their own dwelling-houses. A savings bank in connection with the Clydesdale bank is also liberally supported, while the patriotism of the community is evinced in the establishment of an efficient Volunteer Rifle Corps of which Mr Snowdowne of Beechwood is the respected captain. One of the most recent triumphs of the inhabitants of Tillicoultry is their having erected, at the head of Ochil Street, a Popular Institute Hall, an elegant and commodious building fitted to accommodate one thousand of an audience.

The inauguration proceedings on the 1st of June 1860, occasioned quite a holiday in Tillicoultry. In the afternoon of that day, a meeting, presided over by James Paton, Esq. of Lethangie - took place in the Hall, and an inaugural address was delivered by James Johnstone, Esq. of Alva.

To the eastward of Tillicoultry are the parish church and burial-ground, the former a handsome structure built thirty years ago ; while, as regards the latter, its inadequacy to the wants of an increasing population, has led to the formation of a new cemetery, in a fine situation on a rising ground, a little to the east of the present place of burial.

The estate of Tillicoultry is remarkable for the number of times it has changed owners. In the course of two centuries it has been in the hands of fourteen families. The present proprietor is R. B. W. Ramsay, Esq., of Whitehill.

Tillicoultry was visited in the sixth century by St Serf or Servanus, a renowned ecclesiastic. He is reported to have wrought various miracles in that quarter, and some curious legends have been narrated. The following lines, “extracted from a MS. found in the Abbey of Culross, entitled “Ane Auncient Prophecie, by Sanct Serf, anent ye toun o' Tullochcultrie,” are sufficiently amusing :

Thys toun sal growe
Like onie lowe;
It sal rinn fast
Tae East frae Wast,
And frae ye North
Untill ye Forth;
And michty lumms,
Wi' uggsome fumms,
For myles aroun
Sal mark this toun.
And thys sal bee
Ye destynnie
O'Tullochcultrie
In ye xix centurye.

Sax-storye mills,
Like Ochyl hills,
Wi' unco dinn,
Like Cauldron-Lynn,
Bencleuch sal start
Thye graunite heart
And amaist chokk
Wi' grusam smokk,
Ye pourfu' giant
O' dunn Demyatt.
And thys sal bee, etc.

Wi' wyngs o' feyre,
That neiver tyre,
Coaches sal rinn
As fast as wunn,*
Thru' hills and rokkes,
And carry fokkes,
A busye rabbel
Like onie Babbel,
Or flocks o' poultrie
Tae Tullochcultrie.
And thys sal bee, etc.

Ye hills may bowe
Ye vales below;
Ye Dovan's rylls,
Rinn up ye hills;
But by Halyrude
Mye worde is gude ;
Ye yett sal see
Thys Tullochcultrie,
Ye foremost stan',
In Clackmannan.
And thys sal bee
Ye destynnie
O'Tullochcultrie
In ye xix centurye.

*An evident allusion to the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway.

THE RIVER AND VALLEY OF DEVON.

The whole district of the Devon has always been a favourite resort of valetudinarians and tourists. It is, indeed, a most beautiful, attractive, and salubrious locality, and has been not inaptly styled the garden and Montpelier of Scotland. The river Devon takes its rise in the Ochils, a little to the east of Sheriffmuir, in the parish of Blackford, Perthshire, and runs in a south-east direction through the vale of Glendevon, where so many followers of the gentle art which old Sir Isaac Walton loved, enjoy every season their favourite sport, for the Devon, in addition to its beauty, is famed as a fine trouting stream. Glendevon itself is altogether a charming place, rich in broomy braes and birken shaws, and quiet glens, and a delightful retreat from the busy haunts of men. The windings of the Devon, the trees with which it is skirted, and the verdure of the swelling hills, give this lonely vale a pleasing and picturesque appearance. After flowing over a course of about ten miles in an easterly direction, passing through Dollar, Glendevon, and Muckart, the Devon thence issues south into the vale, and taking a westerly course at the Crook of Devon, passes the church and manse of Fossoway, forming, two or three miles below, the Runbling Bridge group of waterfalls. It thence runs in a westerly direction, through a lovely vale, passing in its course Devonside, Glenfoot, Alva, and part of Logie, till it falls, after many curious meanders, into the Firth of Forth at Cambus, (a little above Alloa,) where vessels of tolerable burden can load or unload at a small pier, and thus the Devon, after making a circuit of thirty or forty miles, enters the Forth only a few miles south from its source. In its progress, it receives numerous mountain streams from the Ochils, and forms the celebrated cascades already referred to. In general, the river is a small one, though some have deemed it large enough to become navigable if its channel were properly cut. In 1776, a survey and estimate, made by James Watt, engineer, under the direction of the late Lord Cathcart, was given in to the Board of Police in Scotland, for the purpose of improving the internal commerce of the country, by cutting several navigable canals. Among other plans given in by Mr Watt, that of making the Devon navigable for several miles was one. The estimated expense was only about £2000. It may be questioned whether this project if carried into effect would have much improved the commerce of the county - it would certainly have interfered with the beauty of the stream. But at the period when it was proposed to render the Devon navigable, drafts of the prospectuses had not been prepared of the Alva, Devon Valley, and Stirling and Dunfermline lines of railway.

The “clear winding Devon,” as every reader knows, has been celebrated by Burns in that beautiful lyric, “The Banks of the Devon.” On the occasion of the Burns' centenary meeting at Alloa, in January 1859, John Tait, Esq., sheriff of the county of Clackmannan, and chairman of the meeting, made reference to the visit of our national bard to this district in these words :- “Our district here, and our little county of Clackmannan, have had the honour of being trodden by our illustrious bard. Not to mention his visit to Bannockburn, which suggested to him his magnificent war-song, 'Scot's wha hae wi' Wallace bled,' one of his most beautiful songs was written during a visit to Harvieston, in honour of Miss Charlotte Hamilton, a cousin-german of Mr Crawfurd Tait, my father. The young lady was from Ayrshire, but was residing at Harvieston, and to this Robert Burns beautifully refers in two of his lines-

'But the bonniest flower on the banks of the Devon,
Was once a sweet bud on the banks of the Ayr.'

Burns wrote another song on the same lady, and it is remarkable as being the last song he composed; it exhibits the melancholy which then in some degree affected him

Fairest maid on Devon bank
Crystal Devon, winding Devon;
Wilt thou lay that frown aside,
And smile as thou were wont to do?!

Here again, the poet,” continued Mr Tait, “in this neighbourhood paid a visit from Harvieston to a remarkable lady, Mrs Bruce of Clackmannan, at the old tower of Clackmannan, which she continued to inhabit until her death, at the age of 90. The account of this visit is given in Burns' life, and on the occasion, the poet was knighted by the lady with King Robert the Bruce's sword, she stating (being a great Jacobite) that she had a better right to confer knighthood than some people.” Burns is stated to have resided a period of ten days at Harvieston, and to have made excursions to various parts of the surrounding country. “The river and valley of Devon,” have been celebrated in song by various writers, but the following sweet lyric, by the late Captain Charles Gray, R.N., inscribed to his friend and distinguished Orientalist, the late Professor Tennant, seems here peculiarly appropriate :

THY VALLEY, SWEET DEVON.

Thy valley, sweet Devon, I gladly would sing,
Where lately I tasted the beauties of Spring :
For Spring with her daisy and primrose was there,
When the sun o'er thy glens shook his bright yellow hair :
There the blackbird, at evening, sang loud to his love,
And awakened the echoes in sweet Devon Grove.

Thy river, clear-winding, flows softly along,
Like the music of verse, or the notes of a song ;
There the trout in his pastime glides swift as a dart,
And oft cheats the angler, though crafty his art ;
There the tenants of nature at freedom may rove,
No gun, net, or line, lurks in sweet Devon Grove.

There Health, the blithe maiden, with rose-tinted face,
At morn is delighted thy beauties to trace;
She roves by the fountains--she lists to thy rills,
Or brushes the dew from the brow of thy hills,
Where the eagle, at noon-day, is oft seen to soar
Above the green Ochils, with sheep dappled o'er.

How oft have I sat on the lone 'hill of Care,'
And gazed far below me:--grey ruins lay there!
For, as warrior stern, on the verge of the tomb,
Sublime in decay stood the Castle of Gloom ;'
While the owl and the raven, with ill-boding cry,
Joined the sad 'stream of Sorrow' that murmured hard by.

Dear Vale of the Devon ! O still may I share
The love and affection of some that dwell there;
Lo! the sails are unfurled--and soon must I steer
From country and kindred-from all I hold dear;
And the day is far distant ere back I may rove,
Like the dove o'er the waters, to sweet Devon Grove.

With elegance it has been said, by the author of "Doric Lays," that “cold indeed must his heart be that does not glow with patriotism and devotion to the beloved land of mount and lake,' on beholding the rich and varied scenery of the valley of the Devon, and the silver and serpentine windings of the Forth from the rising grounds above Alloa. And he who could return from a day's ramble among our ever green Ochils, without having fancied he had enjoyed a glimpse of a fairer scene than ever this beautiful world can afford, may be great in many respects, but it is humbly presumed he must be a stranger to those joys which the lovers of nature can at all seasons, and under every visitation of Providence, partake of.”

DOLLAR AND ITS INSTITUTION.

Few country towns have advantages equal to those of Dollar. The salubrity of the locality is proverbial, it is easily accessible, its situation is one of striking beauty, while the various recent improvements which have been effected, DPD and the number of commodious and elegant villas, places of business, and places of Worship, which have been recently erected, show how much Dollar is prized as a residence, and how much the educational advantages of its noble institution are appreciated. The venerable Professor Pillans, when attending, in 1859, the annual examination of the Institution at Dollar, expressed the delight which it afforded him, after an interval of forty years, to revisit the scenes of his youth. “When,” he said, “he again beheld the lovely scenery of this beautiful district, when he cast his eyes over those glorious hills covered with verdure to their summit, and when he beheld that noble castle, in all its melancholy grandeur--surrounded that day with more than ordinary gloom - he could not but call to mind the words of the poet-

'Ah, happy hills! ah, pleasing shade!
Ah, fields beloved in vain!
Where once my careless childhood strayed,
A stranger yet to pain !
I feel the gales that from ye blow,
A momentary bliss bestow,
As waving fresh their gladsome wing,
My weary soul they seem to soothe,
And, redolent of joy and youth,
To breathe a second spring.' “

The Professor, on a subsequent occasion, adverting to the pleasure it afforded him to come to Dollar, remarked “Surrounded as he was by scenery not easily surpassed in beauty and interest, and by reminiscenses of old friendships and social joyments, he could not refrain expressing an earnest wish for the continued prosperity and happiness of

'The free fair Homes of Devonside!
Long, long, in hut and hall,
May hearts of native proof be reared
To guard each hallowed wall!

'And green for ever be the groves,
And bright the flowery sod,
Scenes where the youth are trained to love
Their country and their God!' “

Dollar is distinguished as having been the scene of the labours of one of the early martyrs for truth and religious freedom in Scotland. In 1533, Dean Thomas Forrest, who was vicar of Dollar, was tried by Cardinal Beaton and the Bishop of Dunblane, and condemned to the flames, along with others, as an arch-heretic, who laboured to subvert the faith he was bound to maintain. He was consumed in the flames on the castle-hill of Edinburgh, at a splendid auto-da-fe, which the King came from Linlithgow palace to attend.

Dollar, however, is now noted chiefly for its great educational seminary, which, for many years, has been eminently prosperous, and it is gratifying, on the occasion of every examination of the Academy, to notice the large number of former pupils of the Institution, who come to Dollar from all parts of the country to testify their respect for their Alma Mater.

John McNab, the founder of this Institution, was born at Burnbrae, Dollarbeg, in the year 1732. His exact birthday is not known, for the date of baptism only is recorded in the session-register, from which the following is a correct transcript :

“May 14th, 1732. John, son to Malcolm McNab, was Baptized-witnesses, the whole congregation.”

The date of baptism only is entered in the session records of Dollar at that period ; but from examining the contemporary records of a parish in the same Presbytery, and almost adjacent to Dollar, it appears that the average interval between the dates of birth and baptism was four or five days; and that while a great many were baptised on the third or fourth, or even on the second day, very few were baptised after the eighth or ninth day. It is impossible to determine, with certainty, the birthday of John McNab from these data, but it is not improbable that it may have been within a week prior to 14th May, 1732, o.s.

John McNab when quite a youth, and very poor, abandoned his humble occupation as a herd-boy, left his native parish, and set sail from Kincardine on board a vessel bound for London. In the great metropolis he settled for a time in business, and afterwards, through seafaring enterprise, realised a fortune as a West India merchant. When advanced in life, McNab revisited Dollar, and had an interview, in the humble village inn, with the schoolmaster of the parish. A conversation arose as to how a person, having some money to bequeath, might best benefit his native parish. Whatever may have been the suggestion of the schoolmaster, in a few years afterwards, it transpired that John McNab, sometime of Mile-end, Old Town, in parish of St Dunstan's, Stepney, Middlesex, had left the sum of £56,000, the half of his fortune, for the benefit of the parish of Dollar. The terms of the Will were somewhat ambiguous. After enumerating various legacies, the testator says - “The other moiety or share I would have laid in the public funds, or some such security, on purpose to bring one annual income or interest, for the benifite of a charity or school, for the poor of the parish of Dollar, where I was born, in North Britain or Scotland. That I give and bequeath to the ministers and church-wardens of that said parish for ever, say, to the minister and church officers for the time being, and no other person shall have pour to receve the annuity but the aforesaid officers for the time being, or their agent appointed for the time by them.” For many years there was fear of the money being appropriated for a poor-house, and great indeed would have been the calamity had so many thousands of pounds been employed in rearing in our midst a splendid caravansary for beggars. By the combined intelligence of the minister and session of Dollar, aided by the wise counsel of Mr Crawfurd Tait of Harvieston, and the judgment of Lord Eldon, yet not without protracted litigation, this was averted, and the germ of the present educational institution arose. The legacy paid into Chancery by McNab's Executors, when vested in 3 per cent. stocks, amounted to £55,110, of that kind of stock; and on 31st December 1825, with accumulations, and after paying all previous expenses, it amounted to £74,236, of the same kind of stock, yielding a yearly dividend of £2,227, 138, yearly. By the munificence of McNab, a large and elegant building, having commodious and lofty class-rooms, and with a great hall or library in the centre of the edifice, lighted by a cupola in the roof, was erected in 1819. An extensive garden connected with the Institution is deservedly admired, and is under the management of Mr Westwood, whose reputation as a teacher of botany is well established. When the building of the institution was in progress, a young man received such bruises by a fall as caused his death, and the builder erected a monument to the memory of the deceased in the local burial-ground.

“Dollar Institution” is under the management of an influential Board of Trustees, elected and acting under an Act of Parliament - the minister of the parish being Chairman of the Board. There are eight or ten able teachers, besides assistants, in the departments of science, literature, and the fine arts, and there is a preparatory school for the young in a separate building. The children of the humbler classes, having a settlement in the parish, are entitled to education at the Institution free, but the scale of fees for those who pay is extremely moderate. Not only is a thorough classical or commercial education given to pupils, as may be desired, the Institution has been recognized by the Secretary of State in Council as possessing an efficient class for civil engineering, so that students who have passed two years at Dollar are admitted to compete for engineering appointments in India. Under the able and judicious management of the Principal, the Rev. John Milne, LL.D., Dollar Institution, attended by nearly 500 pupils, has become one of the most important educational seminaries in the country, as, year by year, many youths are sent forth well equipped for the battle of life, and fitted to adorn “the free fair homes of Scotland.”

The Board of Trustees, as fixed by Act of Parliament, passed in the year 1847, is composed as follows :- The Minister and four Elders of the Parish Church of Dollar; two ministers of the Established Presbytery of Stirling; the Principal of the University of Edinburgh ; the Lord-Lieutenant, Vice-Lieutenant, Convener, and Sheriff of the county of Clackmannan; the Patron of the parish of Dollar; two persons standing upon the roll of Parliamentary electors in the parish ; and also, such Heritors of the parish as are assessed for parochial burdens upon a real rent of Two Hundred Pounds Sterling yearly within the county of Clackmannan.

The old parish church being small and uncomfortable, a new edifice having a fine tower was erected in 1841. The Rev. Angus Gunn was appointed by Sir Andrew Orr, to the church and parish, in 1860. In 1843, for the accommodation of the adherents of the Free Church, a place of worship was erected at Shelterhall, mid-way between Dollar and Muckart - Rev. Mr Thomson, formerly of Muckart being the pastor. In 1859, the residents in Dollar adhering to the Free Church built for themselves a neat and commodious place of worship, and have as their pastor the Rev. E. B. Hill. The well-known Bleachfield works, the property of Mr Haig of Dollarfield, have been in operation since 1787.

CASTLE CAMPBELL, WITH A TRADITION OF THE TIMES OF THE REFORMATION.

[Originally contributed to the Alloa Advertiser.]

CASTLE CAMPBELL is situated in the eastern district of Clackmannanshire, about half a mile from the north bank of the Devon, and immediately behind the village of Dollar - the seat of a well known educational institution. The date of this ancient pile is so remote as to baffle all the researches of the antiquary. It is now little else than a stately ruin, its still lofty and stern, though shattered and crumbling walls, bearing evident testimony to its former greatness and pride. As far back as the time of Bruce, this fortress can be traced as the property of the Argyll family, and prior to that period it is supposed to have appertained to the Crown. In 1645, the Marquis of Montrose in passing through this district, caused Castle Campbell to be set on fire, in revenge of injuries done him by Argyll on a previous occasion; and since this burning it has been allowed gradually to moulder away, till nothing now remains of its ancient vastness and strength, save one massive square tower surrounded by roofless and blackened walls. The site of the ruin is remarkably striking and romantic. It stands on the brow of an almost isolated rock, which divides a mountain torrent that comes gushing down the glen, into two smaller streams, which sweep around its rocky base, and again unite their parted waters in front of the fortress, and so hurry on to pour their tribute into the bosom of the Devon. On either side, and extending northward far in the rear of the Castle, the majestic Ochils add grandeur and sublimity to the scene. The heights immediately adjacent are thickly covered with wood, while the more distant mountains rear their giant forms overspread with the greenest verdure, and enlivened by the numerous flocks that browse over their ample sides. The Castlerock rises abruptly from the bottom of the wild glen and on three sides presents a perpendicular ascent, having no communication with the neighbouring hills. The only approach is by a sort of natural drawbridge, thrown across the chasm, on its north eastern side, to gain which the visitor must ascend by a long and circuitous route. This drawbridge crossed, the remains of a splendid avenue of sycamore trees attract his attention, passing along which, and entering the antique gateway, he is ushered into a ruinous quadrangular court bearing evident marks of the ravages of Montrose's incendiary followers. Yet, in the midst of their desolation, these tottering towers and blackened battlements wear an aspect of stern sublimity which fails not to beget a subduing sense of awe in the breast of the thoughtful beholder. As the eye attentively scans in succession the various features of the ruin, imagination builds up again each shattered turret, completes the dilapidated gothic arches, and peoples the whole with its ancient inhabitants. We are carried back in thought to the stirring scenes which these old walls have witnessed-we conjure up the giant forms of warriors moving to and fro - we see the warder “timing his footsteps to the march” as he keeps guard over the grim portal - we revert to the gay assemblages of gallant knights and ladies fair, which these now bare and tenantless apartments have contained ; - and we cannot look into the dark dungeons without a feeling of commiseration for the captives who have pined and wasted there. Nor are these matters left entirely to fancy. Tradition has a wild legend for every haunted chamber; a tale of woe for every gloomy cell.

We have said that only one part of the edifice is now tolerably entire - The Donjon Tower, namely - always the strongest and most durable portion of such ancient fortresses. A narrow winding stair, in good preservation, conducts to the summit of this building,-a square plat covered with verdure, to the great delight of weary tourists. The view from this elevated spot, whether in extent or variety, or general beauty, is one of the finest in Scotland. The scenery in the immediate neighbourhood is sufficiently striking. The most perfect stillness usually prevails, not interrupted, but deepened, by the monotonous murmuring of the rivulets below. The two streams, meeting and mingling their waters immediately in front of the Castle, flow smoothly down the expanding glen till lost in the noble river that glides majestically through the valley. The vale of Devon lies before us in all its luxuriance and beauty ;- its fertile fields displayed in a state of the highest cultivation. The village of Dollar, with its elegant Academy of Grecian architecture, lies scattered along the foot of the hill, sufficiently distant to give a soft and mellow character to the scene. Farther to the south the broad waters of the Forth are seen flowing through a vast tract of country, of which the vale immediately before us seems a miniature copy.

The magnificent river is bordered in its course by numerous maritime towns, - the tall church spires of which can be distinctly discerned in a clear day, shining in the sunbeams, while on the silver-like bosom of the waters the merchant ship displays her snowy sails, or the dark smoke of a steamer, as she hurries rapidly along, leaves a transient cloud on the azure sky. Far to the east, the monuments and domes and looming castle of Edinburgh bound the sight; while to the west, and much more distinctly visible, the grey battlements of Stirling, frowning from their firm-set rock, rise conspicuously, and give bold relief to the picture.

But leaving this delightful prospect, let us descend from the tower, and advancing a few yards from its base towards the brow of the precipice, we shall find ourselves on an open grassy space, so narrowly circumscribed that a few rash steps in any direction would precipitate us into the yawning abyss that opens on every side. There is here a deep and narrow cut in the rock, called “Kemp's Score,” communicating with the bottom of the glen, said to have been used in former times for the purpose of supplying the garrison with water during a siege, and still exhibiting traces of a rude and irregular flight of steps. On the green plot we have mentioned, there is a little knoll still regarded with great veneration, as connected with a well authenticated tradition of an event of much interest, and as associated with names-especially with a name-of everlasting memory in our national history. Perhaps we cannot better conclude this sketch than by giving a brief version of the tradition to which we allude-not that it is by any means so romantic as many of the legends of love and war with which the scene abounds, but simply as an interesting and authentic fact of one of the most eventful periods in the annals of our country.

One fine evening in the summer of 1556, when the sun had just gone down and left the world in the shade and repose of a lovely twilight, two young men might have been seen wending their way up the steep path that leads from the village of Dollar to Castle-Campbell, then the seat of the Earl of Argyll. They were both tall and well made youths, and though neither gaily nor richly attired, evidently belonged to a class above the level of mere peasants. Having left the little village behind them, the lively common-place conversation in which they had been indulging was gradually allowed to drop, and a silence succeeded, apparently induced by the serenity and quiet that reigned around. At length one of them broke the silence by accosting his companion thus : -

“ Heard ye aught of the doings of Knox, or of his doctrines, when you were last in St Andrews ? “
“I can give you the surest information on that head,” replied the other, “having myself heard the good man preach, and seen with my own eyes the effect produced by his preaching. To tell the truth, Fergus, I have been much impressed with what I heard there, and, let what may betide, I have serious thoughts of abandoning what we have long been accustomed to call our 'Holy Mother Church.'”

“Ah, I feared as much,” replied Fergus, “from your conduct since these notions were mooted. You have shown a disrespect for the priests, and a disregard of the ordinances of our religion, which has led me and others of your friends to dread the issue, if you should chance to come in contact with any of these reforming preachers. Are your aware, Evan, that the Church visits with her most terrible denunciations that crime of apostacy which you contemplate ?”

“I have weighed all the consequences,” firmly rejoined Evan, “and am determined to abide them. I take the step coolly and advisedly. I see the path of duty clearly before me, and all the anathemas and persecutions, which the malice or jealousy of the priesthood can heap on my head, shall not deter me from it.”

“Have a guard on your tongue, neighbour,” interrupted Fergus, somewhat testily ; “you are premature in adopting the impious cant of your newly-chosen leader. I will not tamely submit to hear any man speak thus of the faith I profess, or of the men I venerate.”

“That as you will,” replied Evan, heated in his turn. “I too must witness for my faith.”
“Your faith !” exclaimed Fergus. “You remind me to charge you with apostacy in another respect; and it was chiefly with this view that I desired the present explanations from you. Is my sister, sir, to marry a heretic - a man excommunicated by the church? Is not your treachery to religion virtually a breach of your faith plighted to her ? She loves you as a Catholic - and even were she herself still willing to fulfil her engagement with you, I would rather see her swept over the Caldron Linn, and dashed to pieces on the rugged rocks. In abandoning your religion, you abandon her; and rest assured your perfidy shall not pass unrequited by one who has a right to demand reparation at your hands.”

“I scorn your threats ; I throw them back in your teeth,” retorted Evan, kindling still more.
“No earthly consideration shall fetter me in matters of conscience; but I would have you know, that my feelings with regard to Ellen remain entirely unaltered ; and it shall be no fault of mine if our engagement be not fulfilled. Your blinded bigotry may indeed prevent it. A man who can purchase absolution at so easy a rate as you can, may perpetrate any enormity his superstitious prejudices urge him to. This very evening you bowed your knee to a fellow-worm in confession, making shrift doubtless of some school-boy frolic, which, compared with the thousand crimes, “red as crimson,” which stain the heart of your holy confessor, is innocence itself! And you meekly listen to the good man's lecture, and cheerfully consent, of course, to pay the forfeit ! Have you not yet sinned to the amount of the live stock with which you presented his reverence at Easter, Fergus?”

Fergus could ill brook such jesting in matters he held sacred. “I'll not endure this,” he exclaimed, standing still and eyeing his companion fiercely. “The example of your firebrand leader, who mocks at, and destroys everything sacred that comes within his reach, may be followed too implicitly for your personal comfort. One word more in this strain and” -

“I dare you to the worst,” interrupted Evan, equally enraged, and rushing close up to his antagonist. Fergus instinctively raised his hand to keep him off. The young men were grappling with each other instantly each boiling with rage, and apparently lost for the moment to every better feeling. The contest, however, was only momentary.

“Shame! shame! young men,” exclaimed a voice behind them, and in a tone of decided authority. The effect was like magic. The place - in the midst of trees that cast a deep gloom around; the time-darkness fast gathering (light enough remaining to exhibit objects only in a deceptive form); the strange voice, when no third party was supposed to be near; all so wrought on the imaginations of the two combatants, neither of whom was free from the superstitions of the age, that they stood spell-struck and motionless, ashamed, confounded. At first they saw nothing, and this increased rather than dispelled their consternation; but, after a moment's suspense, the figure of a man, wrapped in a dark cloak, approached from behind. The figure was rather under than over the middle stature, though to the two astonished young men viewing it in their terror, and through the dim light which prevailed, it seemed considerably taller. A long black beard hung down to his middle, and from beneath a flat cowl or cap peered a pair of piercing eyes, that glared in the darkness.

“Young men,” he began, in a voice that thrilled their inmost souls, “I have, inadvertently, heard the conversation that has led to this unseemly conflict, which I thank my God I am here to avert; and I charge ye, in His name, that ye prosecute this quarrel no farther, either in word or deed, till to-morrow at this hour and in this place; when, if ye shall have a mind to it, I shall not interfere to prevent you. This ye swear to me, ere ye leave the spot.”

The young men, scarcely knowing what they did, pledged themselves in the terms dictated to them. The three resumed their way, and walked in company till they reached a bypath, by which Evan sought his home. The stranger then asked Fergus to walk with him to the castle gate, as in the darkness which had now set in he was afraid he should have some difficulty in finding his way. Fergus was in no condition to refuse, though he had little relish for such mysterious company; and he accordingly yielded to the request, taking care piously to cross himself, and mutter an Ave Maria - for protection. Whether the “blessed Virgin” actually was propitious to her suppliant, or whether his gloomy companion had in reality no sinister designs upon him, we shall not say, but certain it is that Fergus, after conducting the stranger to the stronghold of Argyll, reached his own home in perfect safety.

The next morning was one of unusual excitement and bustle within the walls of Castle-Campbell. Among the domestics, dissatisfaction, and an apprehension of some portending calamity, seemed painted on every countenance, and sundry mysterious whispering parties were held in many quiet corners. The banner of McCallum More waved proudly from the battlements; and many neighbouring inhabitants, at the summons of their feudal lord, were assembling within the walls of the castle. The same uneasiness seemed to pervade all. They appeared to have been gathered together for some purpose with which they were by no means satisfied ; yet fear of giving offence to their superior sealed their lips from all open complaint. We shall not attempt to describe what passed in the interior of the castle, where Argyll, along with the more influential of his guests, were assembled. After a considerable crowd had gathered on the green bank in front of the tower, which we have before described, the Chief, accompanied by the party he had received in the hall, and by the mysterious stranger who on the preceding evening had encountered our friends Fergus and Evan, issued from the castle, and took up his position among the rest. The stranger then stood up, Bible in hand, on the little knoll, which is pointed out to this day, and after offering up a fervent prayer, selected a text, and proceeded to address the congregation. The attention of all was soon riveted on the speaker. He laid down clearly the great doctrines of the Reformation, placing them in such a light as they had never before been contemplated in by many of his hearers. He then fearlessly attacked, and denounced as anti-christian, the superstitious ceremonies of the Romish Church, while he censured unsparingly the impious priesthood who dared “to teach for doctrines the commandments of men.” The stern fervour of that preacher's eloquence as he stood on the little green knoll - the grey towers of Castle-Campbell frowning at his back, and the woody heights rising on either side of the romantic glen-subdued all opposition to the truth, while it engendered a heroic determination to avow and defend it at every risk. His right hand extended clasped firmly the book ; his small sharp eyes seemed to sparkle with fire, while the expression of every feature, not less than the emphasis of every tone, indicated how intensely he felt the truth and importance of what he preached. Having finished his discourse, he announced his intention of administering the sacrament of the Supper on the spot; and there, accordingly, occurred one of the earliest celebrations of that sacred ordinance after the breaking out of the Reformation in Scotland. Most of the congregation remained, and among the communicants were both Evan and Fergus; 80 speedily was the deep-rooted bigotry of the latter eradicated, and his prejudices dispelled by the resistless appeal to which he had been constrained to listen.

That night both of the young men kept their appointment to meet at the time and place of their encounter of the previous evening ; and there, too, was their peacemaker, now known to them as John Knox, the Reformer, and regarded with an awe and respect bordering on veneration.

“Now, sirs,” said Knox, "I give you liberty to fight out your quarrel. Both were covered with shame, and insisted on apologising for their rash and unseemly conduct. In a word, the friends for they had always been friends - were completely reconciled, and the Reformer fervently bestowed upon them his fatherly benediction.

“But what of your bride, Evan ?” inquired he. “What says she now ?”

“My sister has also embraced the Reformation,” replied Fergus ; “and now that I think of it, the marriage must take place before you leave us; for if we let the opportunity slip, there is no certainty when we may have another. What say you to this, Evan ?”

“I am prepared to enter into the engagement at once, and as everything has already been arranged, I see no reason why it should not take place this very night.”

“This very night it must be, if at all,” rejoined the Reformer. “I must be on my way to another country before tomorrow's sun sets.”

And that very night it was. They proceeded to the house of Fergus's father, who was an extensive laird under Argyll, and the friends of both families having been collected, the sacred union was formed under, perhaps, as solemn circumstances as ever attended its celebration.

The estate of Harvieston, at the north-eastern extremity of which Castle-Campbell is situated, was purchased in 1859 by Sir Andrew Orr, who thus became Patron of the Church and Parish of Dollar. Sir Andrew has since improved Harvieston Castle by a new porch and tower. The tower is considerably higher than any other part of the building, and has the effect of improving the architectural appearance of this admired castellated structure. Internally a number of small and unimportant apartments have been converted into a picture gallery and billiard room. Two very fine approaches - one leading to the castle from the direction of Tillicoultry, the other from Dollar, and each having an elegant lodge, have just been completed.

THE RUMBLING BRIDGE, CALDRON LINN, AND DEVIL'S MILL,

Are described by an old Scottish historian as “very terrible to all spectators.” But the tourist who extends his journey five miles beyond Dollar, where he will find, in the midst of wild scenery, the “Devil's Mill” in operation, or hear something reminding him of a mill at work, occasioned by the waters beating or clacking on the sides of the rock,-thence a short distance lower down the Devon, and see the Rumbling Bridge, with its curious old arch, gloomy chasms, wooded cliff's, and impending precipices,-thereafter behold the clear waters of the stream, rushing and foaming from caldron to caldron, - while admitting the striking grandeur of the scene, will discover nothing pertaining to the “terrible.” The noise of the waters when approaching the Falls is remarkable, and it is at once delightful and impressive when, at the bottom of the romantic glen, reached by a finely-formed pathway, the unbroken sheet of water is seen dashing over the rock, forming one of a series of cascades all the more beautiful because surrounded by scenery so diversified and sublime.

Having viewed the Falls, the tourist, if he fails to find that he has a soul, may discover that he has a stomach, and at the Rumbling Bridge hotel, his creature comforts will receive every attention from Duncan Macara, the new lessee of the hotel and pleasure-grounds.

DEVON IRON WORKS.

Situated about three miles north from Alloa, on the banks of the river Devon, these once celebrated works have, since 1792, been in the hands of various proprietors. Pig-iron has all along been the chief article of manufacture, the furnaces producing about 10,000 tons annually. Pipe mouldings and shot and shell have also been sent in large quantities from these works. When at the full tide of prosperity, there were about sixty moulders employed, and about 160 miners. The works were originally started by Mr Roebuck, an English gentleman, in partnership with Mr Eddison of Bo'ness. After about six years, these gentlemen relinquished the works in favour of Mr Longridge, from England, whose son became manager. Mr Balfour was afterwards assumed as a partner, and on Mr Longridge subsequently retiring, Mr Balfour, along with other gentlemen belonging chiefly to Dundee, carried on the works till March 1849. Up till 1843, the company had the coal along with the works, but in that year the coal passed into the hands of the Alloa Coal Company. In March 1849, Alexander Christie became proprietor, and remained so till 1853, when he sold the concern to his brother Andrew, who conducted the works till 1857, and then disposed of them to Mr James Miller of Glasgow. In 1860, Mr Miller died, and his executors have recently sold the establishment to gentlemen connected with the Alloa and Clackmannan Coal Companies, under whose management it is to be hoped that the former fame of the Devon Iron Works may be revived.

The foundation-stone of these Works was laid on the 27th of July 1792, with masonic honours. According to the records of the Alloa St John's Lodge, the Right Worshipful master, the wardens, the other officers, and most of the brethren, numbering about fifty, dressed with white gloves and trimmed aprons, went in procession from the house of Brother Reston, through the town of Alloa, accompanied with music, the officers in their proper clothing, and the colours of the Lodge carried before them. In this order they went to the site of the 'Dovan' Company's works, and the foundation-stone was laid, by the Worshipful Master, with the usual solemnities. After drinking success to the Devon Company, the brethren returned in the same order to Brother Reston's, at the shore of Alloa, where an elegant dinner was prepared for them at the expense of the Company.

SAUCHIE TOWER.

The remains of this old castle are situated on the estate of Shawpark, near Alloa. It was for centuries the residence of the families of Shaw, the founder of which was a younger son of Duncan, Earl of Fife. His descendant Sir James Shaw, of Greenock and Sauchie, had additional grants of land, consisting of Gartenkier, in 1439. Another member of the family, Sir John Shaw, of Sauchie, was comptroller of the household to King James III. His descendant, another Sir John Shaw, served as Lieutenant-Colonel in the army of King Charles I, and for his gallant services was created a baronet. He represented the county of Clackmannan in Parliament. His grandson, Sir John Shaw, Bart., M.P., died in 1752, leaving an only child and heiress, who became the wife of Charles Lord Cathcart. Lord Cathcart's grandson, sold the Estate to the late Earl of Mansfield.

In the vicinity of Sauchie Tower, may be seen on a rising ground Sauchie Church, built in 1842 as a “Church Extension chapel,” and in this place of worship, on Sunday the 7th of May, 1843, the late venerable Dr Chalmers preached his last discourses before leaving the Establishment. To the east of this church is a park with fine old trees, planted a hundred and fifty years ago by a West India slave owner, Sir John Shaw, above referred to.

About half a mile north-east from Sauchie Tower is a mine, commonly known as the burning mine--so called from the circumstance that, about thirty-six years ago, symptoms appeared on the surface of a field of some powerful heat being generated beneath. An investigation led to the discovery of a seam of coal being on fire. This unfortunate subterranean conflagration was the occasion, in 1830, of the loss of seven lives-five men and two women. In 1851, Messrs Gurney, Mathers, & Kellie, eminent as mining engineers, endeavoured to extinguish the fire, by means of a current of steam, but the attempt was only partially successful. Smoke is still emitted at various points, showing that the fire yet slumbers in the mine, though little danger is now apprehended.

From the summit of Bencleuch, more properly Benclach, the monarch of the Ochils - 2420 feet above the smoke and stir of the haunts of men - the tourist or pedestrian can have a panoramic display of no less than thirteen counties, and the magnificent Grampians - an amphitheatre unequalled except in this land of mountain and flood. Veins of copper have been found in the Tillicoultry hills, but though a London company worked these for some years, all the ore found did not cover the expense.

KINCARDINE

A burgh of barony in the parish of Tulliallan, pleasantly situated on the north bank of the Forth, in the southern detached part of Perthshire, five miles E. from Alloa. At one time it received the name of West Pans, in consequence of its great trade in salt-making ; there being about the close of last century upwards of forty salt pans in operation within the environs of the parish. But these, as well as the name which they superinduced, have all disappeared, and the appropriate and more euphonious name “Kincardine” - the “Head of the Shore,” - has been awarded to the little seaport. The majority of the houses are roofed with red tiles, the streets are narrow and exceedingly irregular, and the side walks being only partially paved, they are in wet weather very dirty. Fifty years ago, Kincardine was famous for its shipbuilding - a department of trade at that time conducted by David Gray and Ralph Rae. It was then not uncommon to see from 12 to 15 vessels on the stocks at one time. Of late years, some fine vessels have been launched here, built by Duncan Wright & Son. A brewery was started in 1826, but the projector was unsuccessful and it changed hands. In 1818, Blackhall distillery was in the zenith of its power, but the buildings have been converted into offices and workshops for the estate.

The old Established Church situated at the head of the “Kirk Brae,” and now in ruins, was built in the year 1675; a new one, a plain edifice with turreted steeple, was opened in 1833. The United Presbyterian place of worship was erected in 1820, and, through the energy and determination of the Rev. Dr. McFarlane, the pastor of the congregation, now of Erskine church, Glasgow, was the first Dissenting church in Scotland adorned with a steeple, and enjoying the privilege of its own bell. The Free Church, a modest unassuming, one-storey structure, was opened in 1844.

The chief object of interest to a stranger is the Castle, a fine old gothic pile, a few minutes' walk west of the town. This ancient stronghold was the family residence of the Blackadders for five successive generations. In 1798, the estate of Tulliallan came into the possession of Lord Keith of Elphinstone, and the fine old castle, so long the family residence of the Earl of Kincardine, although habitable at that time, was unroofed by some modern goth, and allowed to crumble into ruins. His Lordship in 1818-20, built a very elegant modern mansion on an elevated ground overlooking the town from the north, and commanding a magnificent prospect.

EMINENT MEN.

David Allan, the historical painter, and who was called the Hogarth of Scotland, was born in the town of Alloa, on the 4th November 1748. The parents of David Allan were most respectable in their situation of life, and they gave their sons, John, James, and David, such education as was then given at the parish school. George Allan, the father, was a clerk at the Alloa Colliery, and at one time shore-master at Alloa Harbour. David was born in the seventh month, and was long a delicate child, but as he acquired strength, he began to show that there were sparks of genius within him, executing pieces of mechanism with his penknife. Having been confined from school by a burnt foot, he drew figures in chalk in simple outlines, on the kitchen floor, and as he advanced in practice, sketched his mother at her spinning wheel in the same rude outline, but surprisingly correct. These and other sketches, attracted the notice of Mr Stewart, collector of customs at the port of Alloa, who kindly recommended Allan, as a boy of genius, to the Messrs Fowlis, the celebrated painters in Glasgow, who kept an academy for painting and engraving. In consequence of this, the family of Mar, Mr Abercromby of Tullibody, and a few others, aided Allan with money to meet the necessary expenses at the academy, to which he entered in the year 1759, and continued there about seven years ; while there, he, by zealous application, gave such proofs of his progress as a painter, that his patrons resolved to send him to Rome to complete his studies. They formed a joint-stock purse, which enabled Allan to go to Rome in 1765, and enter himself a student in the college of St Luke, where he had the opportunity of studying the works of the old masters eminent in painting, with the best instructors, under whom he made considerable progress. As soon as his pencil produced paintings of acknowledged merit, the first thought of his heart was gratitude to his kind patrons by presenting them with specimens of his work. While Allan was at Rome, the subject proposed to the Academicians, who were from every part of Europe, was the “Origin of Painting.” The competition was for the annual gold medal. Allan's production was judged to be the best, and he of course obtained the gold medal, which is now an heir-loom with his descendants. This painting has been highly commended by all who are competent judges of its merits. Allan's idea of the “Origin of Painting” was that of a female, the Corinthian Maid, tracing the profile of her lover from its shadow on the wall.

Of this painting, a first-rate engraving was made from it at Rome. Allan having completed his studies at Rome, he returned home in 1777, and remained in London about two years, supporting himself by copying paintings of the old masters, and painting portraits - he then returned to Edinburgh, and resided there, where he met with much patronage. After some years' residence in the city, he was appointed Master of the Edinburgh Academy of Arts, upon the death of Runciman, on the 4th June 1786. Allan, having a lively imagination and poetic fancy, blended with sterling humour and wit, which never gave offence, he caught the manners of Scotland “living as they rose,” depicted in the many productions of his pencil, such as the “Highland Wedding,” where the celebrated Neilson inspires the dancers; the “Cottar's Saturday Night,” “Dunfermline Kirk,” “Procession of the Lord High Commissioners in the High Street of Edinburgh,” and many other scenes in Scotland too numerous to mention. Allan as a painter, and as a man of no common genius, has been generally acknowledged, as well as his sterling worth in all the relative duties of life. His gratitude was most sincere and unchanging. To the strictest honour and integrity he united the most gentle and unsophisticated manners, was warm and unchanging in his friendship, and when relaxing from his professional labours, he delighted his friends, with many anecdotes. He died in Edinburgh, on the 6th of August 1796, at the early age of 48 years, - leaving behind him a widow, a son, and a daughter.

LORD BROUGHAM has a pretty close though indirect connection with Alloa. In the Session records of births and baptisms, the following entry occurs :- “The Rev. James Syme, minister of the gospel in Alloa, and Mary Robertson, had a lawful daughter baptized before the congregation and named Eleanora, 18th December, 1751,” which Eleanora was the mother of Lord Brougham.

SIR JAMES WYLIE, who died at St Petersburgh in 1854, leaving a large fortune, and who was for many years physician to the Emperor Nicholas, was born at Gartary, in the vicinity of Clackmannan. The “heir-at-law” of Sir James, is his sole surviving brother, Walter Wylie, shipowner, Kincardine. It was at the special request of the Emperor, that his medical attendant was created a baronet.

DR JAMES FORDYCE - author of “Sermons to Young Women,” and “Addresses to Young Men,” was minister at Alloa from 1753 till 1760, when he removed to London.

Dr JAMES BEATTIE, professor of moral philosophy in the University of Aberdeen, and author of “The Minstrel,” kept a school at one time in Broad Street of Alloa.

Dr ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL Tait, now Bishop of London, is son of the late Crawfurd Tait, Esq. of Harviestoun, and Susan Campbell, daughter of Sir Islay Campbell, of Succoth, Bart., Lord President of the Court of Session. He was born at 2, Park Place, Edinburgh, on 22d of December, 1811,- the family residing there during winter, the summer and autumn being spent at Harviestoun. He was the youngest of a large family, - his surviving brothers being John Tait, Esq., Sheriff of Clackmannan and Kinross-shires, and James Campbell Tait, Esq., Writer to the Signet. Dr Tait received his education at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Oxford, and greatly distinguished himself. His portrait has recently been placed in the hall of the Edinburgh Academy. He married, in 1843, Catherine, youngest daughter of the venerable Archdeacon Spooner. He has three surviving children, having lost five daughters by scarlet fever in the spring of 1856. In 1842, on the death of Dr Arnold, Dr Tait was elected head-master of Rugby. In 1849, he was appointed by Lord John Russell to the Deanery of Carlisle. In 1850, he was appointed one of Her Majesty's Commissioners to inquire into the state of the University of Oxford. He published two or three volumes of sermons, besides various smaller publications. The acknowledged talents displayed by Dr Tait in the important offices which he held, and his learning, his piety, and zeal as a clergyman, pointed him out as specially qualified for the highest offices in the Church; and accordingly, when the metropolitan see of London became vacant in 1856, her Majesty was pleased to nominate him to that Bishopric, the highest ecclesiastical dignity in England after the two Archbishops.

BISHOP ALEXANDER, for thirty-three years Bishop of Dunkeld, was incumbent of the Episcopal Church, Alloa, till his death in 1776, in the 82d year of his age. He was interred in Alloa, but the tablet commemorating his virtues and indicating his grave was for some reason removed, and is now within St John's Episcopal Chapel.

JAMES ERSKINE, one of the Senators of the College of Justice, under the title of Lord Grange, was the brother of John, the eleventh Earl of Mar. He was raised to the Bench in 1707, and held the office of Lord Justice-Clerk during the last three years of Queen Anne's reign; he sat on the Bench for 27 years, and resigned in 1734, that he might get into Parliament. He was chosen M.P. for the Stirling District of Burghs in 1734, and became a distinguished member of the party opposed to Sir Robert Walpole's Government. Lord Grange returned to the Scottish bar, nearly twenty years after he had resigned office, as one of the Judges of the Court of Session. He died in London in 1754, in the 75th year of his age. Lord Grange bought his brother's forfeited estate at Alloa, and bestowed it upon his nephew in 1730, and the present Mar family are direct lineal descendants of Lord Grange.

ALEXANDER ABERCROMBY, a Scottish lawyer and judge of the last century, was born in 1745, and died in 1795. He was brother to Sir Ralph Abercromby, and is now chiefly remembered as being a contributor to the Mirror and Lounger, periodicals published at Edinburgh.

ROBERT BALD, Mining Engineer, Alloa, now in the 87th year of his age, has rendered important services not to his country only, or specially to this his native county, but throughout Europe, as a mining engineer. Within the last forty years, all the coals in this district were brought from the wall face, or foreheads of the mines, by women called “bearers,” married and unmarried, old and young, and Mr Bald, along with Lord Ashley (now the Earl of Shaftesbury), did much to put a stop to this, and generally to meliorate the condition of the mining population. Fully a quarter of a century ago, many opportunities were afforded to Mr Bald, in Sweden, for carrying out important projects connected with his profession as mining engineer, and amongst other marks of the King of Sweden's appreciation of Mr Bald's services, was the gift of a snuffbox of flattened gold, the initials of the King being set in brilliants, with an imperial crown.

ANDREW MEIKLE, who, along with his son George, long resided in this county, was the inventor of the first effective thrashing-machine ever erected in Scotland. This machine was first put up at Kilbagie in the year 1787, and 80 correct and complete were the principles on which it had been calculated, that little alteration was made on it for many years. About fifty years ago the agriculturists of the country raised a large sum by way of compensation to Andrew Meikle for his gift of the thrashing-machine.

MICHAEL BRUCE, the well known poet, intending to commence teaching in Alloa, applied for admission, in 1764, to the moral philosophy class of the divinity hall of the anti-Burgher Synod then held in Alloa, but was refused, because neither a member of the body nor a regular hearer of it. Disappointed, he retired to Forestmill, where he opened a school. There, he wrote his poem “Lochleven.” He died of consumption in 1767. His Bible, under his pillow, was found marked down at these words in Jeremiah - “Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him.”

LOCAL ANTIQUITIES.

Crosses in the market-places of towns were very common at one period, and from these royal and civic proclamations, and notices of judicial sales, were made, and other public acts took place. These market Crosses differed in form according to taste, and their size was regulated by the importance of the town.

The ancient Cross of Alloa, now a broken and disfigured column, has lain for the past twelve month within the “flesh-market” in Bank Street. The spot where it formerly stood in the market-place of the old town may be easily seen, but it is now approaching half a century since it was taken down and thrown into the Earl of Mar's policy, near to the Tower. There, till lately, broken and buried, the Cross lay undisturbed and unremembered. Casually, it was one day brought to light, and somewhat stealthily transferred from its bed amid botanical curiosities to its present quarters in the “flesh-market,” where it is exposed to rough usage, and the risk of further damage. Exclusive of the square pedestal, the freestone column, which is octagonal in shape, and about 50 inches in circumference, is 9 feet 6 inches in length, while the sculptured capital is 2 feet 9 inches in height. The pillar is broken in two, and the sculpture work is damaged. Nevertheless, the Cross might, without much difficulty or expense, be repaired, and the effecting of the restoration of so interesting a memorial of the past would be creditable to the community, and ornamental to the town. Probably a more suitable spot for the erection of the Cross than the head of the Walk could not be suggested.

The following extract is taken from the Archaeology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland, by Daniel Wilson, Hon. Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland :-

ANCIENT SANDSTONE CIST NEAR ALLOA.

“The progress of our inquiry into the peculiar characteristics of Scottish archaeology brings under consideration one of the most interesting, yet most puzzling classes of monuments of early native art. While England has her Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical remains, exhibiting more or less distinct traces of the transition by which the debased Roman passed into the pure Romanesque or Norman style, Scotland, along with Ireland, possesses examples of an early native style of ecclesiastical architecture, and of Christian monuments, belonging to the same undefined period prior to the Norman invasion of England.

“Of the sculptured stones of Scotland, including these primitive Christian monuments, a few of the best known examples have been repeatedly engraved, but generally on 80 small a scale, and with so little attention to accuracy of detail, that they bare failed to secure that interest among British archaeologists which the great number and the very beautiful and singular character of these sculptures merit.

"Several curious examples have already been noted of stone cists otherwise entirely unhewn, the covers of which have been rudely ornamented with incised patterns similar to those which are seen on the gigantic chambered cairn of New Grange, near Drogheda. But greater interest perhaps attaches to another though more simply decorated Scottish cist pertaining apparently to a much later period than the cairn of New Grange, or the incised cists which have been classed with that remarkable primitive sepulchre. On a rising ground about half a mile to the east of the town of Alloa, called Hawkhill, is a large upright block of sandstone, sculptured with a cross. It measures ten and a quarter feet in height, though little more than seven feet are now visible above ground. A similar cross is cut on both sides, as is not uncommon with such simple memorials. During the progress of agricultural operations in the immediate vicinity of the ancient cross, in the spring of 1829, Mr. Robert Bald, C.E., an intelligent Scottish antiquary, obtained permission from the Earl of Mar to make some excavations around it, when at about nine feet north from the monumental stone a rude cist was found, constructed of unhewn sandstone, measuring only three feet in length, and at each end of the cover, on the under side, a simple cross was cut. The lines which formed the crosses were not rudely executed, but straight and uniform, and evidently finished with care, though the slab itself was unusually rude and amorphous. The cist lay east and west, and contained nothing but human bones greatly decayed. Drawings of the cross and cist, and a plan of the ground, executed by Mr Bald, are in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries. Here we possess a singularly interesting example of the union of Christian and Pagan sepulchral rites : the cist laid east and west according to the early Christian custom, yet constructed of the old circumscribed dimensions, and of the rude but durable materials in use for ages before the new faith had superseded the aboriginal Pagan creeds.”

In 1851, Mr Wilson delivered in Alloa a course of lecture on British Archaeology, and during his brief sojourn here, a Roman urn was discovered under the footpath at Marshill.

In the year 1828, an ancient Roman burying-ground was discovered, when the old road between the minister's glebe and Mar's hill was repairing. There were then found above twenty sepulchral vases or urns of coarse pottery, very rudely ornamented. They contained burnt human bones, and were placed in an inverted position, with the mouth resting upon a piece of flag-stone. There were also found two stone-coffins, each of about three feet in length. They were composed of flag sandstones. It appears that, in that remote age, those bodies which were not burnt were doubled and put into the stone coffins. In this instance, the bodies appear to have been those of men of distinction, as a pair of pure gold bracelets or bangles was found in each of the coffins. They were highly polished, but devoid of all ornament. The workmen who found them supposed them to be coffin handles of brass, and paid little regard to them; but, at the very instant, a pedlar, a stranger in the district, having joined the workmen, took advantage of their ignorance, and bought the one pair they had then got for a few pounds. The Antiquarian Society of Scotland, upon learning the circumstance, put advertisements in all the newspapers, offering the pedlar a reward if he would return them ; but the bracelets never appeared. The other pair, exactly similar, was found in the custody of one of the workmen, from whom they were purchased by the late Mr D. Hay, Secretary to the Antiquarian Society, for twenty guineas; and they are now lodged in the Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh.

The cemetery on Mar's hill is the third tumulus that has been discovered, within these forty years, in the immediate vicinity of Alloa. It is, therefore, not impossible that Alloa is the Alauna of the ancients, although there is little positive evidence concerning the true site of it; and that this cemetery, which rises on a gentle acclivity from the banks of the Forth, was the burial-place of the Roman garrison.

Many years ago, there was dug up in the floor of an old house in the village of Cambus, a large jar full of silver coins of Scotland, England, and other countries. Some of the coins of Germany were about the size of a dollar. The greater part of these coins were sold by the workmen. About sixty of them were recovered by the Sheriff of the county, and deposited in the Sheriff-clerk's office, from which place they afterwards by some process disappeared.

In May, 1846, while a number of workmen were engaged in opening a quarry at the King's-Well Park, they came upon the trunk of a fossil tree, lying embedded in the rock, and completely converted into sandstone. The part of the tree found was about twelve feet long.

Old Roman coins have occasionally been found in this parish, and it is particularly to be noticed, that some years ago, a brass coin was dug up with the letters S. C. upon the one side, and on the other the words Augustus Tribunus.

Katie Glen's Tree - which stood on the Arns-Brae to the west of Alloa - was cut down some years ago to the regret of a considerable number of the town's people. In the Alloa Advertiser, of September, 1845, appeared a poem, in which is fully described

“The waefu' tale o' lemanry O' bonnie Katie Glen.”

In the grounds of Harvieston several curious reliques have from time to time been dug up; the most interesting of these being a very ancient sword and urn, which at present are in the possession of Mr Sheriff Tait.

A number of Roman urns of various sizes, built around with stone, were found many years ago, in a park called Dyke-Downie, near Alva, containing ashes and traces of bone. They were again religiously committed to earth, “dust to dust,” by the proprietor of the estate, and when afterwards sought for could not be found.

On an old barn at Harshaw Mill is a curious carved stone on which is represented a Highland brooch, with the letters R.S., and date 1574. At Brucefield Mains there is a fine carving of the arms and supporters of the Stewarts of Rosyth and Shanbody with the letters R.S.

In March, 1856, as a number of men were digging in a sandy knoll on the estate of Tulliallan, about a mile east from Kincardine, and directly opposite to Lady Keith's porter lodge, they came in contact with a stone sepulchre, 3 feet 7 inches long, 2 feet broad, 2 feet deep, and which contained the bones of a human body, some of which were very little decayed ; the skull, although quite entire when first seen, mouldered down after being exposed to the air for some time. By desire of Mr Menzies, the ashes of the dead were allowed to remain undisturbed. A further search led to the discovery of several urns, and two or three implements of war.

The demolition of an old house in Kirkgate, Alloa, in order to afford space for an approach to the new cemetery, brought to light two gate-pillars, which, in the beginning of the seventeenth century, appear to have formed the only public entrance to Alloa Church-yard. On one of these unique structures, and underneath a death's head and cross-bones, is inscribed - “Memento mori : This gate is built at the expense of ;” and on the other, below a corresponding device, the legend is completed and runs thus - “John Keinie, of Gogar, anno 1616.”

Scenes around Alloa.

WRITTEN AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, BY JAMES GALE, ALLOA.

On far South Afric's sunny strand
I'll strike the harp of fatherland,
And wake the Caledonian lay
On the wild shores of Table Bay.
Though mighty waters intervene,
Though stormy tempests rave between,
I'll throw my fancy o'er the sea
Proud Caledonia unto thee
And sing of mountain, crag, and dell,
Fair valley, mead, and verdant swell,
Where flows the Forth's romantic tide,
Where Devon's crystal waters glide,
And soaring proudly to the skies,
The lovely Ochil mountains rise-
There for a while my muse shall stray,
fame And tune the lyre to native lay.

0, beauteous region ! all around
What scenes of loveliness abound -
Scenes to the child of nature dear,
Which Scotia's patriot hearts revere.
If to the west you turn your eyes,
Majestic mountains kiss the skies,
Where in the feudal days of old
Dwelt haughty chief and clansmen bold.
Beyond old strilia's lofty towers,
Benlomond's giant mountain lowers-
There soars the hill of Benvenue,
And proud Benledi's mountain blue-
And there Demyat's lordly form
Rears his twin summit to the storm.
High on the north the Ochils green
With Alpine beauties clothe the scene
And shelter from the boisterous gale
Romantic Devon's lovely vale, [smiles,
Whose stream in peaceful beauty (a)
While east and south rich scenes display
Of meadow, woodland, hill, and brae.

To Caledonian patriot true
What scenes of interest meet the view!
From yon bold crag (b) which soars on high,
And frowns upon the passer-by,
Wallace, of perishless renown,
On England's fearless host look'd down,
Then quickly to his country's aid
Called forth each patriot's glittering blade
The sword of Scotland's freedom drew,
Around him ranged his warriors true,
And, rushing to the vale below,
Dealt havoc 'mid the astonished foe,
Till winding Forth's romantic shore
With brave men's blood was crimson'd o'er.

And yon is Falkirk's fatal field,
Where Scotia's sons were forc'd to yield;
Where many a patriot bosom bled-
Where dauntless Graeme and Stuart died-
And many a nameless hero fell,
Whose daring deeds no song shall tell.
There Stirling's turrets meet the view,
Where oft proud Scotia's standard flew;
And Cambuskenneth's ancient tower,
A monument of Romish pow'r, [given
Where many a maiden's vows were
To be the stainless “bride of heaven.”

There Tullibody claims a name (e)
High on the list of Scottish fame,
Who led the dauntless British band,
And fell on Egypt's sultry sand !
Clackmannan's old and ruin'd walls
Once held the patriot Bruce's halls -
And the lone pile of Alloa
Was oft the scene of festal gay-
When Mar's bold chiefs o'er Scotia's land
In peace and war held high command.

Now turn you to the east away,
Behold Dunfermline's “Abbey grey,”
Where sleeps the dust of those whose fame [name-
Shall live while lasts the Scottish
Of him, the bravest of the brave, (d)
Who freedom to his country gave;
And her (e) who to her fathers bore
The peerless gem of Saxon lore.
When from the Norman's ire she fled,
And with the virtuous Malcolm wed -
And, with a guardian angel's hand,
Spread heavenly blessings o'er the land;
Proving, with stainless purity,
What mother, wife, or Queen should be !

In classic Dollar's lovely dell,
Where sage instruction loves to dwell-
That bold unbending man of God, (f)
Who in stern duty's pathway trod,
Nor ever shunn'd the glorious strite,
Once broke and bless'd the bread of life!
Yon wild romantic mountain keep, (g)
Perch'd on the dizzy Alpine steep,
Tradition says was long the hold
Of daring Kemp, the bandit bold;
And there in feudal days did shine,
The patriot chiefs of Dermid's line, (h)
Till Mull's wild island warriors came (i)
And round it rais'd the fiery flame.

Fair region !--peace and plenty still, O
With happiness thy children fill -
Still may they glow with gratitude,
To God, “the Giver of all good.”
And when with joy they look around
On Caledonia's “hallow'd ground,”
Where patriots flourished, fought and fell.
May generous pride their bosoms swell,
And may their actions never shame,
The glory of their country's fame!

Then to yon southern uplands turn,
Behold the field of Bannockburn
Where in the summer's breeze did wave
The battle-flag of Bruce the brave -
When Caledonia's patriots true
Proud Albion's legions overthrew -
Whose gallant warriors, struck with fear,
Fled fast before the avenger's spear.
O, may thy brave sons ever be
The sons of Christian liberty!
Meek followers of their Saviour's laws
Bold patriots in their country's cause;
And eager that the light divine
On every darken'd land should shine.

Love's heavenly passion to inspire,
And nourish virtue's sacred fire,
To pour the balm of household bliss-
(That heaven of earthly happiness)
And make thy homes with gladness shine -
Be, beauteous daughters, ever thine!
Whom truth and holiness adorn-
Bright be they as the beam of morn,
Meek as the lovely heather bell,
That blooms in lonely mountain dell -
And purer than the winter snow,
That crowns Bencleuch's majestic brow -
Or glitters in the western sky
On yonder Alpine summits high !
Adieu, fair region! cease my lay!-

Hark! Cape Town Castle greets the day -
The sun behind yon mountains high
Is kindling up the Eastern sky.
My fancy o'er the glancing main
Return to Afric's strand again,
For soon, upon the Indian seas,
Our barque shall seek the favouring breeze -
When on the shores of fair Ceylon
The fragrant isle of cinnamon-
The lovely “ Eden of the sea,”
Where waves the stately cocoa tree
A gain beneath some verdant shade,
I'll woo the Muse, angelic maid,
Again I'll take my harp in hand,
And wake a lay of Scotia's land!

NOTES.-(a) The Caldron Linn. (b) The Abbey Craig. (c) Sir Ralph Abercromby.(d) King Robert Bruce. (e) St Margaret, Queen of Malcolm Canmore. (f) John Knox (g) Castle Campbell. (h) The family of Argyle. (i) The Clan Maclean.

There is some reason to fear that the talented author of these graphically descriptive lines may never again take “harp in hand." As one of the crew of an American vessel, the “Yeamesea,” he sailed from Liverpool in 1858, and the vessel was lost in February 1859. The crew were reported “saved,” but here all information ceases, and the relatives of Mr Gale begin to dread the worst. He was of a diffident disposition, but yet an eminently gifted son of song, and the numerous productions of his pen are characterised by fine imagination, generous feeling, and patriotic sentiment. In closing these pages a stanza or two from one of Mr Gale's songs may be appropriately given. They suit the times :

WHEN SHALL THE VOICE OF BATTLE CEASE ?

When shall the voice of Battles cease ?
When shall his flag be furled ?
And freedom, happiness and peace,
In triumph rule the world?

And Pity eye with ecstasy
The bless'd and lovely scene?
Nor wake again her mournful strain
“Enough of blood has been !”

Sweet Pity hath a tear to shed
O'er every human woe;
But when in battle foemen meet,
Her tears in torrents flow !

When hand to hand with glittering brand
The hostile ranks are seen
Then loud and high is heard her cry
“Enough of blood has been !”

Her wailings have of late been heard
Upon the Eastern breeze,
Where Scinde pours her majestic flood
Down to the Indian seas!

There, weeping o'er the field of gore,
Hath her fair form been seen,
And loud & high hath rose her cry,
“Enough of blood has been !”

Even when insulted freedom leads
Her children to the fray,
And the crest-fallen tyrant bleeds,
And turns his host away :

Then loud and high is heard the cry
The hostile ranks between
“Wipe the red hand and sheathe the brand,
Enough of blood has been !”

ALLOA:

PRINTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE 'ALLOA ADVERTISER,'
BY J. LOTHIAN. 1861