LOCH DOON AND DALMELLINGTON.

Passing over to the Cumnock turnpike, to the left of the viaduct, another bridge, spanning the Ayr at one of her most romantic windings, meets the view. This is Howford Bridge. To its left a huge rock leans forward over a dark deep pool of water, in whose bosom is dimly reflected those noble trees overhanging the precipice which fringes the classic woods environing the mansion-house of Ballochmyle,-the seat of Mr. W. M. Alexander. (Cut, No. 6.)

The identical crag is here pointed out, on which Burns is said to have stood while he composed that sublime dirge, 'Man was made to Mourn;' and the spot where he beheld the 'Lass o' Ballochmyle' is well known. The lady in question was Miss Wilhelmina Alexander, sister of the present proprietor of Ballochmyle; of whom it has been said, with more truth than originality, that "the charms of her person corresponded with the character of her mind." Burns enclosed the poem with an appropriate letter to this lady; but the customs of society did not permit her to take any notice of the communication. The occasion which gave rise to the poem is commemorated by an ornamental moss-house, the ingenious twig-work of which is adorned by suitable devices; and on a tablet on the back is inscribed a facsimile of two of the verses of the poem, as they appear in the holograph of the author.

CATRINE-ITS VALLEY AND VILLAGE.

Southward of Howford Bridge, a road skirting the woodlands of Ballochmyle diverges to the left. Pursuing the course of this road we arrive in Catrine Valley, through which the Ayr meanders pleasantly, The village of Catrine is one of the most flourishing villages in the county; its population is supported almost entirely by the large cotton-manufactory established in 1787. Catrine House, within a short distance of the village, was once the residence of Dugald Stuart; and it was here that Burns, as he tells us, first "dinner'd wi' a lord"-on an occasion when the youthful Lord Daer was the philosopher's guest. The bard has recorded this important event in some characteristic verses.

Leaving that interesting portion of Ayrshire, known as the Land of Burns,' we will pursue a new west

Situated on the confines of the shire, the large sheet of water known as Loch Doon is the first object to arrest the attention. It derives it waters from the neighbouring hills in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright; subsequently transmitting them to form that classic stream on whose "banks and braes" we have so lately rambled. Upwards of six miles in length, and little more than half a mile broad, the loch is enclosed by considerable and even lofty hills; totally destitute of trees, and affording pasturage only to sheep. On a small island near its head stands an old time-worn castle, regarding which little is known for certain; but it is said to have been a residence of Edward, brother of Robert Bruce. The loch is popular with anglers, on account of its abundant supply of trout. The discharge of the water from the loch is regulated by sluices. For upwards of a mile, after leaving the loch, the river Doon pursues it way through a huge gully or ravine in the rocks, which have, it would almost appear, split asunder in order to make way for it. The sides of the steep and rugged precipices are clothed with trees; and by a narrow footpath along its course the visitor may witness the many fantastic windings of the river.

In a snug corner, on the highway leading to Dumfries, and at but a short distance north of Loch Doon, is situated the thriving village of Dalmellington, near which the river Doon changes its aspect, presenting along its banks for many miles a fine succession of verdant meadow lands. In the neighbouring hills, mineralsprincipally coal-abound to a great extent; and through the activity of some English Companies they are be coming more extensively worked than formerly.

CUMNOCK AND THE COVENANTERS.

Pursuing our route, inclining rather to the eastward, we shortly arrive at the village of New Cumnock. Situated in the midst of a rich mineral district, it contains nothing in itself to attract the attention of the visitor. Among the hills-for which the neighbourhood is remarkable-the Nith takes its rise; and, shallow and sluggish, winds its melancholy course through bleak moorlands for many miles; when, entering the county of Dumfries, it there forms the delightful Nith, on whose winding banks, during a few of the later years of his life, dwelt the bard of Coila, who, in some of his most fanciful compositions, has immortalized the scenes. The Afton,-which has its origin also at New Cumnock, and joins the Nith a little more northward-has also formed a subject for Burns, in the song commencing

"Flow gently, sweet Afton! among thy green braes." The little town of Cumnock is situated at the bottom

of a small and fertile valley, at the confluence of the
Lugar and the Glasnock streams. Its appearance is
picturesque. It formerly enjoyed great celebrity for the
manufacture of snuff-boxes; its staple manufacture at
present, consists of light weaving. The burial-place,
on the summit of a precipitous eminence to the north
of the town, contains some objects worthy of note.
At its southern angle lie, side by side, the bodies of
Thomas Richard and Alexander Peden ·
the one a
martyr and the other a sufferer in the cause of the
covenant. Over their remains two plain stones are
erected, shaded by two large thorns. The epitaph over
Richard, is worthy of the poet of Moses-we mean of
course the modern Moses, of Sartorial celebrity:
"Here lies the corpse of THOMAS RICHARD, who was shot
by Colonel James Douglas, for his adherence to the
covenanted work of Reformation, on the
5th day of April, anno 1685.

"Halt passenger! this stone doth show to thee
For what, by whom, and how, I here did die,
Because I always, in my station,
Adhered to Scotland's Reformation,
And to one sacred covenant and laws;
Establishing the same, which was the cause
In time of prayer, I was by Douglas shot,—
Ah! cruelty never to be forgot!"

Alexander Peden is supposed to have been born at the farm of Auchencloigh, or else in a small cottage not far from Sorn Castle. Having received a suitable education at the university, he was for some time parish-schoolmaster, precentor, and session-clerk at Tarbolton, and, according to Wodrow, precentor also at Fenwick. In 1663 he was settled minister of New Luce, in Galloway; but three years afterwards was forced to abandon a flock most ardently and devotedly attached to him. From that time he wandered from place to place, sometimes in Scotland, and sometimes in Ireland, till June, 1673, when he was seized in Carrick and conveyed to Edinburgh. After enduring hardships and cruelty of various kinds, he returned to Scotland in 1685, the year when the persecution raged the hottest in this and other districts of the country. At the imminent risk of his life he visited various districts in Ayrshire and Galloway, preaching and warning the inhabitants of the judgment which awaited upon their impenitence and apostasy. At length, worn out and exhausted, and apprehensive that his end was drawing near, he returned to his brother's house, in the immediate neighbourhood of Sorn Castle, where a garrison of soldiers was quartered, for the purpose of overawing the people. This rendered it necessary that he should conceal himself, which he did by means of a cave which he caused to be dug. After having very narrowly escaped detection from his persecutors, who had searched every part of the premises for him, he died there in 1686, in the sixtieth year of his age. *

Among the mansions in the neighbourhood we may mention Dumfries House, the seat of the late Marquis of Bute, as a rich specimen of modern magnificence; *Statistical Account of Scotland.'

and Logan House, the residence of the Logan family,one of whom, the redoubtable humorist Hugh Logan, has the honour of supplying Scotland with her 'Joe Miller,' under the title of 'The Laird of Logan, or the Wit of the West.'

AUCHINLECK-JOHNSON AND BOSWELL.

A little more than a mile to the north of Cumnock we come upon a dreary street by the road side, composing the village of Auchinleck. It is a weaving village, containing no object of interest or ornament except a church of considerable elegance. The principal proprietor in this district is Sir James Boswell, Bart., to whose family the biographer of Johnson belonged. While in Scotland " rough old Samuel— the last of all the Romans"-(as Carlyle calls him) was introduced by Boswell to his father, Lord Auchinleck, at the family mansion. But although gratified with his reception, and with his lordship, we do not find that Johnson was induced to compromise to any extent his sturdy dislike of the nation.

AIRD'S MOSS THE CAMERONS.

Extending for several miles between Cumnock, Catrine, and Muirkirk, is a large tract of barren land, known as Aird's Moss, and celebrated as having been the scene of a sanguinary skirmish between a small party of Covenanters and a vastly superior force of the king's troops. No miracle having been brought into the field, the Covenanters, as may be supposed, were driven out of it-except, of course, the killed. Among this number was Richard Cameron, whose head and hands were severed from his body and attached to long poles. In this manner they were taken to Edinburgh, and paraded through the streets of the town-the soldier who bore the hands diverting himself by making them clap together as if in the attitude of prayer.

The large flat monument, erected fifty years afterwards to the memory of Cameron and his companions who perished with him, has been superseded by a more tasteful erection, situated near the western extremity of the morass.

MUIRKIRK AND LOUDOUN HILL.

Interesting from its very bleakness and barrenness, the country round the village of Muirkirk has its utilities. The neighbourhood is rich in mines and ironworks, in which the bulk of the population are employed. The farmhouse of Priesthill, once the residence of John Brown, the Christian Courier,' is in the village. An inscription on his grave-stone, which is erected on the spot, states that he was shot by a party commanded by Grahame of Claverhouse, while on his knees in the act of prayer. It is said that Claverhouse, or one of his party, lifted up his dead body, and carried it to his wife, asking her "What she

thought of her husband ?"-"Mair," said she, "than ever I did; but the Lord will avenge this another day." A new monument has been erected in place of the old one. A visit to it, we are told, is considered a sort of pilgrimage by the pious of all persuasions.

This district, formerly almost impenetrable by the tourist, has been opened by the establishment of a branch line of the Ayrshire Railway Company's Cumnock Extension. The ready communication now existing with the town of Kilmarnock, has also advanced the interests of the place-which is continually increasing in population and importance. The river Ayr here takes its rise at Glenbuck, the site of extensive iron-works.

taking to a by-road, nearly opposite the homely hostelry which forms the only accommodation for the stranger, we speedily arrive at the foot of the hill; thence by a pathway, among a thick forest of trees, we attain its summit, and the view of a magnificent prospect. The day is clear and brilliant-one of the fairest in May, the fairest month. To the westward, the eye traverses the fertile valley of the Irvine-a vista little short of twenty miles in length-with its numerous towns and villages; its dense woodlands, towering above which may be perceived the stern battlements of some baronial tower; its fertile fields, and luxuriant holms; and the happy-looking domiciles of a contented peasantry: the view is continued by the

"Where Loudoun Hill rears high its conic form,
And bares its rocky bosom to the storm;"

-a spot interesting historically as well as in itself. Here the Romans had an encampment; here Wallace defeated the English; here Robert Bruce also defeated a force vastly superior to his own; here in later times the supporters of the Covenanters defeated Claverhouse on the field of Drumclog. (Cut, No. 8.)

The road leading from Kilmarnock to Edinburgh pursues its course at the base of Loudoun Hill. By

distant yet distinct peak of that gem set in the Clyde waters-the Isle of Arran. In all other directions the eye rests on a widely different country,-on one vast expanse of "dreary, dreary moorland," presenting to the southward several high hills, behind which are the murky atmosphere and murkier eminences of Muirkirk. To the eastward, we survey an extensive level plain; on which, at the distance of about two miles, stands a monument, commemorative of the battle of Drumclog. But a stone on the turnpike, which intervenes, and which has engraved (though from this distance we cannot see the inscription) on the eastern side, the

THE VALE OF THE IRVINE-DARVEL.

In the vale of the Irvine the ground on both sides rises in a graceful manner; to the southward it attains a considerable height, extending for several miles in this direction over Galston moors, which now present a very different aspect to that of forty years ago. Indeed the whole county has, since the Union, made a very rapid advance in agriculture; and, from being in the lowest depths of ignorance and misery, the inhabitants have become prosperous and contented.

Walking westward, on the road to Kilmarnock, we shortly enter the village of Darvel, consisting of one street, about a mile long; and about two miles onward, we gain the little town of Newmilns. Westward of this town or village stands 'Patie's Mill,' the scene of one of Allan Ramsay's songs.

LOUDOUN CASTLE-GALSTON.

Descending the valley of the Irvine, from the source of that river near Loudoun Hill, we perceive a gradual change taking place in the face of the country: at first, displaying all the bleakness of a morass, it passes into the newly-enclosed, and as yet not over-productive moorland; finally changing into a highly-cultivated, rich, and pre-eminently beautiful district. The last change takes place as we approach Newmilns,-the road between which and Galston, distant about two miles, affords a most pleasant walk. From this road we obtain a fine view of the princely mansion of the Hastings' family, Loudoun Castle. Standing prominently forward on the summit of a slight rising ground the beautiful proportions of its massive castellated towers surrounded by noble trees, have a most impressive effect. There is a tradition, that under the shading boughs of a tree in the vicinity of this castle, the articles of the Union between England and Scotland were signed.

Situated on the south bank of the Irvine, in a hollow finely sheltered by woodlands, the little town of Galston has a pleasant appearance. At an adjacent spot, called Beg, a sanguinary conflict took place between Sir William Wallace and a vastly superior force of English, under Fenwick; which proved favourable to the former. In the town itself is the ancient Castle of Bar, from which John Knox on one occasion preached to the people of Kyle; and near to this castle, on the banks of a little stream called the Burnawn, is a large and ancient elm-tree-the largest, it is said, in the county-among whose branches Wallace occasionally found "how hard it was to climb," when his enemies were at hand.

A branch of the Cumnock Extension of the Ayrshire Railway has recently been established to Galston; and it is to be further extended to Newmilns. This cannot

The houses constituting the 'Colliers' Raws,' as the little communities of miners are technically rather than elegantly termed, were, up to a very recent period, of a very unfavourable character; but desire, happily increasing among masters, for the comfort and welfare of the employed, has been productive of considerable change in this respect; and both in the mental, as well as the physical condition of the miners, a rapid reformation is being effected.

First, with regard to its name: it is supposed, on veritable authority, to signify the Kil, or Cell, of Marnock-the name of a saint who lived at the beginning of the fourth century, and who founded a church at this place. At the beginning of the sixteenth century Kilmarnock was a mere hamlet; but, mainly from its agricultural and mineral wealth, it grew in prosperity and importance; and in 1591, was constituted a burgh of barony by James VI. From time immemorial the inhabitants were engaged in the manufacture of the peculiar 'braid-bonnets,' generally worn by the Lowlanders, until the introduction of the present hat.

Formerly the most irregularly-constructed town in the west of Scotland, Kilmarnock, towards the commencement of the present century, underwent a considerable change. Its streets were lengthened, and improved in various respects; and in the present day the majority of them are wide, airy, and creditable in appearance; although Kilmarnock, like most large towns, has its neighbourhoods cf misery and destitution.

The stranger who wishes to see everything worth seeing in the shortest space of time, would do well to commence his ramble at the Cross,-situated in the centre of the town, and forming a point into which the chief thoroughfares converge. This Cross-a very beautiful erection-is adorned by a marble statue of Sir James Shaw, Bart., alderman and member of Parliament for London, who was born in this neighbourhood, executed by Mr. James Fillans.

Near the Cross is the Laigh Parish Kirk, a modern building without any attempt at architectural adornment. In the place of burial adjoining the church are deposited the remains of 'Tam Samson,' the hero of one of Burns's principal poems. On the stone over the grave the poet has inscribed the following tribute to his friend and benefactor:

"Tam Samson's weel-worn clay here lies,-
Ye canting zealots, spare him!
If honest worth in heaven rise,
Ye'll mend, or ye win near him."