has long heen, as at prefent, the property of an ancient and refpectable family, the Jardins of Applegarth. Its form, like most of thofe buildings, is a strong, fquare, vaulted tower, with walls of a great thicknefs, flanked by round turrets, at the angles. Up one pair of ftairs there is a good room, with an ancient carved chimney-piece. The following narrative we introduce for the entertainment of our readers.

But this building is chiefly famous for being haunted by a bogle, or ghost. As the relation will enliven the dul'nets of antiquarian difquifition, I will here relate it, as it was told me by an honest woman who refides on the fpor, and who, I will be fworn from her manner, believed every fyllable of it. Ia the time of the late fir John's grand father, a person named Porteus, living in the parish of Applegarth, was taken up on fufpicion of fetting fire to a mill, and confined in the lord's prifon, the pit, or dungeon, at this cafle. The lord being fuddenly called to Edinburgh on fome preffing and unexpected bufinefs, in his hurry forgot to leave the key of the pit, which he always held in his own cuftody. Before he difcovered his mistake, and could fend back the key, which he did the moment he found it out, the man was starved to death, having first, through the extremity of hunger, gnawed off one of his hands. Ever after that time the caftle was terribly haunted, till a chaplain of the family exorcised and confined the bogle to the pit, whence it could never come out, fo long as a large Bible, which he had ufed on that bufinets, remained in the caftle. It is faid that the chaplain did not long furvive this operation. The ghof, however, kept quietly within the bounds of his prifon till a long time after, when the Bible, which was used by the whole family, required a new binding: for which purpose it was fent to Edinburgh. The ghoft, taking advantage of its abfence, was extremely boisterous in the pit, feeming as if it would break through the iron door, and making a noife like that of a large bird fluttering its wings. The Bible being returned, and the pit filled up, every thing has fince remained perfectly quiet. But the good woman declared, that should it again be taken off the premises, no confideration whatsoever would induce her to remain there a fingle night.'

Tortherold Cafle ftands on an artificial mount, in the parish of the fame name, about a mile to the east of the Loughes, half way between Dumfries and Lochmaban, close to the road fide, and a small distance from the rivulet. The building feems to have confifted folely of a tower, or keep, of a quadrilateral figure; its area measuring, on the outfide, 51 feet by 28; the longest fides facing the east and weft. It was furrounded by a double ditch.

Cowhill Tower, Nithfdale. This old tower ftood upon an eminence, commanding a charming profpect of the vale of

L4

Nith

Nith, from Friars Carfe to Dumfries. It had long been the feat of the Maxwells, cadets of the family of Nithfdale. The old caftle being burnt by the English in the year 1560, the prefent tower was built in 1579,

Friars Carfe. At this place there was formerly a cell, dependent on the abbey of Melrofe. The refectory, or dining-. room, had walls eight feet thick, and the chimney was twelve feet wide. This old building having become ruinous, was pulled down in 1773, to make way for the prefent house. Near the house is the Lough, which was the fish-pond of the friary, In the middle of it is an artificial island, founded upon large piles and planks of oak, where the monks lodged their valuable effects when the English made an inroad into Strathnith.

Morton Caftle is fituated on the eaft fide of the river Nith, about fixteen miles to the northward of Dumfries. By whom it was built is uncertain; but ic has been a place of great ftrength. Our author's account of it is copied, through the medium of Dr. Archibald, from Mr. M'Farlane's manufcript collections in the Advocate's library at Edinburgh, and is as follows:

It was kept by fir Thomas Randulph, earl of Murray, in the minority of David Bruce, and afterwards fuffered to go to ruin by the earls of Morton, who had other caftles to take care of. Near to this cafile there was a park, built by fir Thomas Randulph, on the face of a very great and high hill, fo artificially, that, by the advantage of the hill, all wild beafts, fuch as deer, harts, roes, and horfes, did cafily leap in, but could not get out again; and if any other cattle, fuch as cows, sheep, or goats, did voluntarily leap in, or was forced to it, it was doubt, ed if their owners were permitted to get them out again,'

This caftle was once the principal feat of Donnigall, lord of Strathnid, who flourished in the reign of king David I. about the year 1124. The part now remaining is a large hall, fome windows, and two round towers.

Sanquhar Caftle is a picturefque ruin, fituated on a high bank, on the north-eaft fide of the Nith, and overlooking that river. Here formerly the Queensbury family kept their deer in a large park, now converted into a farm. The principal en-, trance was from the north-east, where a bridge was thrown over the fofs. Not far from the caftle, down the river, remains the moat, or ancient court hill of the former barons of this castle; where, by their bailiffs and doomfters, they were wont to give decifions upon civil and criminal caufes, agreeably to the feudal fystem.

The Bow Butts, near Jarborough Caftle, Glencairn. Thefe earthen mounds are called Inglestone Moats, or Bow Butts, and

are

ere faid to have been the place where the ancient lords of the barony of Glencairn exercised their vaffals and followers in the practice of archery. In the neighbourhood of thefe Butts formerly ftood the fmall but ftrong caftle of Jarburgh, of which, at prefent, only the fragments of a wall are remaining. Tradition reports a variety of wonderful stories of its ancient lord and his fons. He was named Jonkin Ferguefon.

Clofeburne Caftle, in Nithfdale, is fituated about twelve miles north of Dumfries, and on the eaft fide of a lough of eight acres. According to our author, it is, perhaps, the oldeft inhabited tower in the fouth of Scotland. From the plan on which it is built, and the style of the mouldings of the door, which are the only ancient ornaments now remaining about the building, Mr. Grofe is of opinion, that the date of its construction cannot be later than the beginning of the twelfth century. The building is a lofty quadrilateral tower, all vaulted. The lower apartment was a fouterrein, the walls of which are about twelve feet thick. The door is under a circular arch, with the zig-zag, or dancette moulding, rudely cut out of the hard granite: the only communication with the hall was by a trap-door. The fecond floor originally confifted of a hall. The approach to the door was by a ladder. The old iron door is ftill remaining. In the hall, the fire was made in the middle of the floor, as there is only one stack of chimneys, and thofe in the centre of the building. Above the hall are two feries of chambers which are feparated by oaken floors; and above them an arched roof crowns the edifice. The measures of this building are thirty-three feet fix inches from north to fouth; forty-five feet fix inches from east to west; and its height to the battlements forty-fix feet nine inches.

Lag Castle ftands in a deep narrow ravine, called the Glen of Lag, whence it derives its name: it is fo covered by lofty hills as not to be seen at any confiderable distance. The building confifts of a small fquare vaulted tower, now unroofed, mounted on an artificial eminence. It was furrounded by an outer wall. This caftle was anciently furrounded by a lake, now a marsh; fo that, even in its best days, as our author obferves, it must have been a damp and dreary manfion. On the eaft fide of it is a mount, likewise artificial, called a moat, or court-hill, furrounded by a ditch,

Amisfield, or Hempsfield Tower, has, from a very early period, been the refidence of the ancient family of Charteris. It confifts of a quadrangle, having on the fouth-weft a high tower, of a very picturefque form. In the tower, which had a bandfome flight of winding stone stairs, is fhewn a chamber and pedftead, in which king James VI. is faid to have flept when

on his way to England. The cielings of feveral of the rooms of this tower are stuccoed and painted. The ornaments are of the grotefque kind. The building is now quite in ruins, and ufed only as a hay-loft. For the amufement of our readers, we fhall have recourfe to the work for the following traditional story, refpecting one of this family.

King James V. being on a progrefs into the fouthern parts of his dominions, to quell infurrections and redrefs grievances on the marches, previous to his fetting off from his castle of Sterling, an ancient widow, who lived on the water of Annandale, complained to him, that, in a late incurfion of the Englih into that country, they had carried off her only fon and two cows, which were her fole fupport and comfort on earth; that the immediately made complaint to fir John Charters of Amisfield, warden of the weft marches, informing him, that the party were then ravaging at a few miles diftance, and praying him to fend and retake her fon and cows. She faid, that ir John not only refufed the prayer of her p. tition, but alfo treated her with the greatest rudeness and contempt. The king told her he fhould fhortly be in Annandale, and directed her then to prefer her complaint to him: upon this the woman returned home. In a fhort time king James fet out on his progress, and when he arrived at the head of Nithfdale, remembered the poor woman's complaint; he the efore leit the greateft number of his guards and attendants behind him, and advanced with great fecrecy to the village of Duncow, where difguifing himself, and leaving all his attendants, except two or three favourite followers, proceeded towards the cattle of Amisfield, the feat of the warden: when he came to the fmall brook near the houfe, he left all his fuite, and, coming alone to Amisfield gate, requefied the por ter to tell fir John Charters he came exprefs to inform him of an inroad then making by the English. The porter was loth to difturb his master, faying, he was gone to dinner, but the king bribing him with a filver groat, he went and returned with an anfwer, that fir John was going to dinner, and would not be difturbed. The king bribed him again with two groats, defiring him at the fame time to tell his mafter, that the general fafety depended upon his immediately firing the beacons, and alarming the country. Sir John, upon this fecond message, grew into a great rage, threatening to punish the importunate mefienger for his temerity. Upon this the king with gold brib ed another servant to go to fir John, and tell him that the good man of Ballang igh had waited a confiderable time at his gate for admittauce, but in vain; at the fame time the king throwing off the mean garment that covered his rich attire, founded his beugle-horn for his attendants to come up. Sir John, as foon as he had received the third meffage, came in a great fright to the king, who harshly reprimanded him for this great abufe of the trust committed to his charge, and at the fame time com

manded

manded him to pay to the widow her lofs ten fold; adding, that if her fon was not ranfomed within ten days, he, fir John, fhould be hanged: and as a farther token of his difpleasure, he billeted upon him his whole retinue, in number two thoufand knights and barons, obliging him to find them in provender during their stay in Annandale. This heavy expence brought the Amisfield family under a load of incumbrance, that they never after could entirely throw off. It was alfo in this progrefs that king James hanged the famous Johnny Armstrong, of Gilnock Hall.'

Dumfries bridge is of ftone, and confifts of nine arches. It meafures in length 400 feet; the mean breadth, including the parapets, is fixteen feet two inches; and the height, from the top of the parapet to the water, twenty-fix feet. Here was a fmall gate, called the port, which was confidered as the boundary between Nithfdale and Galloway; there being fix arches of the bridge within the latter, and three within the former diftrict. But about the year 1769, the gate was taken down, in order to leffen the weight on the bridge, which was then in a tottering ftate. This bridge, which croffes the river Nith, was built by the lady Devorgilla, third daughter of Alan, earl of Galloway. She died in the year 1269, and left a daughter of her own name, whofe daughter was mother of John Cummin, affaffinated at Dumfries.

Caerleverock castle stood about nine miles fouth from Dumfries, on the north fhore of the Solway Frith, between the confluence of the rivers Nith and Locher. It is faid to have been originally founded in the fixth century, by Lewarch Ogg, son of Lewarch Hen, a famous British poet. This caftle was the chief refidence of the family of Maxwell, in the time of king Malcolm Canmore. The view delineated in the work before us, fhews the remains of a second caftle of Caerleverock, built after the demolition of the original cattle above mentioned, the fite and foundations of which are ftill very confpicuous, and easy to be traced out in a wood, about three hundred yards to the fouth-east of the prefent building. From thefe foundations it appears to have been somewhat less than the prefent caftle, but of a fimilar figure, and that it was furrounded by a double ditch, The precife time when the new caftle was built is not ascertained; but it must have been before the year 1425, as the appellation of Murdoc's Tower, given to the great round tower on the fouth-weft angle, was obtained from the circumstance of Murdoc, duke of Albany, being confined in it that year. This caftle, like the old one, is triangular, and furrounded by a wet ditch. It had a large round tower on each angle. The entrance into the caftle-yard lies through a gate on the northern

mos