4

tý rock, called Corraudhun, on the top of which a final ruínous building remains. Not many yards diftant from this is a rock of the plumb pudding kind, which is fometimes furrounded by the fea. The fide of it next the rock is nearly perpendicular. In this fide of the rock, confiderably above the level of the fea, there is, in a horizontal pofition, the remains of a tree, nearly in a putrid ftate, apparently forming a part of the folid rock, and having at least 5 or 6 fathoms of the rock above it. There is no room to doubt that it has been wood, and its fibres have a near resemblance to thofe of oak. Its fituation makes it one of the greatest curiofities difcovered in any country,

Among the grievances of this parish, may be ranked, that they never yet had a justice of the peace in it.

In the course of the last 20 years, the dress in this paris, as well as the neighbourhood, both of men and women, has undergone a very confiderable change. The men in general wear hats, fhort jackets, and long trowfers; instead of bonnets, fhort coats, and philabegs; and instead of the tartan fhort hole, stockings are pretty much ufed. The kerchief, formerly worn by married women, and the tonnac, or short plaid, worn by females in general, are now almoft wholly out of use. Inftead of thefe, caps of various fashions, fhort and long cloaks, great coats, and ribbands, have been fubftituted. The men, fuch of them efpecially as follow the fifhing, find the change in their drefs highly convenient, and it may be prefumed that they borrowed it from the feafaring people, who frequented these ifles. Some people think that it was introduced by the Highlanders, who ferved in the last American war. The change in the drefs of the women may be thus accounted for: Most of our young women go to the low country for fome weeks in harvest; this time they spend in fhearing; and with the money thus earned,

they

they endeavour to drefs themselves after the low country fafhion; the fathion, thus introduced, raises an emulation among the women in general, and, of course, merchants are encouraged to import like articles. The periodical migration of our young women to the low country in harvest, is entirely with a view to drefs. They seldom bring home any fhare of the price of their labour in cafh, and they are a mean of encouraging an extravagance of drefs. So intent are they on this object, that from Whitfunday to Martinmas, they will not accept of fervice at home; and, except the few weeks spent in the low country, they are a burden to their friends for this half year. If manufactures, particularly the woollen, were established among us, our young women might find constant employment at home, mutually advantageous to themselves and to the public.

In this parish there may be about IICO cows, about 540 Airks, and 500 two year olds.

NUM

NUMBER XIX.

PARISH OF BOTHKENNAR.

(COUNTY AND PRESBYTERY OF STIRLING.-SYNOD OF PERTH AND STIRLING).

By the Rev. Mr DAVID DICKSON, Minifter.

THE

Situation, Extent, &c.

writer of this account has not been able to discover

the origin of the name Bothkennar. This parish is fituated in that track of country commonly called the Carfe of Falkirk; is about a mile and a half in length, and nearly of equal breadth. It is bounded on the north by the parish of Airth; on the weft, by the parish of Larbert; on the fouth, by the parishes of Falkirk and Polmont, and on the eaft, by the river Forth. It feems antiently to have been bounded on the fouth by the river Carron, but that river having changed its course, now interfects both the parishes of Bothkennar and Falkirk, leaving part of the former on the fouth, and a fmall part of the latter upon the north fide of it. The parish contains 96 oxgangs of land, which, at the computation of 13 acres each, amount in whole to 1248; the yearly valuation of which, including cefs, feu-duty payable to the family of Marr, and minifter's ftipend, is 3591 1. 12s. 6d. Scotch. The real rent of the parish cannot be so

exactly

exactly ascertained, as it may vary according to the value of the ground, or the date of the leases; at a medium, it may be reckoned at least at 2 1. 5 s. per acre, which would amount to 2808 1. Sterling; and when the price of grain is high, it may be confiderably more.

Soil, Produce, &c.-The foil is moftly of a deep clay, and the land, which is believed to have been antiently covered by the waters of the neighbouring Frith, is, in general, very rich, and produces plentiful crops of oats, peafe, and beans, barley, wheat, grafs, and potatoes. Mr Nimmo, in his hiftory of Stirlingfhire, informs us, that as early as the 14th century, (when, in comparifon, little improvement had been made in agriculture), the yearly feu duty paid to the Crown, out of the parish of Bothkennar alone, was no less than 26 chalders of victual, besides 6 chalders paid to the Abbacy of Cambuskenneth. About that time, or probably at a later period, the price of grain was fo very low, that the proprie tors of land in the parishes of Airth and Bothkennar, had it in their option, when paying the feu-duty, to pay either a merk Scotch or a boll of wheat. The former wifely chole to pay in money, which they ftill do; and the latter in grain, which, instead of a merk Scotch, has, for many years past, been equal in value to 20 s. 25 s. or sometimes even 30s. Sterling. This parifh is aimoft a continued flat; there is fcarcely the least rising ground to be obferved through the whole of it, and not a stone to be seen, unless brought from other places. Excepting the roads, there is not a spot of ground uncultivated. The method of cultivation, the time of fowing and reaping, the wages of fervants, tradefmen, and day-labourers, the prices of coal, grain, and provifions, are in general nearly, the fame as in the parishes of Airth and Polmont, to the statistical accounts of which the reader is

here

here referred. There are 12 orchards in this parish, the largest of which is about 3 acres in extent. They produce chiefly apples and pears, and, in good fruit feasons, bring the proprietors a plentiful return.

Population, &c.-According to a lift of the inhabitants, taken by the prefent minifter in 1783, the number of fouls was then about 730; but fince that time it has confiderably decreased, owing, among other caufes, to the fhipping having been, in a great meafure, removed from Carron fhore to Grangemouth, on which account, feveral houfes in this pa-' rith have been taken down, and others are left without inhabitants. In the year 1793, another lift was taken, from' which it appears, that there are now only 144 families, and in all about 600 inhabitants, of whom 303 are Lales, and 297 females; 164 married, and 436 unmarried; among which laft, 45 are widowers and widows, and 133 children' below 10 years of age. The number of marriages, baptisms,“ and burials, for the last 10 years, according to the parif regifter, which, during that time, has been very regularly kept, is as follows: