No. XII.

gay Coldon's feather'd steep."-St. VIII.

Choille-dun, in Gaelic, " "wooded hill." On the east side of this beautiful eminence is the avenue, adorned with many fine trees of ancient growth, to the landing-place from Inschemachame. On the top of a precipice on the western brow of Coldon, the lake is seen to advantage. A representation of this prospect is attempted in one of the accompanying engravings. Coldon, commonly called Cowdon, is mentioned according to the latter spelling in Bleau's Atlas Scotia. The etymology of the far-famed " Cowdenknows," is probably the same with that of this wooded promontory.

In the near neighbourhood, on the north, is a very romantic glen, in which a rivulet has cut a deep and narrow chasm in the rock, the strata of which have a dip a little removed from the perpendicular. The consequence is, that one of the sides projects in proportion as the other leans backward. They are both richly adorned with varied coppice, through which, from the noon-day twilight beneath, the sky is seen in glimpses. The rivulet is here and there formed into pools, of which "the mottled par" is a sportive inhabitant. Huge moss-grown stones are scattered in wild and picturesque confusion; and the din of the several rapids they form, by interrupting the course of the water, contributes to the romantic effect of this sequestered scene.

The inclination of the strata here is towards the southeast. About two miles to the eastward, on the same side of

the Craig of Port, at Auchrig, belonging to Mr Home of Argaty, the mineralogist may be gratified by an avalanche a quarter of a mile in length. The front of the mountain has more or less slid away from the main body, and in one place has violently burst. Here conglomerated sand-stones, (vulgularly called plumb-pudding) of large dimensions, and irregular shapes, lie piled above each other in dizzy poise. The spectator from above can see glimpses of the wide-extended vale beneath, through the apertures. Some of the rocks are richly festooned with ancient ivy. They are the favourite haunt of foxes, and often re-echo the mellow note of the fox-hound. A very large spring of water issues from their base, even in the driest seasons. From this station, in a clear day, Arthur's-Seat may be descried, having its base sunk behind a flat country, which, melted down by distance, somewhat resembles the ocean, and gives to that rock the appearance of the Bass, or Ailsa. The earth's rotundity, indeed, may be supposed to tell, on such a wide scale of prospect.

A little to the southward of the base of the Grampians, and running in the same direction, is a bed of bluish-grey sand-stone, of a close grain, used for the staircases and pavements of the houses of the nobility and gentry. It exists as a natural production from the park of Buchanan to the vicinity of Perth. Blue limestone, streaked with white, and capable of being polished for mantle-pieces, is found in that part of the southern ridge of the Grampians contained in the parishes of Port and Aberfoyle. Such mantle-pieces are in the house of Ballekinrain, the seat of John Napier, Esq.

No. XIII.

"Talla."-St. VIII.

In Gaelic, "hall," or "great man's house," corruptly spelled "Tulla," in Stobie's map of Perthshire. It is the name of the island second in size* in the lake of Inschemachame. It contains a seat of the Earls of Monteath, in ruins. Kilbride-Castle, near Dunblane, was early another of their seats. Robert and Murdo, Dukes of Albany, who were likewise Earls of Monteath, had Doune-Castle and Falkland, which, after Murdo's attainder, were both converted into royal residences. Tantallan, now a majestic ruin, was the property of this ambitious and unfortunate regent. Airth

*Of the antiquity of this name, the reader may judge from the following passage, being a note found among the papers at Gartmore, to which the polite liberality of the proprietor has given the writer free access. "The 25 Febry.

on thousand four hundreth and nyntie-four yere, is a renunsatione granted be John the Gram and Walter the Gram, sones carnall to umquill Malise, Earle of Monteath, with consent of John Lord Drummond, and Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy, their tutors, in favours of Alexander Earle of Monteath, their principall lord and cheife of the lands of Ellantallo, the Port, Monbraich, the Miltoun of Gartmullie, Cambusmore and Cambusbeg, and many other lands therein contained, pertaining to them by donatione of umquill Malise, Earl of Monteath, there father." Below this passage, inside, is written, "Dougalstonnes note taken up when he went throw the charter-chist of Monteith." It is titled on the back, "Dougalstonnes note written to Mungo Buchannan." Both descriptions are in the same hand, but a different hand from that which writes the note.

+ See Appendix, No. VII. relative to transference of Kilbride.

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