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 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES 
 
 OF 
 
 PERTHSHIRE.
 
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 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES 
 
 OF 
 
 PERTHSHIRE 
 
 WITH 
 
 Sketches of % jjnnapl Jfamtlies in ibe Cnunlg. 
 
 BY 
 
 THOMAS HUNTER, 
 
 EDITOR "PERTHSHIRE CONSTITUTIONAL AND JOURNAL." 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 PERTH : 
 
 HENDERSON, ROBERTSON, & HUNTER. 
 
 Edinburgh: WM. BROWN. Glasgow: THOS. MURRAY & SON. 
 
 MDCCCLXXXIII. 

 
 PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 The substance of tins work originally appeared as a series of 
 sketches in the Perthshire Constitutional, where the subject was 
 found to awaken sufficient interest to induce me to issue the 
 present volume. Tn its new form, the work has, to a large 
 extent, been rewritten, and much important matter has been 
 added. The main object I had in view was to trace the history 
 of Forestry in Perthshire, which is largely the history of Forestry 
 in Scotland, and to show the great improvement which has been 
 effected upon the country by planting, chiefly during the last 
 one hundred years. This naturally led to inquiries regarding 
 estate improvements generally, and directed attention to the many 
 old and notable trees in the county, as well as to the history 
 of the various estates visited, and the families to whom they 
 belong. 
 
 I take this opportunity to return my warmest thanks to the 
 numerous friends — landed proprietors, factors, land-stewards, 
 foresters, &c. — who have aided and encouraged me in my 
 inquiries, only a few of whom I have had occasion to mention 
 in the course of this work. I am specially indebted to the 
 many proprietors and others who placed at my service valuable 
 estate and family papers and rare works of reference, by which 
 I have been enabled to ensure the greatest accuracy possible in 
 the accounts of the various places and families. 
 
 The Illustrations have been engraved by J. M. Corner, 
 
 Edinburgh, from photographs chiefly by Magnus Jackson, F.S.A. 
 
 Scot., Perth, Photographer to the Scottish Arboricultural 
 
 Society. 
 
 T. H. 
 
 Perth, October 18S3.
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 the last OF " great BIRNAM wood," . . . Frontispiece 
 
 THE PERTH NURSERIES, ....... 21 
 
 THE FALLS OF BRUAR, . . . . . . .38 
 
 DUNKELD CATHEDRAL, ....... 46 
 
 HERMITAGE FALLS, ........ 48 
 
 THE PARENT LARCHES, ....... 52 
 
 GLEN TILT, ......... 55 
 
 PASS OF KILLIECRANKIE, ...... 59 
 
 DALGUTSE HOUSE, ........ 64 
 
 QUEEN MART'S SYCAMORE, ...... 102 
 
 ABIES DOUGLASII AT LTNEDOCH, ...... 113 
 
 FREELAND HOUSE, . . . . . . .161 
 
 THE DUPPLIN ARAUCARIA, ....... 217 
 
 BLAIR-DRUMMOND BEECHES, ...... 253 
 
 TRIANGULAR GROUP OF SPANISH CHESTNUTS AT STRATHALLAN (Diagram), 319 
 
 THE GREAT BEECH HEDGE AT MEIKLEOUR, .... 380 
 
 TAYMOUTH CASTLE, ....... 386 
 
 UPPER FALL OF MONESS, ....... 392 
 
 SYCAMORE AT CASTLE MENZIES, ..... 397 
 
 QUEEN'S VIEW AT LOCH TUMMEL, . . . . . .421 
 
 FALLS OF TUMMEL, ....... 422 
 
 KINLOCH-RANNOCH, ..... . . 424 
 
 FORTINGALL YEW, . . . . 434 
 
 SCOTS FIR AT LAWERS, ....... 464 
 
 WALLACE'S CAVE, INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR, .... 514 
 
 A " BIT " ON THE DEAN, ....... 529 
 
 OLD ROMAN BRIDGE, ....... 530 
 
 THE GREAT BEECH AT CARDEAN. ...... 532 
 
 STENTON, ......... 543 
 
 THE STEWART LARCH, ....... 547
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 I.— INTRODUCTION. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Solemnising Influence of Woods — Their Effect on the Landscape — 
 
 Climatic Influence — Commercial Importance, ... 1 
 
 II.— THE PAST AND THE PRESENT. 
 
 Extent and Character of the County — Perthshire originally a huge 
 Forest — Destruction of Original Forests — Remains of Ancient 
 Forests — Destruction of Woods during Feudal Times — Efforts at 
 Improvement — Compulsory Planting — Acreage at present under 
 Wood — Pecuniary Value of the Woods in Perthshire, 
 
 III.— THE PERTH NURSERIES. 
 
 Services rendered to Forestry hy the Perth Nurseries— Their Formation 
 and Situation — Cultivation of Forest and Ornamental Trees — The 
 Latest Importations suitable for the Scottish Climate, . . 19 
 
 IV.— ATHOLE. 
 
 The Varied Attractions of Athole — Its Position in the History of Scot- 
 tish Forestry — First Extensive Larch Plantations — Introduction of 
 Larch into Scotland — Result of a " Social Crack " and a " Waught " 
 from a " Pocket Pistol " — The Value of Larch — First Attempt at 
 Mountain Planting in Scotland — Planting of Larch as a Forest 
 Tree— "Humble Petition of Bruar Water"— Cost of Planting- 
 Extent of Plantations — First Attempts to use Larch for Shipbuild- 
 ing — Satisfactory Experiments — Beauty of Dunkeld — Walk 
 through the Woods at Dunkeld and Blair- Athole — Blair Castle — 
 The Athole Family — Destruction of Woods by Recent Storms, . 31 
 
 V.— DALGUISE. 
 
 Situation — Ancient Ecclesiastical Residence— Steuarts of Dalguise — A 
 Branch of the Royal Steuarts — Valuable Relics of Antiquity- 
 Gigantic Araucarias — Other Remarkable Trees — " Glenalbert's 
 Fam'd Abode " — Steuartfield — Remarkable Cairn and Cave — A 
 Deserted Bridge — Plantations, ..... 62
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 VI.— MURTLY. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " Great Birnam Wood " — Buried and Living Remains of the Ancient 
 Forest — Story concerning Neil Gow — The " Hanged-Men's Tree" 
 — Huge Beech and Chestnut Trees — The Douglasii Terrace — The 
 Stewarts of Grantully— Planting out of Flower-Pots— The Deodara 
 Sunk Terrace— Ancient Yews — The Finest Araucaria Avenue in 
 the World — Large Lime Trees — Huge Wellingtonia gigantea — 
 Summary of Remarkable Trees— The Plantations— The Trees of 
 the Future, ........ 71 
 
 VII.— DUNSINANE. 
 
 The Historical connection between the Hills of Birnam and Dunsinane 
 — Macbeth's Castle — View from the Summit of the Hill — Original 
 State of the District — First Attempts at Improvement — " Trees 
 Planted for Behoof of the Poor " — Lord Dunsinane's Improvements 
 — Story regarding the Introduction of Macadamised Roads in the 
 District — Extensive Planting — Improvements by Subsequent Pro- 
 prietors, ........ 86 
 
 VIII.— SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, &c. 
 
 The Former Glory of Scone — The Stone of Destiny — The Ancient Abbey 
 —The Mansfield Family— The Modern Palace— Queen Mary's Syca- 
 more — Trees Planted by King James VI. — Other Remarkable Trees 
 in the Policies— David Douglas— The " Boot Hill "—Appearance of 
 the Country a Century Ago — A Landscape Forester's Blunder — 
 The Plantations— Voracity of the Hylobius abietis—The Steading 
 at Balboughty— Preservation of Wooden Posts— Douglasii Planta- 
 tions — An Experimental Plantation — Taymount — Lynedoch — 
 Logiealmond, ........ 98 
 
 IX.— METHVEN. 
 
 Methven Wood a Lurking-Place of Wallace— The Battle of Methven 
 Wood— The Castle — Walk through the Ancient Wood— An Enor- 
 mous Beech— The Plantations— History of the Property — The First 
 Extensive Planter — Remarkable Trees — The Pepperwell Oak — 
 Ancient Church of Methven— The Bell Tree— The Black Italian 
 Poplar at Tippermallo, . . . . . .117 
 
 X.— MONCREIFFE. 
 
 "The Glory of Scotland" — Remains of an Ancient Fort — Druidical 
 Circle — Woods Adorning Moncreiffe Hill — The Moncreiffes of Mon- 
 creiffe —Plantations on the Estate — Large and Remarkable Trees — 
 Largest Horse Chestnut in the Country — Taxodium sempervirens 
 as a Forest Tree— The Remains of the Old Chapel, . . .128
 
 CONTENTS. XI 
 
 XL— KILGRASTON. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Situation — The Mansion-House — An Apiarian Curiosity — Grants of 
 Kilgraston — Policies — " Cromwell's Tree " — Other Remarkable 
 Trees — Pitkeathly and its Mineral Wells — Drummonie House — 
 Large Tulip Tree, &c, . . . . . .139 
 
 XII.— INVERMAY. 
 
 The Beauties of Invermay — The Belshes of Invermay — Their Improve- 
 ments — The Soldier and the Laird — The " Birks " of Invermay — 
 The Mansion- House— The " Bell Tree"— The Old House— Notable 
 Yew and Holly Hedges — A Remarkable Spruce Tree — The Walk 
 by the May— Old Muckersie Church— The " Humble-Bumble "— 
 The Plantations, . . . . . . .147 
 
 XIII.— FREELAND. 
 
 The. Original Design of the Policies — The Village of Forgandenny— The 
 Main Approach — The Old Home of the Ruthvens — The Den — Re- 
 markable Trees — The Mansion-House — The Most Remarkable 
 Elder Tree in Perthshire— The Woods — Natural-Sown Silver Firs 
 — A Venerable Ash — Trees with an Unknown History, . . 154 
 
 XIV— ROSSIE. 
 
 The Oliphants — The Founder of Rossie — The Mansion-House— The 
 Policies — Large Silver Firs — The Dovecot Park — Cedar of Lebanoii 
 — Sycamore Trees — A Royal Souvenir — An Old Marriage Record, 168 
 
 XV— CONDIE. 
 
 Situation of the Property — Destruction of the Mansion-House by Fire 
 — Scenery of the District — Battle of Culteuchar — The Policies — 
 Remarkable Trees — The Plantations, .... 173 
 
 XVI.— DUNCRUB. 
 
 History of the Rollo Family— The Old Thorn Tree at Dunning— The 
 New Mansion-House — The Policies— The Pinetum — Memorials of 
 a Royal Marriage — Remarkable Trees — The Old Castle of Kelty — 
 Notable Trees at the Castle— The Plantations— The Village of 
 Dunning, . . . . . . . .177 
 
 XVIL— GARVOCK. 
 
 Situation— The Gnemes of Garvock — How the Property was Acquired — 
 The Mansion — Rose-Bush Planted by Prince Charlie — An Enormous 
 Walnut Tree— Other Notable Trees — An Ancient Camp — The 
 Plantations, . . . . . . . .191
 
 X 11 CONTENTS. 
 
 XVIII.— GASK. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Attractions of Gask — Roman Remains — Gask Woods a Hiding-Place of 
 Wallace — Visit of Prince Charles — Jacobite Relicts — The "Auld 
 House " — The " Auld Pear Tree " — The New Mansion — Chequered 
 History of the Property — Destruction of the Woods during the 
 Rebellion — An Exiled Laird and his Woods — The Policies — Notable 
 Beech Trees — A Magnificent Walnut — Other Remarkable Trees — 
 The Garden — Lawrence Macdonald the Sculptor — The Plantations, 196 
 
 XIX.— DUPPLIN. 
 
 The Interest Attaching to Dupplin — The Battle of Dupplin— Its Anti- 
 quities — The Kinnoull Family — Dupplin Castle — The Policies — 
 The Queen's Visit to Dupplin — The Original Design of the Policies 
 — The Pinetum — The Octagon — Remarkable Trees — A Mysterious 
 Wellingtonia— Kinnoull Hill — The Plantations, . . . 207 
 
 XX.— ABERCAIRNY. 
 
 History connected with the Property — Notable Proprietors — The 
 Mansion — Queen's Visit — The Old Mansion — A Venerable Ash — 
 Design of the Policies — Remarkable Trees surrounding the Policies 
 — The Nursery — Remarkable Trees within the Policies — The Den 
 of the Muckle Burn — Lady Fanny's Grass Walk — The Shrubbery 
 — Inchbrakie — Historical Yew — The Village of Fowlis-Wester — 
 The " Tree of Fowlis " — The Araucaria in the Manse Garden — 
 Druidical Remains — The Plantations, . . . .224 
 
 XXL— BLAIR-DRUMMOND. 
 
 History of the Property — The Moss of Kincardine — Discovery of Marine 
 Remains— An Ancient Forest — Roman Relics — The Reclamation of 
 the Moss — Lord Kames — The First Mansion-House — The New 
 House — The Policies — Remarkable Oak and Beech Trees — A Memo- 
 rial of Benjamin Franklin — Remarkable Spanish Chestnut, Syca- 
 more, Lime, and Birch Trees— Remarkable Fir and Larch Trees— 
 Doune Castle — The Silver Firs — Havoc caused by Great Storms — 
 Progressive Growth of Common Trees — Burnbank — The Planta- 
 tions, ......... 244 
 
 XXIL— ARDOCH. 
 
 The Proprietors of Ardoch — The Policies — Ardoch House — Aged Syca- 
 mores — The Plantations and Remarkable Trees — The Roman Camp 
 — The Walk along the side of the Knaick, .... 261
 
 CONTEXTS. XI 11 
 
 PAGE 
 
 XXIII.— KEIR. 
 
 Situation— Origin of Name— Stirlings of Keir— Peculiar Ways of Spell- 
 ing the Family Name — Acquisition of the Property of Keir — 
 Additions to the Family Estate — History of the Property — Burn- 
 ing of the Old Tower of Keir — Building of the present Mansion — 
 The Woods in the 17th Century — Early Improvements — Improve- 
 ments hy Sir William Stirling-Maxwell — The Policies— Memorial 
 Trees — Extensive Planting of the Newer Conifers — The Keir Arau- 
 caria— The Pinetum — Extent of the Property, . . . 272 
 
 XXIV.— KIPPENDAVIE. 
 
 Attractions and Extent of the Property — Stirlings of Kippendavie — 
 The Great Sycamore of Kippenross— Other Remarkable Trees — 
 " On the Banks of Allan Water " — Pinetum — Plantations — Sheriff- 
 muir — Improvements, ...... 284 
 
 XXV.— MONTEITH. 
 
 General Attractions of Mouteith — The Earls of Monteith — The Forests 
 of Monteith a favourite Resort of the Ancient Scottish Court — The 
 " Law Tree "—Claimants for the Earldom— The " Beggar Earl "— 
 Cardross — Cardross Mansion — Antiquities — Remarkable Trees — 
 The Garden Policies — The Pinetum — The Glen — Cardross Noted 
 for its Timber —Deforesting and Replanting — Big Wood of Card- 
 ross — Abies Douglasii the most Flourishing Variety — The Scenery 
 — General Improvements — Efforts at Reclamation of Moorland — 
 The Erskines of Cardross — Lochend — Lake of Monteith — Priory of 
 Inchmahome —Queen Mary's Garden — Warning to Relic Hunters — 
 The Old Spanish Chestnuts at Inchmahome — Castle of Talla — Red- 
 noch — Blairhoyle — Glennie — Mondowie — Garden — Gartmore — 
 Royal Visitors at Monteith, ...... 290 
 
 XXVL— STRATHALLAN. 
 
 An Arborous Sea — Strathallan Castle — The Drummonds of Strathallan 
 — The Policies — Triangular Group of Spanish Chestnuts — Other 
 Remarkable Trees — The Woods — Malloch's Oak — Tragic End of a 
 Greedy Meal Merchant — Birks of Tullibardine— Abies Douglasii — 
 Inexpensive and Effectual Method of Protecting Young Plants from 
 Rabbits— Tullibardine Chair Tree— Old Castle of Tullibardine— 
 Excavation Representing the Great "Michael" War-ship — The 
 Nursery — Result of Protecting Plants from Late Spring and Early 
 Autumn Frosts — An Ancient Target— Relict of Caledonian Forest 
 — Abies Douglasii v. Larch— Ravages of Recent Storms, . . 316 
 
 XXVII.— DRUMMOND CASTLE. 
 
 The Attractions of Drummond Castle — The Founder of the House of 
 Drummond— Origin of the Family Name — Glorious Death of the
 
 XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 pagi: 
 
 First of the Drummonds — History of the Family — Early Connec- 
 tion with Forestry — Queen Annabella — How Glenartney Forest was 
 Acquired — The Builder of Drummoud Castle — The Castle itself — 
 The View from its Towers — The Gardens — Drummond Park and 
 its Monster Trees— Remarkable Trees at Pitkellony, Muthill, &c. 
 — A Curious Phenomenon — The Plantations — The Trossachs — 
 Extent of the Property and General Improvements, . . 328 
 
 XXVIIL— STOBHALL. 
 
 Antiquity of the Drummonds of Stobhall — Castle of Stobhall — Extent 
 of the Property— Great Height of Trees in Stobhall Wood — Strelitz 
 Wood — Peculiar Origin of the Name — Ancient Religious Houses — 
 The Monks as Foresters — Linn of Campsie — Sir Walter Scott's 
 Allusions to the District — Antiquities, . . . .349 
 
 XXIX.— THE CAIRNIES AND GLENALMOND. 
 
 Early Home of the Newer Coniferous Trees — The History of the Proper- 
 ties — Lord Provost Hay Marshall — The Policies at the Cairnies — 
 The Finest Specimens of Abies Albertiana in the Country — How 
 the Albertiana got its Name — Curious Place for a Tree — Progress 
 of the Different Varieties of the Newer Conifers — " The Kirk of the 
 Wood " — An Interesting Old Scots Fir — The Plantations, . . 356 
 
 XXX.— GORTHY. 
 
 State of the Property Sixty Years Ago — Antiquity of the Family of 
 Mercer — Ancient Connection with Perth — "Merchant Princes" — 
 A Famous Provost — Purchase of Gorthy — Remains of the Old Cale- 
 donian Forest — A Gigantic Sycamore — Other Notable Trees — The 
 Plantations — Struggles with the Beetle, .... 365 
 
 XXXI.— MEIKLEOUR. 
 
 Meikleour House — The Mercers of Meikleour and Aldie — The Policies 
 — Remarkable Trees — Kinclaven Castle — Village of Meikleour — 
 The Great Beech Hedge — The Plantations, .... 375 
 
 XXXIL— TAYMOUTH. 
 
 The Character and Extent of the Property — Poetic Allusions — The 
 Campbells of Breadalbane — The Approaches to Taymouth — The 
 Castle — The Policies— The Early Planters — Remarkable Trees — 
 Trees Planted by Royalty — Drummond Hill — The Great Vine at 
 Kinnell — Plantations in other parts of the Property, . . 382 
 
 XXXIII.— CASTLE MENZIES. 
 
 The Present and Former Castles — The Policies — Remarkable Chestnut. 
 Sycamore, Beech, Oak, and Elm Trees — The Newer Conifers — The
 
 CONTENTS. XV 
 
 PAGK 
 
 Largest Wellingtonia gigantea in Britain — Comparison between the 
 Growth of the Wellingtonia and the Cedrus Deodara — The Castle 
 Menzies Gean Trees — Weem Rock and Woods — The " Black Watch" 
 — St David's Well — The Plantations — Spring versus Autumn Plant- 
 ing — Great Improvements at Rannoch, .... 393 
 
 XXXIV.— THE BLACK WOOD OF RANNOCH. 
 
 Origin of Name — Relic of the Original Forests of Scotland — Age of the 
 Trees— Buried Remains of the Ancient Forest — A Forest Fire- 
 Destruction of a Portion of the Wood by a Public Company — 
 Difficulties Connected with the Removal of the Timber — Scarcity 
 of Food at the Time— Natural History Items— Rannoch Fir as an 
 Illuminator — Remarkable Trees, ..... 410 
 
 XXX V. — D U N AL AST AIR. 
 
 The Amenity of the Property — The Mansion — Dunalastair Wood — 
 " Macgregor's Cave" — Crossmount — Relicts of King Robert The 
 Bruce — Notable Trees — Plantations — General Improvements — The 
 Macdonalds of Dunalastair, . . . . . .417 
 
 XXXVL— GLENLYON. 
 
 Garth— The Ancient Castle—" The Wolf of Badenoch "— Fortingall— 
 The Birthplace of Pontius Pilate— The Roman Camp — The Fortin- 
 gall Yew, the Oldest Tree in Europe — Extent of the Glen — The First 
 Improver — Troup audGlenlyon — The Macgregor's Leap — The Black 
 Wood of Chesthill— Protecting the Road with Trees— The Castle of 
 Carnban — A Bleak Spot — Arboreal Milestones — Culdares — Meg- 
 gernie Castle and Policies — The Plantations — What might yet be 
 done in Glenlyon, ....... 427 
 
 XXXVII. — OCHTERTYRE. 
 
 The Beauties of Ochtertyre— History of the Property — The Murrays of 
 Ochtertyre— The Policies— The Mausoleum — A Fearful Tragedy— 
 Craig-na-Cullach — The Principal Shrubbery — The Pinetum — Re- 
 markable Trees— The Loch of Monzievaird— The Old Castle of 
 Cluggy — Burns and the " Aiks " of Ochtertyre, . . • 448 
 
 XXXVIII. —LAWERS. 
 
 The Beauties of Lawers— History of the Property— A Thrilling Incident 
 —The Old Chapel— Early Planting— Notable Trees—" The Queen " 
 —The Largest Scots Fir in the World— Newer Coniferous Trees — 
 Plantations, ........ 459
 
 XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 XXXIX.— STROWAN. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Situation — History of the Property — Improvements — Tom-a-Chastile — 
 Ancient Market-place of Strowan — Origin of Name — Eemarkable 
 Trees — Plantations, &c, ...... 467 
 
 XL.— DUNIRA. 
 
 The Dundasses of Dunira — Dunmore Hill — Dunira House — The Policies 
 
 — The Steading — The Plantations, ..... 47 
 
 XLI.— CARSE OF GOWRIE. 
 
 The Carse a late Acquisition from the Sea — Erection of Embankments 
 — Extent of the Carse.— Kinfauns : History of the Property — The 
 Castle — Kinnoull Hill — Kinfauns Long Famous for its Trees — An 
 Old Chestnut — Other Notable Trees. — Gray : Enormous Ash 
 Trees and Cedars of Lebanon — Other Notable Trees. — Seggie- 
 den : Collection of Hard- Wooded Plants — Notable Trees. — 
 Fingask : The Castle — Trees and other Objects of Interest — Kin- 
 naird Castle. — Gourdiehill : The Finest Holly Tree in Great Britain 
 — Other Notable Trees. — Megginch : Origin of the Name — 
 History of the Property — Notable Trees. — Rossie-Priory : The 
 Collection of Newer Coniferous Plants. — Castle Huntly : History 
 of the Property — Enormous Scots Fir — Other Notable Trees. — 
 Glencarse. — Pitfour. — Errol Park. — Murie. — Balruddery. — Or- 
 chards of the Carse of Gowrie, .... 481 
 
 XLIL— MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Remarkable Trees round Perth — Wallace's Yew at Elcho — Historical 
 Yew at Culfargie — Kinmonth — Killour Pinetum — Stanley — Bon- 
 hard — Murrayshall — St Martins — Cardean — Clathick — Cultoquhey 
 — Monzie Castle — Delvine — Snaigow — Stenton — Birnam and Pit- 
 castle — Gigantic Ash at Logierait — Bonskeid — Lude — Kilbryde 
 Castle — Argaty — Lanrick Castle — Cambusmore and Strath yre — 
 Invertrossachs — Leny — Edinchip -Conclusion, . . . 505 
 
 Index to Old and Notable Trees, ..... 564
 
 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES 
 
 OF 
 
 PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 L— INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Solemnising Influence of Woods — Their Effect on the Landscape — Climatic 
 Influence — Commercial Importance. 
 
 The beautiful appearance -which woods give to the landscape 
 of a country, and the part they play in the economy of Nature, 
 render the study of them one of the most pleasing and interesting 
 themes that can engage our attention. No one who has seen a 
 forest can fail to he impressed with its majestic grandeur. As 
 one looks upon the "green-robed senators of mighty woods," it 
 is not difficult to realise, to some extent, the feeling which 
 prompted the ancients to associate them with the worship of 
 the Deity ; and we can almost forgive the Greeks for believing 
 that the woods were peopled with gods. There are few things 
 better calculated to teach us how true it is that " man is as the 
 grass of the field," than the sight of those vegetable giants that 
 have survived the storms of centuries, and look as if they would 
 still be " hale green trees,"' and lift their heads as proudly as 
 they do now, " when a thousand years are gone." In a super- 
 stitious age, the awe-inspiring spectacle presented by a dense 
 forest could hardly fail to awaken serious reflections in a 
 thoughtful mind, but this solemnising influence of woods is an 
 experience that extends beyond the superstitious Greek, who 
 could only draw from the woods lessons that ministered to his
 
 2 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 terror. To borrow from Byron, we must all have felt, to some 
 extent, that there is a peculiar " pleasure in the pathless woods," 
 that makes us " love not man the less, but Nature more." We 
 must all experience, more or less, a deep reverential feeling in 
 the presence of a form of life which existed ages before we trod 
 the earth, and which will continue to exist for ages after we 
 have returned to our kindred dust. The reflections which such 
 a thought suggest ought to make us truly humble ; and, if we 
 are wise, the lessons that are taught by the woods will not be 
 unprofitable. The Scriptures themselves are full of lessons 
 drawn from tbe woods in illustration of the truths sought to be 
 impressed. The righteous man, we are told, is " like a tree 
 planted by the rivers of water, tbat bringeth forth his fruit in 
 his season, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he 
 doeth shall prosper." As for the wicked, although we see him 
 in " great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree," 
 we are assured that he will soon pass away. All through the 
 sacred writings we find the woods drawn upon to point a moral, 
 and not without effect. Poets and philosophers have each found 
 in them an inexhaustible storehouse of imagery to embellish 
 their thoughts, and tbe experience of one of the poets 
 (Wordsworth) is that 
 
 " One impulse from a vernal wood 
 May teach you more of man, 
 Of moral evil, and of good, 
 Than all the sages can." 
 
 All our ideas of beautiful scenery are associated with woods. 
 The landscape that is destitute of trees presents a barren and 
 uninteresting appearance, while a country that is rich in arboreal 
 features is as refreshing to the eye as is a sheet of water in an 
 arid land. The majestic oak, with its grey rifted trunk, and 
 its dark indented foliage, and the equally majestic beech, with 
 its fine silvery bark and pale green leaves, add dignity and 
 grace to the well-kept ancestral park. The light, graceful birch, 
 which overhangs the mountain stream, imparts to the landscape 
 that fairy-like charm which is so attractive to the lover of the 
 picturesque ; while the pine, with its straight tall stem and ever- 
 green foliage, clothes the landscape with a pleasing uniformity.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 3 
 
 But woods and forests are of far higher utility than merely 
 contributing to the beauty of the scenery. Trees, as well as 
 vegetation of all kinds, have an important geological influence, 
 for, by keeping the rocks damp, these have a greater tendency 
 to break np under the influence of frost. The climatic influence 
 of trees, however, is more perceptible than their geological 
 effect. By retaining the moisture in the ground, they keep the 
 surface of the earth cool ; and where there is a wet surface there 
 is a greater condensation of vapour, the reverse being the case 
 where there is a dry surface, or a scarcity of trees ; so that 
 woods play an important part in producing a moist climate. 
 Some species of trees are known to have a greater effect upon 
 climate than others. The Eucalyptus globulus, or Tasmanian 
 Blue Gum Tree, is said to have marvellous properties as regards 
 the drying of marshes and the prevention of malarious disease. 
 There is a large amount of evidence to show that it actually 
 possesses this power in a high degree ; so that, not only is 
 intermittent fever unknown where it naturally grows in abund- 
 ance, although in situations and in a climate where the 
 prevalence of this disease might be expected, but places at one 
 time most subject to that malady, cease to be so when that tree 
 is planted. Some unhealthy localities in the Cape of Good Hope 
 were rendered perfectly salubrious, apparently through the 
 influence of this tree, within a few years after plantations of it 
 had been laid. Similar results have followed the introduction 
 of this tree in Cuba, in Mexico, and in the south of France. 
 In Cyprus, interesting experiments are also being made. We 
 learn from the British Medical Journal for Feb. 7, 1879, that 
 Prince Troubetkoy, who has taken up this matter energetically 
 at Rome, says that careful observation has brought him to the 
 conclusion that the Eucalyptus amygdalina is the most useful 
 variety of the tree. It is not only picturesque, but of excep- 
 tionally rapid growth. Indeed, all the species of this wonderful 
 tree are characterised by remarkable growth. Such is the 
 rapidity of its growth, that seedlings raised in a hotbed, and 
 planted out in the open air in the south of England, have been 
 known to attain a height of 10 feet in the first year. In their 
 native countries, some of them are said to attain a very great
 
 4 WOODS. FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 height, with trunks 16 feet in diameter. They are most useful 
 timber trees, and are largely employed in shipbuilding. 
 Although these trees, which belong to the great natural order 
 Myrtacece, are almost exclusively natives of Australia and 
 Tasmania, it is satisfactory to know that there is some pro- 
 bability of their being, to some extent at least, acclimatised in 
 this country. We have it on the authority of Prince Troubetkoy, 
 that the Eucalyptus amygdalina grows as well in a damp as in 
 a dry and exposed soil, and also that it bears cold very well, 
 seeins: that at his villa in the neighbourhood of Rome it resisted 
 a temperature of 6 degrees below zero (21° Fahr.). 
 
 However great may be the climatic influence of woods and 
 forests, their commercial importance is far more apparent. 
 Apart altogether from the timber, it is absolutely impossible to 
 calculate the products of the forests. Pliny the elder (Caius 
 Plinius Secundus), our chief authority so far as regards the trees 
 and shrubs familiar to the ancients, considers trees bearing seed 
 after their kind as the most precious gifts of Nature to mankind. 
 " The forest," he says, " was that from which man first drew the 
 aliment of his life ; his early cave-dwellings were made habit- 
 able by the leaves of its trees, and by their bark or other fibres 
 his clothing was supplied." The Arabs say that the palm tree 
 has a use for every day there is in the year ; and when one 
 species of tree alone is of such utility, what might be said of all ! 
 The tree which, as has been shown, is of such importance in 
 improving a malarious atmosphere, is also of great commercial 
 value, the essential oil which it yields being employed in the 
 manufacture of oil and spirit varnishes, — varnish containing this 
 od instead of spirits of turpentine being said neither to bloom 
 nor crack. As a medicine, the leaves are said to be more 
 efficacious than quinine in the cure of intermittent fever. The 
 Scientific American recently gave drawings of a valuable Texan 
 tree (Mesquit), and its podded fruit, which is said to be of great 
 utility for fattening stock of all kinds. The natives pound the pod 
 and keep it in stock, making cakes and a kind of porridge of the 
 meal. . The plant is leguminous, and belongs to the mimosa 
 order, bearing a gum allied to that of acacia. The wood is said 
 to be excellent fuel, and burns like anthracite. All over
 
 INTRODUCTION. 5 
 
 Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, the tree flourishes, even in high 
 and dry districts. Many familiar trees in our own country also 
 yield valuable products. Ben Jonson speaks of the juice of the 
 larch as possessing some mystic virtues. Pliny, in writing of 
 the same tree, says : — " This tree is the best of the kind that 
 bears resin." The substance known as Venice turpentine, and 
 sold by druggists for a variety of medicinal and art purposes, is 
 not brought from Venice at all, but is simply the hardened sap 
 of the larch, obtained, notably in France, by tapping or perfor- 
 ating the trees with large augers — ■ 
 
 " The new-made trees in tears of amber run, 
 Which harden into value by the sun." — Ovid. 
 
 Even the Scots fir (Pinus sylvestris) is rich in a product the loss 
 of which would entail enormous inconvenience and difficulty. 
 AVe are all aware of the importance and usefulness of tar. The 
 timber-merchant, the rope-maker, the shipwright, and the sailor 
 are all indebted to it ; and many articles, including submarine 
 (■allies, owe to it much of their power to resist decaj 7 and 
 deterioration. Lampblack is made in large quantities from the 
 waste products resulting from the manufacture of common tar. 
 It is from the Norway spruce (Abies excelsa) that the Burgundy 
 pitch of commerce is made. The resin of the white spruce 
 (Abies alba) makes excellent oil of turpentine, — the bark is made 
 use of for tanning hides, — and anti-scorbutic spruce beer — a 
 most valuable beverage for long sea voyages — is made from its 
 branches and loppings. Food, as well as drink, is yielded by 
 numerous members of the cone-bearing family, the Laplanders 
 utilising the inner bark of the pine for breadmaking purposes, 
 the result of their labours being known as barJcbroed. The 
 Siberian ermine-hunters also make use of the inner bark of the 
 pine for the purpose of forming a substitute for yeast. The 
 Canada balsam used in mounting objects for microscopical 
 examination, is simply the juice of the balsam pine. The resin 
 of the Lebanon cedar (Cedrus Libani), on which the ancients 
 set so much value, is said both by Pliny and Vitruvius to have 
 been used in the treatment of papyrus and the embalming of 
 Egyptian mummies. The bark of the oak, as is well known, is
 
 6 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 largely used in tanning. An oil used in some parts of France 
 instead of butter is extracted from the masts or nuts of the beech. 
 An excellent wine is made out of the vernal juice of the birch ; 
 and one variety, the birch of Jamaica, yields turpentine. 
 
 As showing the commercial — or, to speak more correctly, the 
 pecuniary — value of tree planting in this country, a recent 
 writer has calculated that the tree thinnings of an acre of land, 
 worth only from 5s. to 1 Os. per acre, but planted with a mixture 
 of larch, beech, pine, hazel, birch, and oak — the latter with a 
 view to the growth of navy timber or trees of large size for 
 building and other purposes — will at the end of from ten to 
 fifteen years, according to local circumstances, repay the average 
 expenses of planting, rent, and management during that period, 
 together with compound interest at five per cent. ; anil the 
 profits of future falls may be estimated as follows : — In thirteen 
 years, or at twenty-three years' growth, £24, 10s. per acre ; in 
 thirteen years more, or at thirty-six years' growth, £39 per acre. 
 After that period a triennial profit of about £12 per acre, until 
 the oak is fit for navy or other purposes, for which timber of 
 first-class quality is required, when the final clearance may be 
 expected to fetch from £200 to £250 per acre. 
 
 We have said enough to show the great importance of look- 
 ing after the woods and forests, and the interest which attaches 
 to them. Their importance is well summed up in the old saying, 
 that the man who plants even a birch tree little knows what 
 benefit he is conferring upon posterity. If the man who makes 
 two blades of grass grow where only one grew before deserves 
 well of his country, in what esteem ought we to hold the man 
 who plants a tree where none before existed, especially in a soil 
 where nothing else would grow with profit 1 The management 
 of woods and forests is, therefore, a subject which, from its 
 importance, ought to have attractions for all, whether pecuniarily 
 interested or not ; and as Perthshire, besides owing very much 
 of its beauty to arboriculture, has probably done more to promote 
 forestry than any other county in Scotland, the history of its 
 woods and forests possesses exceptional interest.
 
 II.— THE PAST AND THE PRESENT. 
 
 Extent and Character of the County — Perthshire originally a Huge 
 Forest — Destruction of Original Forests — Remains of Ancient 
 Forests — Destruction of Woods during Feudal Times — Efforts at 
 Improvement — Compulsory Planting — Acreage at present under 
 Wood — Pecuniary Value of the Woods in Perthshire, 
 
 From whatever point of view we regard Perthshire, it is un- 
 doubtedly the finest county in Scotland. The scenery em- 
 braces the most choice spots, whether in the Highlands or the 
 Lowlands, and for variety in mountain and valley, lake and 
 river, rich woodlands and fertile fields, it cannot be equalled. 
 In size it is exceeded only by the counties of Inverness, Ross 
 and Cromarty, and Argylc, its area being about 2588 square 
 miles, or 1,656,082 acres. Although, from its peculiar shape, a 
 circle with a radius of 32 miles could be drawn which would 
 nearly enclose it, its extreme length from east to west is 77 
 miles, and its extreme breadth from north to south, 68 miles. 
 The county is divided into two distinct regions, the Lowland 
 and the Highland. The former is noted for its fertility and the 
 richness of its scenery, which is agreeably varied by j udiciously- 
 planted woods of larch, fir, oak, ash, beech, birch, &c. The 
 greater part of the Highland region is open moorland, although 
 large tracts have been recently planted with larch and Scots 
 fir. A great part of the county is unfit for the raising of grain 
 or green crops, only about one-fifth of the entire surface being 
 under cultivation. The study of forestry is therefore of great 
 importance, and receives much attention • so much, indeed, that 
 the county has justly been termed the great tree-growing county 
 of Scotland. A recent writer, and competent authority (Mr 
 Robert Hutchison of Carlowrie, Kirkliston), says : — " We may 
 say of the forest trees of Perthshire generally, that, whether
 
 8 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 owing to the configuration of the county, and its inland position 
 lending a more continental and less insular quality and value to 
 its climate, there can be no doubt that they exhibit greater 
 vitality and more rapid and better progress within a given 
 period than the hardwood trees of any other county in Scotland 
 as a whole." 
 
 Much as has been done in recent years to enhance the sylvan 
 aspect of the county, there are still some parts now almost waste, 
 which might be profitably planted with larch or other firs, and 
 many of these places were not very long ago clothed with thriv- 
 ing woods and forests. In fact, almost the whole of Perthshire 
 was at one time a huge and almost impenetrable forest. In 
 the days of the aborigines a vast forest extended northward of 
 the Forth and Clyde, covering all the territory of the Caledonii, 
 and actually giving to them their name, the original meaning of 
 which was " The People of the Coverts." That this forest 
 was of vast extent, and was inhabited by a large population, is 
 apparent from the term Caledonia having come to be applied to 
 the whole of the country north of the Forth and Clyde ; and 
 latterly, in a general way, to the whole of Scotland. It is also 
 apparent that this forest was as dense as it was extensive. Such 
 an insuperable obstacle did it present to the progress of the 
 Eoman arms that, in 209, Severus was forced to take extra- 
 ordinary measures to obtain access to the country, and deprive 
 the hardy natives of their natural bulwarks. Instead of wasting 
 his energies and sacrificing the lives of his soldiers in the almost 
 impossible task of driving the natives from the depths of the 
 forest, the Ptoman General is said to have felled the woods and 
 constructed roads to meet the aborigines in their fastnesses. 
 That this was an operation of no ordinary kind is testified by the 
 fact, that he is believed to have lost no fewer than 50,000 men 
 in destroying the forests and subduing the physical features of 
 the country alone, and without feeling the stroke of the enemy. 
 These native forests appear to have consisted principally of fir, 
 birch, and oak ; and buried remains of these are occasionally 
 brought to the surface in Perthshire. In Balquhidder, large 
 trunks of birch, as well as oak, trees are occasionally found, and 
 evidently belong to a defunct forest. In some mosses in
 
 THE PAST AND THE PRESENT. 9 
 
 Strathtay fossil wood has also been found. Remains'of what was 
 no doubt the classic forest of Birnani have been found at 
 different times. While draining some hollows in Ladywell 
 Wood, the Duke of Athole's forester, Mr M'Gregor, came across 
 several noble oaks embedded in the earth. They were too 
 ponderous to be easily removed, and were sawn across to allow 
 the draining operations to be carried out, the wood being found 
 very hard and sound. A short time ago several large limbs of 
 oak, one which we measured being over two feet in diameter, 
 were taken from the bottom of a lake in the American Gardens 
 at Murtly Castle. The lake, which is 12 feet deep, was being 
 cleaned out, when the tree was discovered protruding through 
 the bottom. The wood was nearly as black as Irish bog oak, 
 and was in a first-rate state of preservation. The bottom of the 
 lake, which is mossy, abounds with the remains of birch, hazel, 
 and alder, in tolerably good preservation. Eemains of this 
 ancient forest, we believe, might be found all over the Murtly 
 property. Glenmore, a narrow vale chiefly in the parish of 
 Fortingall, was, at a remote period, covered Avith the extinct 
 forest of Schiehallion, and for a long time the roots of fir trees 
 and the trunks of oaks furnished a profitable produce to the 
 inhabitants of the district. The fir trees not only furnished 
 excellent fuel, but it is said that when in a state of combustion 
 they " emitted a light surpassing the brilliancy of gas." The oak 
 trunks dug out from the soil were of a blackish colour, and though 
 somewhat soft became very hard on exposure to the air. They 
 were split up and manufactured into sharpening tools for scythes, 
 and found a ready market in the locality. A large oak trunk, 
 of a beautiful black colour, was, some years ago, found in the 
 bed of: the Tay, not far from Perth, where it had probably lain 
 for ages. The wood was used for several ornamental purposes, 
 amongst these being the making of three beautiful caskets, pre- 
 sented to the late Prince Albert, Mr Mackenzie, the late Premier 
 of Canada, and Major-General (then Colonel) Sir John M'Leod, 
 K.C.B., when they received the freedom of the city of Perth. 
 
 It is right to mention that one writer, at least, appears to 
 have been under the impression that the country was originally 
 of quite a diiferent character from that which has just been
 
 1 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 described. In Wallace's Nature and Digest of Ancient 
 Peerages (2nd edition, Edinburgh, 1785, p. 34) the following 
 passage occurs : — " I must not, however, disguise that Scotland 
 appears of old to have been wholly naked, or extremely open, 
 and we have little reason to think that in any age, of which an 
 accurate remembrance is preserved, this kingdom ever was much 
 more wooded than it is now." Wallace, however, as we shall 
 afterwards show, appears to have been misled by the nakedness 
 which existed 300 or 400 years previously, and jumped to the 
 conclusion that that was the original state of the country. 
 Alluding, evidently, to the above passage, Tytler, in the 
 "Historical Inquiry into the Ancient State of Scotland," con- 
 tained in his History of Scotland, gives a different account of 
 the appearance of the country. " No two pictures," he says, 
 "could be more dissimilar than Scotland in the thirteenth and 
 
 fourteenth, and Scotland in the nineteenth century 
 
 The face of the country was covered by immense forests, chiefly 
 of oak, in the midst of which, upon the precipitous banks of 
 rivers or on rocks which formed a natural fortification, and were 
 deemed impregnable to the military art of that period, w T ere placed 
 
 the castles of the feudal barons So erroneous is 
 
 the opinion of a conjectural historian, who pronounces that there 
 is little reason to think that in any age, of which an accurate 
 remembrance is preserved, this kingdom was ever more wooded 
 than it is now." The fact of the ancient remains of numerous 
 gigantic forest trees being found in many parts of central Scot- 
 land speaks strongly in favour of the theory that this part of the 
 country was in the time of the aborigines, a huge forest, and 
 there can be little doubt but a large area of it would be cut down 
 as a military necessity. 
 
 The work of destroying those ancient forests, however, was 
 not confined to the conquering Romans. To such an extent 
 was the work of destruction carried on during the feudal times, 
 that it amounted to the grossest Vandalism. The common 
 people, we are told, fancied that the growth of timber was an 
 obstacle to the production of food, and the ancient barons do 
 not appear to have been sufficiently enlightened to place any 
 restraint upon the work of desolation. The low grounds were
 
 THE PAST AND THE PRESENT. 11 
 
 gradually divested of cover, and trees were only to be met with 
 in the steep declivities of the glens, and other places that were 
 deemed inaccessible to cultivation. After the destruction of 
 those ancient woods and forests, the county must have had a 
 most desolate and wretched appearance. Some idea of the deso- 
 lation of the country may be gathered from the fact, that when 
 the late Duke of Athole began those operations in forestry with 
 which his name is so honourably associated, he had only 1000 
 acres of wood on his extensive property. The amenity of the 
 county must also have been greatly lessened on account of the 
 circumstance that, although the. greater part of Perthshire was 
 originally a forest, a large portion must have been nothing but 
 a swamp. Along the valleys of the Tay and the Earn the 
 ground lies very low, and before the existence of the barriers 
 which now, to a large extent, protect the land from inundation, 
 the floods which periodically descend must have submerged an 
 extensive tract of country. The bed of the Tay, at no very 
 distant date, embraced a much larger territory than it now does, 
 and many places at present safe from inundations were quite 
 recently not beyond the reach of destructive floods. Although 
 the whole of the low-lying land is now well drained, the Carse 
 of Gowrie, up till 1760, was, like many other tracts along the 
 banks of the Tay, disfigured with large pools of water. 
 
 So naked and open was the country at this time that its con- 
 dition engaged the serious attention of Parliament, and various 
 Acts were passed with the view of covering the nakedness of 
 the land, — a state of matters which may have led the "conjec- 
 tural historian " into the error of supposing that there had at no 
 time been extensive woods in the country. In the " Acts of 
 the Parliament of Scotland" (14th Parliament, James II., 6th 
 March, 1457), we find it enacted "Item, anent plantations of 
 woods and hedges, and sawing of broom, the Lords thinks 
 speedful that the King charge all his freeholds, baith spiritual 
 and temporal, that in the making of this "Whitsunday set, they 
 statute and ordain that all their tenants plant woods and trees, 
 and make hedges, and saw broom, after the faculties of their 
 mailings in place condiment therefor, under sic pain as law and 
 inlaw of the Baron or Lord shall modify." In the 6th Parlia-
 
 12 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 ment of James IV., 11th March 1503, it is also enacted, " Item, 
 it is statute and ordained anent policy to hehalden in the country, 
 that every Lord and Laird make them to have parks with deer, 
 stanks, cunningares [rabbit warrens], dowcatts [dovecots], 
 orchards, hedges, and plant at the least ane acre of wood, where 
 there is na great woods nor forests." Again, we find in the 
 fourth Parliament of James V, 7th June, 1535, "The above 
 ratified ; and that every man having an hundred pounds land 
 of new extent, where there is no wood, plant, and make hedges 
 and haining, extending to three acres, and that the tenants of 
 every merk land plant a tree." In 1616, at the close of one of 
 those numerous insurrections fomented by the Macdonalds, 
 Lords of the Isles, we find the leading island chiefs being bound 
 over at Edinburgh, amongst other things, to build " civil and 
 comlie " houses, or repair those that were decayed, and to have 
 " policie and planting about them." Still further, we find it 
 enacted, so late as the second Parliament of Charles II., 19th 
 October, 1669, "All preceding Acts ratified, and that every 
 heritor, liferenter, or wadsetter [bondholder], worth £1000 of 
 valued rent, enclose yearly for ten years next ensuing, four acres 
 of ground, and plant the same with oak and other trees, at three 
 yards distance ; and other heritors of greater or less rents 
 accordingly ; and that they uphold the same." 
 
 At the close of the Civil Wars, when the people became 
 somewhat settled in their habits, more enlightened views regard- 
 ing arboriculture began to prevail, and the landlords saw it to be 
 to their advantage to do voluntarily what had hitherto been 
 enforced by Acts of Parliament. From 1720 to 1735, the pro- 
 prietors of various estates, accordingly, began to save what 
 remained of the ancient woods, and to turn available land into 
 new plantations. In this they were greatly encouraged in diffe- 
 rent ways. " The Society of Improvers," for instance, founded 
 at Edinburgh, in 1723, and which included most of the Scottish 
 nobles, made a very good start in this direction. One of its most 
 prominent members, Thomas Hope of Eankeilor, in order to 
 furnish an example of what might be done, leased from the city 
 of Edinburgh a morass called Straton's Loch, and having 
 drained it, "raised beautiful hedges and trees, where (in 1743)
 
 THE PAST AND THE PRESENT. 13 
 
 gentlemen and ladies resort." This land has now long been 
 known as " the Meadows." " The Edinburgh Society for 
 encouraging Arts, Sciences, Manufactures, and Agriculture," 
 founded in 1755, went a step farther. In the first year of its 
 existence, a prize of £10 was offered to "the farmer who 
 planted the greatest number (not under 1000) of timber trees, 
 oak, beech, ash, or elm, in hedgerows, before December 1756," 
 and a prize of £5 to the second, "not under 500." A prize of 
 £6 was also offered " to the farmer who should rear the greatest 
 number (not under 2000) of young thorn plants before 
 December 1758 ; and a sum of £i for the second greatest 
 number, not under 1000." The prize for planting the largest 
 number of timber trees was awarded to Mr Alexander Baxter, 
 farmer, Woodhead, Borrowstounness ; and the second prize to 
 Mr Alexander Walker, farmer, Auquhiry, Dunnottar, Kin- 
 cardineshire. When the Highland and Agricultural Society 
 was founded in 1781, another decided advance was made 
 in the direction of improving and extending woodlands. 
 The first attempt of this kind was in the year 1805, when 
 premiums were offering fur the raising of osiers and willows. 
 In 1809, the Society, convinced that there was a good deal 
 of ground, especially on the north-west coast of Scotland, 
 which it would be advantageous both for proprietors and the 
 country to have planted, offered honorary premiums to 
 proprietors in this part of the country who should, betwixt 
 February 1810, and 10th April 1812, plant the greatest extent 
 of ground, after being properly enclosed ; one half of the plants 
 to be larch or hardwood. The premiums excited considerable 
 attention, and the result was that a gold medal, bearing a 
 suitable inscription, was awarded to each of the following 
 gentlemen : — Alexander Maclean of Ardgower ; Alexander 
 Maclean of Coll ; Ranald Macdonald of Staffa ; Hugh Innes of 
 Lochalsh, M.P.; and John Mackenzie of Applecross, all of 
 whom had formed extensive plantations on their properties. 
 In 1821 and 1822 honorary premiums were awarded for the 
 greatest extent of ground planted and enclosed within the 
 county of Dumbarton, the Isle of Skye, and small isles adjacent, 
 as well as the Black Isle in Eoss-shire. The first premium (a
 
 14 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 piece of plate valued fifteen guineas), for the islands was 
 awarded to Lord Macdonald, who planted 149,600 trees ; and a 
 similar premium for the mainland was awarded to Colin 
 Mackenzie of Kilcoy, who planted 501,000 trees on about 379 
 acres. A piece of plate, valued fifteen guineas, was also 
 awarded to H. Macdonald Buchanan of Drumakill, Dumbarton- 
 shire, who planted 261,000 trees on about 50 acres ; and a 
 second prize, a piece of plate valued ten guineas, was awarded 
 to Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, Bart., who planted 396,900 
 trees on above 61 acres. The first premium awarded to a tenant 
 for planting appears to have been in 1823, when eight guineas 
 were granted to Lachlan M'Lean, tacksman of Tallisker, Isle of 
 Skye, " as a mark of the Society's approbation for his having 
 planted a considerable extent of ground, after being properly 
 enclosed, upon his farm." In the following year, we note that 
 a piece of plate, valued fifteen guineas, was voted to Colonel 
 M'Neill of Barra for extensive planting. Since this period 
 numerous premiums have been awarded for planting, as well as 
 a large number of prizes for papers on almost every subject 
 connected with arboriculture, a variety of papers on this subject 
 having been long a prominent feature in the " Transactions " of 
 the Society. For upwards of a century, then, the woods and 
 forests have been receiving considerable attention, and nowhere 
 have they received more attention than in Perthshire. In 
 every corner of the county plantations adapted to the soils and 
 climate now adorn the landscape, the most common being the 
 various varieties of the pine, although oak, ash, sycamore, and 
 beech also grow abundantly. The pine predominates in the higher 
 lands ; the oak in lower lands and the valleys of the Grampians, 
 where the climate is congenial and the soil light and dry ; the 
 ash grows spontaneously by the side of almost every stream or 
 lake ; the alder abounds in the swamps ; and the birch climbs 
 boldly up the sides of the Highland glens. Less than a hundred 
 years ago, many of the hills, particularly in the Sidlaw range, 
 were only covered with heath, where now they carry loads of 
 valuable timber. 
 
 In this work of improvement a number of the larger pro- 
 prietors have taken a prominent part. Amongst the more
 
 THE PAST AND THE PKESENT. 15 
 
 distinguished of these was the Duke of A thole, already referred 
 to, whose accession occurred in 1774. On succeeding to the 
 property, that nohleman planted the enormous number of 15,473 
 English acres of woods, or somewhere about twenty-seven 
 millions Of trees. A fragment more than the half of these were 
 larches, about 1 000 acres were oak, the remainder being princi- 
 pally Scots fir, spruce, and birch. On the Breadalbane, Scone, 
 Murtly, Abercairny, Blair-Drummond, Dupplin, Moncreilfe, and 
 other extensive properties, a great deal of planting has been 
 going on during the same period, of all of which we shall have 
 more to say afterwards. 
 
 It is only within the past few years that any notice was 
 taken in the Agricultural Returns of the country of the extent 
 of woods and forests. A return of the acreage of woods and 
 forests in Scotland appears to have been obtained in 1812, 
 when Perthshire was returned as having 203,880 acres under 
 wood, being by far the largest acreage of any county in Scotland, 
 the next highest being Aberdeen, with 148,800. Of these 
 203,880 acres, 61,164 are represented as having been planted, 
 the remaining 142,716 acres being natural woods. What, 
 perhaps, may be termed the first regular notice of woods and 
 forests in the Government returns occurs in the report for 1869, 
 but it is rather remarkable, that, although we have in this 
 report returns from five foreign countries, there are no returns 
 for Great Britain or Ireland. A return of the woods and 
 plantations in this country was first obtained in 1871. The 
 acreage of woodland was ascertained by the officers of Inland 
 Revenue employed to collect the agricultural returns from the 
 best sources of information available in their respective districts, 
 as " a column for this information could not have been usefully 
 added to the form issued to occupiers of land, as woods are not 
 often held by farmers." The result of the special return for 
 woods, coppices, and plantations showed a total acreage so 
 occupied in Great Britain in 1871 of 2,175,471, of which 
 1,314,316 acres were in England, 126,625 acres were in Wales, 
 734,530 in Scotland, and 324,285 in Ireland. In 1872 the 
 collecting officers were instructed to examine the first returns, 
 with the view of testing their general accuracy, and in
 
 16 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 consequence of this revision the acreage for England was 
 slightly increased, and that for Scotland slightly reduced, the 
 amended return standing at 1,325,675 acres for England, 
 126,823 for Wales, and 734,490 for Scotland. The total 
 acreage in Scotland under wood in 1812 is returned as 913,695, 
 there being thus a falling-off of no less than 179,205 acres 
 during the intervening sixty years. The falling off in Perth- 
 shire alone was 120,355 acres, being the difference between 
 203,880 acres and 83,525, as ascertained in 1872. As 
 compared with 1812, 28 out of the 33 counties in Scotland 
 show a decrease of the area under wood in 1872, and 16 show 
 an increase. The land under woods and plantations is not 
 considered to vary sufficiently to require a new return to be 
 taken annually, and the acreage ascertained in 1872 was 
 reported up till 1880. In that year, however, a special return of 
 woods and plantations was obtained. This return showed that 
 since 1872 the acreage had increased from 2,187,000 acres to 
 2,409,000, or nearly 10 per cent. In 1881 an amended return 
 was obtained, and several corrections made. The following 
 table, compiled from the agricultural returns, although it shows 
 no variation in the acreage of woods until 1880, will be interesting, 
 as showing the great alterations now in progress in Perthshire 
 in the acreage of orchards and land used by nurserymen : — 
 
 Year. 
 
 Okchahds, &c. 
 
 Acreage of Arable 
 
 or Grass Lands, 
 
 but also used for 
 
 Fruit Trees of any 
 
 kind. 
 
 NUHSEllT 
 
 Grounds. 
 
 Woods. 
 
 Land used by 
 
 Kurserymen for 
 
 growing Trees, 
 
 Shrubs, &c. 
 
 Coppices or Planta- 
 tions, excepting 
 Gorse Land and 
 
 Garden Shrubbery. 
 
 1871 
 
 2110 
 
 
 
 83,525 
 
 1872 
 1873 
 1874 
 1875 
 
 1098 
 743 
 789 
 302 
 
 239 
 86 
 94 
 
 100 
 
 83,525 
 83,525 
 83,525 
 83,525 
 
 1876 
 
 265 
 
 114 
 
 83,525 
 
 1877 
 1878 
 
 378 
 349 
 
 74 
 89 
 
 83,525 
 83,525 
 
 1879 
 1880 
 1881 
 
 350 
 327 
 398 
 
 100 
 
 92 
 
 105 
 
 83,525 
 91,333 
 94,563 
 
 1882 
 
 394 
 
 99 
 
 94,563
 
 THE PAST AND THE PRESENT. 
 
 17 
 
 The table given below, also compiled from the Agricul- 
 tural Eeturns, shows the acreage of wood grown in Perthshire, 
 as compared with the other counties in Scotland, Orkney and 
 Shetland being excluded, as no return from that part of the 
 country have been published. It will be noticed from the table 
 that Perthshire shows the third largest acreage under wood, 
 Inverness topping the list with 162,201 acres, Aberdeen being 
 second with 103,156, while the acreage of Perthshire is 94,563. 
 
 Counties. 
 
 Orchards, &c. 
 
 Acreage of Arable or 
 
 Grass Lands, but also 
 
 used for Fruit Trees 
 
 of any kind. 
 
 Nursery Grounds. 
 
 Lands used by 
 
 Nurserymen for 
 
 growing Trees, 
 
 Shrubs, &c. 
 
 Woods. 
 
 Coppices or Planta- 
 tions, excepting 
 Gorse Land and 
 
 Garden Shrubbery. 
 
 Aberdeen 
 
 34 
 
 3 
 
 162 
 
 12 
 
 31 
 
 1 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 52 
 
 125 
 26 
 36 
 52 
 
 148 
 26 
 
 36 
 
 531 
 
 5 
 
 12 
 
 398 
 33 
 18 
 26 
 2 
 42 
 
 6 
 
 214 
 
 2 
 
 97 
 
 4 
 
 21 
 
 18 
 
 3 
 
 12 
 
 189 
 
 477 
 
 93 
 
 40 
 
 104 
 
 6 
 
 77 
 
 12 
 
 25 
 
 39 
 
 11 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 105 
 
 64 
 
 10 
 
 59 
 
 2 
 
 56 
 
 76 
 
 103,156 
 42,741 
 22,177 
 28,188 
 13,376 
 
 3,454 
 210 
 
 2,028 
 
 7,926 
 31,162 
 11,354 
 50,130 
 19,471 
 30,287 
 10,474 
 162,201 
 27,880 
 
 2,576 
 19,741 
 18,780 
 
 4, Ml!) 
 13,241 
 10,177 
 94,563 
 
 5.424 
 43,201 
 14,679 
 
 3,228 
 12,483 
 12.260 
 
 8,009 
 
 Argyll 
 
 Avr 
 
 Banff 
 
 Berwick 
 
 Bute 
 
 Caithness 
 
 Clackmannan 
 
 Dumbarton 
 
 Dumfries 
 
 Edinburgh 
 
 Elgin or Moray 
 
 Fife 
 
 Forfar 
 
 Haddington. 
 
 Kincardine 
 
 
 Kirkcudbright 
 
 Lanark 
 
 Linlithgow 
 
 Nairn 
 
 Peebles 
 
 Perth 
 
 Renfrew 
 
 Ross and Cromarty 
 
 Roxburgh 
 
 Selkirk 
 
 Stirling 
 
 Wigtown 
 
 
 Total for Scotland 
 
 1,832 
 
 1,825 
 
 829,476 
 
 B
 
 18 WOODS, 1'ORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 When we come to look at the pecuniary value of the woods and 
 forests of Perthshire, we find we have a very extensive interest 
 to deal with. From the statistics before us it is impossible to 
 arrive at anything like an accurate estimate of the money value 
 of the wood growing in the county, but an approximate calcula- 
 tion may be made that will be sufficient for our purpose. 
 According to the latest returns, there are 94,563 acres of planta- 
 tions, these including both young and old wood, as it is 
 impossible to ascertain from the returns the relative proportion 
 and value of each. "We believe, however, we are taking a very 
 moderate estimate when we say that the woods all over the 
 county should average £35 an acre. This would make the 
 total value nearly three millions and a half. It will thus be seen 
 that the interest which we are considering is a most important 
 one from a monetary, as well as a national, point of view — a 
 fact which will become the more apparent as we proceed to deal 
 with the details.
 
 III. -THE PERTH NURSERIES. 
 
 Services rendered to Forestry by the Perth Nurseries — Their Formation 
 and Situation — Cultivation of Forest and Ornamental Trees — The 
 Latest Importations suitable for the Scottish Climate. 
 
 It is undeniable that Perthshire is, to a very large extent, 
 indebted to the Perth Nurseries for the splendid timber now 
 existing in its woods and forests ; and it is only proper that we 
 should commence our descriptive sketches with an account of 
 those grounds where so many of the trees which now adorn the 
 county have been trained. An old writer, referring to the 
 magnificent wood on Kinnoull Hill, incidentally remarks that 
 to the Perth Nurseries " the whole vicinity of Perth owes, in a 
 prime degree, the wealth and exuberance of plantation and 
 shrubbery which so extensively beautify it." This is not only 
 true as regards the neighbourhood of the city of Perth, but it might 
 be applied with equal force to the county generally, and, indeed, 
 to a large part of Scotland, both north and south of Perthshire. 
 Supposing the Perth Nurseries had done no more than brought 
 into existence the arboreal wealth which embellishes the 
 neighbourhood of the " Fair City," they would have accom- 
 plished something to be proud of, and would have deserved an 
 honourable place in any history of the woods and forests of 
 Perthshire. Without the waving forests that surround the 
 town on every side, — without the magnificent ornamental trees 
 that grow even within its borders, — Perth would not have been 
 entitled to the designation of the " Fair City." The everlasting 
 hills, which look down upon it from " a' the airts the wind can 
 blaw," would no doubt have enveloped it with a rugged 
 grandeur, even although unadorned with growing timber ; but 
 how naked and barren would have been the prospect ! The 
 great charm of the magnificent view to the north from the 
 centre of Perth Bridge is due to the luxuriant foliage that skirts
 
 20 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the eastern bank of the river, and extends as far into the 
 policies of Scone as the eye can reach ; while to the south the 
 eye is gratified by the refreshing sight of the dark green pines 
 which clothe the sides and summit of Kinnoull, and by the 
 variegated clumps and isolated trees which everywhere enrich 
 the landscape. What, need we ask, would even Kinnoull Hill 
 be without its plantations of pine ] These are some of the 
 arboreal features which surround Perth ; and for these we are 
 indebted, in a prime degree, to those Nurseries we propose to 
 describe. It must be borne in mind, however, that what they 
 have done for the immediate surroundings of the city is 
 absolutely insignificant compared with what they have done for 
 the county and the country at large. 
 
 We have said that the country at large has benefited by the 
 establishment of these Nurseries, but we might even go further, 
 and say that they have obtained a world-wide celebrity for their 
 splendid collections of trees, including coniferse, ornamental 
 shrubs, deciduous trees, rhododendrons, herbaceous and alpines, 
 not to speak of florists' flowers, roses, stove, greenhouse, orchi- 
 daceous plants, &c. The grounds were originally laid out in 
 17G6, by Mr James Dickson of Hassendean-burn, in Roxburgh- 
 shire, and at a very early period they obtained distinction for 
 the introduction of new and useful plants. The first collection 
 of double Scotch roses was raised from seed at the Perth 
 Nurseries, whence they were distributed over the country. For 
 some time back the newer kinds have taken their place, but the 
 double Scotch roses are again coming into favour, and are at 
 present largely inquired after. The superb Scarlet Hawthorn 
 [Crataegus oxyacantha punicea) was likewise raised here. 
 These Nurseries are also entitled to the distinguished honour of 
 being one of the first, if not the very first, to distribute one of 
 the most valuable roots the Scottish farmer has received from 
 foreign countries, — viz., the Swedish turnip, — a number of seeds 
 having been sent to the firm in an envelope by the great 
 botanist, Linnaeus, about the year 1772. 
 
 The Nurseries occupy a beautiful situation, and command a 
 view which cannot be excelled anywhere in the neighbourhood 
 of Perth. Being immediately adjacent to the picturesque Hill
 
 K 
 
 H 
 CS
 
 22 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEETHSHIRE. 
 
 of Kinnoull, they have the advantage of a most delightful 
 background ; and, with a wide stretch of the valley of the Tay in 
 front, the eye is carried over an extensive tract of rich country. 
 Before our feet lies the ancient city of Perth, the whole of which 
 is seen at a glance, with the " ample Tay " flowing past, bright 
 and transparent. A bend in the river directs attention to the 
 Palace of Scone, with its heavily-timbered park. Away in the 
 distance we look over the battlefield of Luncarty. to the slaty 
 hills of Logiealmond, and "great Birnarn wood," backed up by 
 the snow-capped Grampians. Turning round a little, we catch 
 a glance of Dunsinane Hill, which, like the " great wood," has 
 been rendered classic by the genius of Shakespeare. To the 
 left, the view is arrested by Moncreiffe Hill, whose fertile 
 slopes and pine-clad summit greatly enhance the beauty of the 
 scene. 
 
 Entering the Nurseries by the Bellwood approach, we 
 gradually ascend the side of the hill, and enjoy the invigorating 
 atmosphere, redolent of the\>zone from the flourishing pines of 
 Kinnoull. Here, we note, that the Nurseries are not only 
 remarkable for the beauty of their situation, but also for the 
 utility of the site for planting purposes. Lying on the northern 
 and western sides of the Hill of Kinnoull, they are fully 
 exposed to all the cutting blasts, which impart to the young 
 trees that hardiness and vigour so necessary for our Scottish 
 climate. The soil is variable. In some places a nice, friable 
 loam prevails, and in other places the ground is sandy, and 
 occasionally stiff-clay. In many places there are but a few 
 inches of soil, with whinstone cropping up, here and there, above 
 the surface. This variety is most serviceable for practical 
 experiments, and is of great advantage to intending planters. 
 "We noticed that in the loam and sandy ground the trees had a 
 most thriving appearance, and those that were lifted carried 
 large masses of fibrous roots. 
 
 The impetus which has lately been given to planting in the 
 United Kingdom in consequence of the rapid disappearance of 
 the forests in North America, Sweden, and Norway, has led to 
 special arrangements being made at the Perth Nurseries to supply 
 the large and increasing demand for timber trees. Great
 
 THE PERTH NURSERIES. 23 
 
 exertions are made during the season to get the stock into the 
 necessary state for safe removal ; and when it is mentioned that, 
 at a recent stocktaking, it was found that there were over ten 
 millions of trees of all kinds in these Nurseries, some idea may 
 he formed of the magnitude of the operations entailed to bring 
 them to a marketable condition. The immense number of seed- 
 ling beds of ordinary kinds of fir is something astonishing, and 
 no one can visit the grounds without being interested in the 
 enormous varied stock of all kinds, from the tiny seedling 
 to the largest trees grown for single specimens for planting in 
 parks and pleasure grounds. Although the proprietors have 
 always aimed at enriching their collection by adding all the new 
 introductions in every department, — especially if they are 
 sufficiently hardy to stand the climate,— still the arboricultural 
 experience of upwards of a century has not been thrown away. 
 They have found that the larch fir seeds, of which large 
 quantities are annually imported from the Tyrolese mountains 
 do not thrive in these Nurseries, and they consequently rely 
 upon home-saved seed. This has also been their experience with 
 native Scots fir. The imported seed is found to be useless, in 
 consequence of its inability to stand the climate. They are, 
 therefore, careful to sow nothing but home-grown seed. 
 
 In addition to the cultivation of enormous quantities of 
 forest trees, such as larch, spruce, silver, and Scots firs, Plnus 
 Laricio, P. Austriaca, A. Douglasii, sycamores, beech, ash, oak, 
 &c, thorns or quicks, for fences, are largely raised. The recent 
 introduction of so many fine and hardy conifers from the Crimea, 
 California, British Columbia, the Eocky Mountains, the 
 Himalayas, China, and Japan, has created a great demand for 
 those best adapted for ornament and timber. With an enterprise 
 worthy of the reputation of these grounds, the present proprietor, 
 Mr John A. Anderson, — who has been associated with the 
 Nurseries for nearly half-a-century, and has been enabled to do 
 more to find out the truly hardy varieties of trees of all sorts 
 than probably any other person living,— has endeavoured to 
 secure selections of all the latest importations, so as to be able, 
 from actual cultivation, to speak with confidence of their 
 respective merits. It is satisfactory to learn that most of the
 
 24 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 importations from the countries named have stood the test of 
 the recent severe winters unscathed. 
 
 As the timber of many of those trees to which we have 
 referred as having successfully stood the test of the extraordinary 
 winters of 1878 and 1879 especially is of great value when 
 grown in their native habitats, we will endeavour to give 
 some idea of the estimation in which the most important of 
 them are held, which may, in some measure, serve as a guide to 
 planters, and at the same time supply much useful preliminary 
 information regarding many of the trees of which we shall 
 afterwards have occasion to speak. Of course, many years must 
 elapse before their utility in this country can be finally demon- 
 strated ; but the experience already obtained at the Perth 
 [Nurseries and elsewhere is of the very greatest value, and will 
 help to determine the future profitableness of the different 
 varieties if extensively planted. 
 
 The first of the trees to which attention may be directed is 
 Abies Albertiana, which is found growing 150 feet high in 
 California, with a trunk from 4 to 5 feet in diameter, the wood 
 being soft and tough. It thrives in a deep rich soil, and in moss- 
 land if not too wet. The tree is named in memory of the late 
 lamented Prince Consort, whose skill and zeal in the collection 
 of coniferous plants at Osborne are beyond all praise. 
 
 Abies Douglasii is found growing in the forests of California 
 to the enormous height of 300 feet. The wood is heavy, of 
 the same colour as the yew, and is superior to the best red deal. 
 It may be interesting to • note that the principal flagstaff at the 
 International Exhibition of 1862 was taken from a specimen of 
 this tree 309 feet high ! Several magnificent specimens are to 
 be seen at Murtly Castle, Scone, and other places in Perthshire, 
 where they have shown a wonderful adaptability to the climate 
 of this locality. It has been found that they will not succeed in 
 stiff soils, — a light, rich soil being most suitable. 
 
 Abies Engelmannii and Abies Parry ana are both from the 
 Eocky Mountains and the valleys of California. They are 
 exceedingly hardy, being found at the highest altitudes in the 
 Eocky Mountains as dense bushes. They grow quickest in 
 rich soils, but at home they grow in any soils, except stiff clay.
 
 THE PERTH NURSERIES. 25 
 
 Abies Menziesii is a beautiful tree from California and the 
 western slopes of the Ilocky Mountains. It is a noble tree 
 when in good condition, but requires a deep rich soil and some 
 shelter from cutting winds. 
 
 Abies Morinda (syn. Smithiana and Khutrow) is an importa- 
 tion from the Himalayas, where it is found associated with Pinus 
 excelsa and Cedrus Deodara, at an altitude as high as from 7000 
 to 10,000 feet. It is therefore eminently adapted for mountain 
 planting ; and like its two associates, it should, if possible, be pro- 
 tected from south-west winds. We shall have some additional 
 remarks applicable to. this tree when we come to speak of the 
 Cedrus Deodara. 
 
 Abies oriental is is one of the handsomest of the spruces, and 
 very hardy. It is a native of the Crimea, and is not a large 
 tree, only attaining a height of from 70 to 80 feet. Its value 
 as a timber tree is not yet known. 
 
 Abies Tsuga (syn. Sieboldii) is a quite recent introduction. 
 It bears a close resemblance to Abies Pattoniana, but is yet quite 
 distinct. If grown in deep, rich, friable soil, it has every 
 appearance of proving a handsome tree. 
 
 Araucaria imbricata, a really noble tree, is found growing on 
 the sides of the Andes of Chili. It must be planted in an 
 elevated situation, as it is frequently injured by severe winters 
 when planted in low and moist situations. In its native regions 
 it attains a height of from 80 to 150 feet, and produces the 
 heaviest timber of all the conifers. The wood is also very 
 durable. 
 
 Cedrus Atlantica (the silver or Mount Atlas cedar) is also a 
 handsome and noble tree. It is found growing on the Atlas 
 range in Northern Africa, to the height of 100 feet. It is 
 believed to be best adapted for elevated situations. The timber 
 is durable, and of considerable value. 
 
 Cedrus Deodara (the Indian cedar), as has been already 
 mentioned, grows on the Himalaya Mountains, at a very high 
 altitude, where it attains an immense size. It reaches a height 
 of from 150 to 200 feet, and in many instances the side branches 
 are as large as ordinary trees. Along with Pinus excelsa and 
 Abies Morinda, it requires a moist soil and situation. In their
 
 26 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEETHSfflEE. 
 
 native state the finest trees are found growing on lofty plateaus, 
 sheltered from the south-west winds hy immense masses of pro- 
 jecting rocks. In spring and summer the perpetual snow of the 
 Himalayas is melted to a considerahle extent hy the sun, and 
 flows down the sides of the mountains, converting the plateaus 
 into hogs. This has evidently heen overlooked in the plant- 
 ing of the tree in this country, and, consequently, it has 
 not answered the expectations that were formed of it 
 hy planters. In many instances it has died at the top, 
 gradually decaying downwards, after attaining the height of 
 from 25 to 30 feet. The timber of this tree, when matured, is of 
 great value. It is found in Hindoo temples above one thousand 
 years old, and still perfectly sound, no insect being found 
 about it. It is susceptible of a very beautiful polish. 
 
 Cupressus Laivsoniana — one of the most elegant, beautiful, 
 and graceful of trees — can be planted anywhere, and thrive in 
 almost any situation. It is a native of California, where it 
 grows 100 feet high, and 6 feet in circumference. The timber 
 is of excellent quality, easily worked, and emits a strong 
 aromatic fragrance. This is a tree which it is desirable should 
 be largely planted. C. Lmvsoniana striata viridis is an upright 
 variety, and equally valuable. 
 
 Cupressus Nutkaensis (Tliujopsis horealis) is a most valuable 
 and hardy tree, of quick growth, symmetrical habit, and of 
 large size, being found 100 feet high in British Columbia and 
 Vancouver's Island. It is also suitable for any soil. 
 
 Cryptomeria elegans is a very beautiful Japanese tree, of 
 rapid growth. In the winter months the foliage is of a rich 
 bronze hue, and presents a pleasing contrast to the sombre 
 colour of many of the Pinus. This is a tree that might also be 
 largely planted with advantage. 
 
 Juniperus sinensis, a native of China, is one of our best trees 
 for ornamental purposes. It is very hardy, and adapted for any 
 soil. This tree, as well as its variety, Young's golden Chinese 
 juniper, is so highly valued that no collection should be without 
 some specimens. 
 
 Libocedrus decurrens, often erroneously called Thuja gigantea, 
 is a native of California. It is a very handsome tree, growing
 
 THE PERTH NURSERIES. 27 
 
 from 50 to 60 feet high, and is best adapted for elevated 
 positions, being found in its native country at an altitude of 
 from 4000 to 5000 feet. 
 
 Picea concolor and P. concolor violacea are two recent intro- 
 ductions from California, evidently allied to P. lasiocarpo., yet 
 distinct. They have at present every appearance of being 
 hardy and valuable. 
 
 Picea firma (the Japanese silver fir) is a noble tree, of con- 
 siderable size, and is found at an elevation of from 2000 to 
 4000 feet. The timber is soft, and is much used by Japanese 
 upholsterers. 
 
 Picea grandis, a magnificent tree found on the banks of 
 Fraser's Eiver, California. It is of quick and robust growth, 
 and attains a height of from 200 to 250 feet. The quality of 
 tho timber has not yet been ascertained. 
 
 Picea lasiocarpa (syn. Lowii and Parsonsii) is one of the most 
 beautiful trees known. Of quick growth and very hardy, it 
 forms a noble tree in California, attaining the height of 250 
 feet. The timber of all the silver firs will, no doubt, be 
 valuable when matured. 
 
 Picea nohilis (the noble silver fir) is also one of the most 
 magnificent of trees. It is of rapid growth, and forms immense 
 forests on the mountains of California. This tree attains a 
 height of 200 feet, and the timber, as is pretty well known, is 
 very valuable 
 
 Picea Nordmanniana is also a grand fir, which seems to thrive 
 everywhere. When young, it is particularly handsome, and 
 attracts universal admiration. It is a native of the Crimea, 
 where it attains the height of about 100 feet. The wood is hard 
 and good. 
 
 Picea polita is an ornamental Japanese variety. 
 
 Pinus aristata is a small tree from the snowy mountains of 
 North America. It grows from 30 to 40 feet high, and is a very 
 useful ornamental variety. 
 
 Pinus Benihamiana, a very large and noble pine, found in 
 California, growing to the height of upwards of 200 feet. The 
 timber is very good, and the tree is considered to be specially 
 adapted for the pinetum in this country.
 
 28 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Pinus excelsa is such a magnificent tree that the Hindoos call 
 it the " King of the Pines." It is found growing with C. 
 Deodara at an altitude of from 5000 to 12,000 feet above the 
 sea, and attains a height of 150 feet. The timber is white, soft, 
 and strong; and the tree produces a large quantity of clear, 
 fragrant, and pure turpentine. 
 
 Pinus Jeffreyi forms a very handsome tree. It grows to 
 a height of 150 feet in California, and the timber is very 
 good. 
 
 Pinus monticola is one of the most beautiful and hardy of 
 the Californian pines, with fine glaucous foliage. It is found 
 growing on poor soil on the sides of the Bocky Mountains, and 
 attains a height of about 100 feet. The timber is white, fine 
 in grain, and tough. 
 
 Pinus parviflora, a small growing tree from Japan, and 
 having beautiful glaucous foliage, is very suitable for orna- 
 mental purposes. 
 
 Pinus ponder osa is a large and splendid tree found in many 
 parts of California. It grows to a height of 100 feet. The 
 wood is hard, very durable, and so heavy that it sinks in 
 water. 
 
 Retinospora dbtusa is a magnificent evergreen tree from 
 Japan. It is found in the forests on the mountains of the 
 island of ISTiphon, growing to a height of from 70 to 100 
 feet. The timber is white and finely grained, and is very 
 beautiful when polished. It is likely to prove exceedingly 
 valuable in this country. 
 
 Retinospora pisifera is another very fine Japanese conifer 
 that should be largely planted. 
 
 Retinospora plumosa is one of the finest introductions from 
 Japan, being hardy and of very graceful habit. 
 
 Retinospora plumosa aurea is another very beautiful variety 
 of R. plumosa. All the Retinosporas thrive and grow freely in 
 any soil, except wet bog. 
 
 Sciadopitys verticillata (the Umbrella Pine) is also a beautiful 
 plant from Japan, where it is said to grow to a height of 140 
 feet. From its unique appearance, it forms a very valuable 
 addition to our collection of conifers.
 
 THE PERTH NURSERIES. 29 
 
 Thuja Lobbii (syn. Menziesii) is evidently the true Thuja 
 gigantea, the plant usually known by that name being 
 Libocedrus decurrens. It is one of the fastest growing trees 
 known, is of large size, and the foliage is of a fine shiny green. 
 It is a native of California, and, like many other trees from that 
 country, deserves to be largely planted here. 
 
 Thujopsis dolobrata variegata ranks amongst the handsomest 
 trees known. It is of rapid growth, and in its native country 
 (Japan) its timber is very highly valued. It is said to attain a 
 height of more than 200 feet in its native habitats. Professor 
 Thunberg calls it the most beautiful of evergreen trees, and 
 worthy of extensive cultivation, not only as a single specimen, 
 but as a permanent timber tree. It adapts itself to almost any 
 soil and locality, but high altitudes and moist places seem to 
 suit it best. 
 
 Thujopsis Standishii is also a very fine tree, and, from 
 its rapid growth, is likely to prove valuable in this 
 country. 
 
 Wellingtonia gigantea is a magnificent tree from California. 
 It was found growing in a valley on the slopes of the Sierra 
 Nevada by Douglas in 1831. It is one of the most distinct and 
 beautiful of trees, perfectly hardy, and well adapted for hill- 
 planting in this country, its rapid growth being also a great 
 recommendation. 
 
 Our object in so fully describing the above selection from the 
 unique collection of coniferous plants grown in the Nursery has 
 been to present a list of those most likely to prove useful and 
 hardy trees in Perthshire and the surrounding counties. Many 
 beautiful trees are omitted on account of their not being 
 sufficiently hardy to be useful for our climate. There are, for 
 instance, the glorious Cedar of Lebanon and the Redwood of 
 California (Taxodium sempervirens), two splendid trees, to be 
 found in many places in the south and west of England, although 
 suffering from frost with us. 
 
 As the object of this work is mainly to describe the condition 
 of arboriculture in Perthshire, it would be somewhat foreign to 
 our purpose to give a detailed account of those portions of the 
 Nurseries occupied with fruit trees, roses, &c, not forgetting
 
 30 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the extensive glass structures and their valuable contents. We 
 may state, however, that we found throughout the whole of 
 these departments the same care bestowed in the selection and 
 cultivation as in the arboricultural section. Any one paying a 
 visit to these extensive grounds will enjoy a treat that will long 
 be remembered, and will meet with the utmost courtesy from 
 the principals and officials connected with the establishment.
 
 IY.—ATHOLE. 
 
 The Varied Attractions of Athole — Its Position in the History of Scottish 
 Forestry — First Extensive Larch Plantations — Introduction of Larch 
 into Scotland — Result of a " Social Crack " and " a Waught " from 
 a "Pocket Pistol" — The Value of Larch — First Attempt at 
 Mountain Planting in Scotland— Planting of Larch as a Forest Tree — 
 "Humble Petition of Bruar Water "—Cost of Planting— Extent of 
 Plantations — First Attempts to use Larch for Shipbuilding — Satis- 
 factory Experiments— Beauty of Dunkeld — Walk through the Woods 
 at Dunkeld and Blair- Athole— Blair Castle— The Athole Family — 
 Destruction of Woods by Recent Storms. 
 
 There is no district in Perthshire, indeed no district in the 
 country, that presents more varied attractions than Athole. 
 Those who delight in historic scenes will find in Athole all their 
 hearts can desire, as here some of the most stirring events in 
 early Scottish history have been enacted. The ancient town of 
 Dunkeld, with its magnificent cathedral, carries the mind back 
 to the remote period of the Picts, when, as is supposed, it was 
 a seat of royalty. Coming to the romantic Pass of Killiecrankie, 
 and the ancient Castle of Blair, we tread upon ground that 
 has been traversed by many Highland armies ; where some of the 
 most desperate battles that have ever taken place upon Scottish 
 soil have been fought ; and where rest the remains of not a few 
 of Scotland's heroes. To the lover of Nature, too, Athole 
 presents unrivalled charms. Although situated in the most 
 northern portion of Perthshire, it possesses, in many parts, the 
 characteristics of Lowland as well as of Highland scenery ; and 
 in some places, notably at Dunkeld, the Highland and the 
 Lowland landscapes are so beautifully blended that the scenery 
 becomes positively enchanting. Everywhere the face of the 
 country is of the most picturesque description. Lofty 
 mountains tower in all directions, many of them rising to 
 close upon 4000 feet above the level of the sea. Numerous
 
 32 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 glens of surpassing beauty ; extensive lakes and classic streams 
 and waterfalls ; deep, solemn forests, lonely moors, and fertile 
 plains, combine to make the district without a rival in natural 
 beauty. It is impossible* to deny that much of this beauty is 
 due to those " solemn forests " to which we have referred, and 
 to the judicious way in which the planting of the property has 
 been carried out. Athole, like the rest of the country, suffered 
 materially during the troublous times, by the cutting down of 
 the woods ; but although at no very remote period there was. 
 scarcely such a thing as a tree to be seen, the property now 
 affords such an excellent illustration of what can be done in a 
 very short time in the way of forest-planting, that arborists 
 point to it with no ordinary interest and pleasure. 
 
 As there is no district which occupies a more interesting or a 
 more important place in the history of forestry in this country, 
 than Athole, so there are no names more honourably associated 
 with successful planting than the Dukes of Athole. John, the 
 fourth Duke, like most proprietors of his day, found that his 
 extensive patrimony was almost denuded of that sylvan beauty 
 which so greatly enhances the value of an estate, and contributes 
 to the internal strength of the nation. Besides adding to the 
 richness of the scenery of a land which Nature has favoured in no 
 ordinary degree, his Grace, with that business-like capacity which 
 has always characterised the Dukes of Athole, saw that by 
 judicious planting he would, at no very distant day, develop a 
 source of wealth so prolific as almost to baffle calculation. 
 He had the great honour of being the first to plant larch (Larix 
 Earopea) to any extent in this country. The larch is mentioned 
 by Parkinson in his Paradissus as early as the year 1629, but 
 at that time it was " nursed up but with a few, and those lovers 
 of rarities." Till towards the middle of the 18th century, 
 however, no one appears to have thought of planting it with the 
 view of profit, or to have regarded it as calculated to afford 
 timber for naval and other purposes. It is supposed that Good- 
 wood, the property of the Duke of Richmond, was the first place 
 at which larch was planted as a forest tree in this country, but 
 there it was only in small numbers. Duke John, however, 
 rightly concluded that if the larch grew naturally in elevated
 
 ATHOLE. 33 
 
 situations, among the central alpine ranges of the continent of 
 Europe, it would also grow with vigour in any other alpine 
 country, the mean temperature of which was not materially 
 below that of its native site, and the mountains of which could 
 afford due shelter from the influence of sea air. The experiment, 
 at all events, was well worthy of a trial. "We learn from a rare 
 account of the larch plantations, prepared in 1832 from papers 
 and documents attested by the fourth Duke's own hands — and 
 to which we are much indebted — that his Grace entered into 
 the project with the greatest enthusiasm, and with the liveliest 
 expectations of success. In 1815, before he commenced to 
 plant the great larch forests with which his name is associated, 
 he remarked that " if one-fourth part of the product of 2,000,000 
 larches arrive to maturity in 72 years, by the time the present 
 century expires, it will supply all the demands required by 
 Great Britain for war or commerce. The success which has 
 attended my efforts will probably induce, and indeed has 
 induced, many already to plant to an extent which will not 
 only meet the wants of Great Britain, but enable her, possibly 
 within a century, to export wood to an immense amount. Under 
 these circumstances, the prices of wood for shipbuilding may, 
 and probably will, be much decreased at the same time. The 
 grounds I have planted, and intend to plant, I consider admir- 
 ably calculated to produce the best ivood ; and I think, too, that 
 my plantations will be the first in the market for a number 
 of years, to any considerable extent ; and, lastly, the greater 
 quantity, though of less price, will make up and probably be 
 productive of an income to a much greater amount than that of 
 any subject in the kingdom. The price of larch-wood will, no 
 doubt, always be regulated according to the demand ; but I 
 have no hesitation in saying that the price, when the wood is 
 thoroughly known, will long continue superior to the best foreign 
 timber, and little inferior to the oak." 
 
 The tree in which Duke John took such a lively interest was 
 introduced into Scotland in 1738, when Mr Menzies of Culdares, 
 in Glenlyon, brought a few small plants, -which had been 
 secured in the Tyrol, in his portmanteau from London. Five 
 of these he left at Dunkeld, and eleven at Blair-Athole, for 
 
 C
 
 34 WOODS, FORESTS. AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE 
 
 Duke James, the grandfather of the " Planting Duke," as he 
 was familiarly called. The five were planted in the lawn at 
 Dunkeld House, the soil heing of an alluvial gravelly nature, 
 abounding with rounded stones, and in a sheltered situation, at 
 an elevation of 40 feet above the Tay, and 130 feet above the 
 level of the sea. Two of the five were felled by Duke John in 
 1809, and one had been cut by mistake about twenty years before, 
 and made into mdl axles. Of the two felled in 1809, one, con- 
 taining 147 cubic feet of timber, was sent to Woolwich Dock- 
 yard, and formed into beams for the repair of the Serapis 
 store-ship. The other, containing 168 cubic feet, was bought 
 on the spot by Messrs Symes & Co., shipbuilders, Leith, at 3s. 
 per foot, or £20, 4s. the tree. The two parent larches which 
 remain are still growing in great vigour, and will be referred 
 to afterwards. The eleven which were planted at Blair- Athole, 
 at an elevation of 500 feet above the level of the sea, 
 measured, in 1817, from 8 to 12 feet in girth; now, those 
 that remain are not far behind their contemporaries at Dun- 
 keld in size. Although these were actually the first larch 
 trees introduced into Scotland, a few were also planted about 
 the same time by other proprietors, and some rather curious 
 stories are told as to how these proprietors obtained possession 
 of the plants which are now no mean rivals of the Dunkeld 
 trees. A very good story is told as to how these interesting 
 trees were introduced into Belladrum, in Ross-shire. It is said 
 that the then proprietor of Belladrum, who possessed keen 
 arboricultural tastes, visited the Duke of Athole at Dunkeld 
 House about 1738. In the course of a walk through the grounds 
 one morning he came across the gardener on his way to plant a 
 number of young larches, and, evidently fully alive not only 
 to the scarcity of the plants, but also to their importance, the 
 laird of Belladrum determined, by hook or by crook, to obtain 
 possession of some of them. He politely asked the gardener to 
 oblige him with a few plants, but the gardener was equal to the 
 occasion, and as politely refused. The gardener was then 
 tempted by a sum of money to part with a portion of his 
 treasure, but the sight of the "filthy lucre" had the effect of 
 making the gardener the more determined in his refusal. The
 
 ATHOLE. 35 
 
 laird, however, was not to be thwarted in his object, and, 
 changing his tactics, he commenced a " social crack " with the 
 gardener, and produced his "pocket pistol." It is almost need- 
 less to say that the influence of the " crack," and a " waught or 
 twa" out of the "pistol," was so potent that the laird carried 
 off his plants in triumph. They are still standing, and are 
 almost equal to the larches at Dunkeld. In 1740, six larch 
 plants were brought up in the greenhouse at Dunkeld, but not 
 appearing to thrive in it they were planted out. They had 
 •evidently suffered from the warmth of the house, and, although 
 they have become fine trees, they are much smaller than many 
 larches that were planted after them. It is not mentioned in 
 the documents of his Grace whether they had been raised from 
 the seed, although the presumption is that they had been so 
 reared. Between 1740 and 1750, Duke James planted 350 
 larches at Dunkeld, at an elevation of 180 feet above the level 
 of the sea, and 873 at Blair, among limestone gravel, in a 
 sheltered situation, at an elevation of 560 feet above the sea, 
 the ground being worth from 20s. to 30s. per acre. Situated as 
 they were in the neighbourhood of Dunkeld House and Blair 
 Castle, they were evidently intended more as a trial of a new 
 species of tree than for forest timber. But in 1759, Duke James 
 planted 700 larches, over a space of 29 Scotch acres, intermixed 
 with other kinds of forest trees, with the view of trying the 
 value of the larch. This plantation extended up the face of a 
 hill from 200 to 400 feet above the level of the sea. The rocky 
 ground of which it was composed was not worth above <£3 a 
 year altogether, and covered with loose and crumbling masses of 
 mica-slate. This may be considered the first attempt at mountain- 
 planting in Scotland. According to the fashion of the time, 
 the trees were arranged in rows, and they converged towards 
 a small piece of water in the centre like radii. This con- 
 cluded the whole attempt at planting by Duke James. Before 
 he died, however, in January 1764, he had tried the quality 
 of the larch as timber, and was quite satisfied of its superiority 
 over other firs, even in trees of only eighteen or nineteen 
 years' standing. This plantation throve in the most satis- 
 factory way. In 1816, John, the fourth Duke, cut out a
 
 36 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 larch, aged 57 years, for naval purposes, and it was found to 
 contain 74 cubic feet of timber, and was sold, exclusive of all 
 expense, at 2s. 6d. per foot, or £9, 5s. the tree. "I don't believe," 
 said Duke John, speaking of this plantation, " there is another 
 species of tree in the 29 acres, oak included, except a'few spruces, 
 that would bring a guinea. Some of the spruces might contain 
 from 30 to 40 feet, and be worth 2s. a foot." 
 
 John, the third Duke, who was the first to conceive the idea 
 of planting larch by itself as a forest tree, succeeded to the 
 property in 1764. In 1768 he commenced by the planting of 
 three acres with larches alone on Craigvinean, above the wood 
 which Duke James planted on the same hill in 1759, at an 
 altitude of from 100 to 200 feet above it, or 500 or 600 feet 
 above the level of the sea, on soil that was not worth Is. per 
 acre. It is to him we are also indebted for the planting of the 
 sides of the hills about Dunkeld, and which contributes so 
 largely to the beauty of that charming locality. He enclosed a 
 considerable extent of ground for the planting of mixed wood,, 
 including 190 acres on Cragiebarns, 30 acres at Callie, 30 acres 
 at Haughend, 90 acres on Craigvinean, 25 acres of the Hermitage 
 plantation, and several small clumps, amounting in all to 5 or 6 
 acres. Besides this, he planted about 300 acres at Blair- Athole,. 
 forming a total of 665 acres, of which 410 acres were finished 
 before his death in 1774. The greatest obstacle to the progress 
 of planting was the scarcity, and consequent dearness, of the 
 larch plants. A few plants were raised by his Grace himself 
 from the cones gathered from some trees at Blair-Athole, but 
 this supply did not exceed 1000 plants in a season. All that 
 could, therefore, be obtained for planting did not exceed fifty 
 plants per acre in the large plantations ; and the rest of the 
 quantity, amounting to 4000 plants per Scotch acre, — that 
 being the allowance of plants to the acre at that time, — was- 
 made up of Scots fir, and the different kinds of hard wood. 
 The larch was planted at a height not exceeding 600 feet, and 
 the Scots fir at 90 feet above the level of the sea. Another 
 difficulty which the Duke had to encounter was from the broom> 
 furze, juniper, and heath, which flourished abundantly in the 
 region allotted to the larch, and which had not been entirely
 
 ATHOLE. 37 
 
 eradicated before the planting began. The broom, though 
 indicative of a good soil for larch, is a troublesome plant to 
 young trees, its long switch-like elastic twigs whipping their 
 tops violently in windy weather ; while the furze, with its thick- 
 set spiny branches, smothers, or draws up prematurely, the 
 young trees. These, and many other obstacles to successful 
 planting, would no doubt bave been speedily removed by the 
 Duke had he not frequently to be absent from home during the 
 sbort time he occupied the property. 
 
 Such were the state and extent of the larch plantations in 
 Athole when John, the fourth Duke, succeeded to the title in 
 1774. The first object of the new Duke was to plant the 225 
 acres which formed part of the plantations that were left 
 unfinished by his father. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining 
 larch plants, this, with the planting of some larches about the 
 Loch o' the Lows, occupied him till the year 1783. Hitherto, 
 the larch had been chiefly planted along with other trees ; but, 
 observing its rapid growth and hardy nature, the Duke deter- 
 mined on extending it to the steep acclivities of mountains of 
 greater altitude than any that had yet been tried. He com- 
 menced, between 1785 and 1786, by enclosing 29 acres on the 
 rugged summits of Craig-y-barns, and planting a stripe, almost 
 entirely of larch, among the crevices and hollows of the rocks 
 where the least soil could be found. As at this elevation some 
 of the larger kinds of natural plants grew, the ground required 
 no previous preparation or clearing. The expense of enclosing 
 and planting at this time was <£!, 19s. 1|<L per acre. From 1786 
 to 1791 the Duke planted 480 acres at Dunkeld, the greater 
 part of which was, owing to the difficulty of procuring a 
 sufficient number of plants, only sprinkled with larch, from 6 
 feet to 30 feet asunder ; and 200 acres at Blair-Athole, which 
 were planted wholly of larch at 6 feet apart. The number of 
 larch plants consumed in these plantations in the five years was 
 500,000. "Wages rose at this period, and, there being a greater 
 substitution of larch for Scots fir, the expense of planting was 
 considerably increased, the planting, with the enclosing, amount- 
 ing to £2, 10s. 6d. per acre. The pitting alone cost 10s. 6d. per 
 acre. In the eight vears from 1791 to 1799 the Duke still
 
 38 
 
 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 continued to diminish the number of Scots fir, and to increase- 
 that of the larch. It was between these years that so much wa& 
 done to beautify the banks of the Bruar Water, 70 acres being 
 planted around the beautiful waterfall rendered classic by our 
 national poet. The Bruar is, no doubt, indebted, in the first 
 
 THE FALLS OF BRTJAK. 
 
 instance, to Burns for much of the sylvan beauty of its banks ; 
 his keen eye for the beautiful detecting the one thing needful 
 to give grandeur to the scene, and his ready pen representing 
 the wants of Bruar Water in a way that would command
 
 ATHOLE. 39 
 
 attention from any one, far less so keen an arboriculturist as 
 Duke John — 
 
 " Would then my noble master please 
 
 To grant my highest wishes, 
 He'll shade my banks wi' tow'ring trees, 
 
 And bonny spreading bushes. 
 Delighted doubly then, my Lord, 
 
 You'll wander on my banks, 
 And listen mony a grateful bird 
 
 Return you tuneful thanks." 
 
 Duke John lost no time in answering the " Humble Petition of 
 Bruar Water," by adorning its banks with Scots fir, larch, 
 spruce, &c, a policy which has been continued by the present 
 Duke. The most of the trees originally planted at Bruar have 
 been blown down by gales between 1879 and 1883, and the 
 ground is now being replanted. Up till recently, however, the 
 whole of the wood along the Bruar side was in a most thriving 
 state, and, could the poet have gazed upon it his heart would 
 have been delighted to see — 
 
 *&" 
 
 " Lofty firs, and ashes cool, 
 
 The lowly banks o'erspread, 
 And view, deep bending in the pool, 
 
 Their shadow's wat'ry bed ! 
 Here fragrant birks, in woodbines drest, 
 
 The craggy cliffs adorn ; 
 And for the little songster's nest, 
 
 The close embow'ring thorn." 
 
 Even up to this period, his Grace had to contend against a great 
 scarcity of plants, as the value of the larch as a timber tree was 
 beginning to be appreciated. At Logierait, Inver, and Dunkeld, 
 the space altogether planted extended to 800 acres, 600 of 
 which were entirely of larch. The expense of planting tins 
 piece of larch was the same as the last, and the plants consumed 
 amounted to 800,000, — a number which was obtained with 
 much difficulty. As the larch still continued to adapt itself to 
 the most exposed regions, his Grace resolved to push entire 
 larch plantations to the summits of the highest hills. The 
 Scots firs planted 900 feet above the sea, were " beet up " 
 ten years afterwards with larch as an experiment. In 1800, 
 when the Duke was anxious still farther to extend his larch
 
 40 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 plantations, the effect of this experiment confirmed him in the 
 opinion he had previously entertained of the very hardy nature 
 of the larch plant. In a period of nearly forty years these 
 Scots firs had only attained a height of 5 or 6 feet ; while the 
 larch, planted amongst them, ten years afterwards, rose to a 
 height of from 40 to 50 feet. Before this it was supposed that 
 larch was incapable of vegetating at an elevation of 900 feet. 
 In the same year (1800) a favourable circumstance concurred 
 with the result of the above experiment to give an impulse to 
 the commencement of a great undertaking in planting. In that 
 year several of the farms in Dowally parish fell out of lease, 
 and, as they were all in a miserable condition, his Grace took 
 them into his own hand to improve them, and to build suitable 
 farm-houses and offices. This circumstance gave the Duke the 
 command of a range of mountains forming the background to the 
 farms which his Grace had taken into his own hands, extend- 
 ing from the edge of Craig-y-barns over a space of 1600 Scotch 
 acres, including a commonty, the rights of which the Duke 
 bought up. This range was situated from 900 to 1200 feet 
 above the level of the sea. The soil presented the most barren 
 aspect, and was so thickly strewed with fragments of rock that 
 vegetation of any kind scarcely existed upon it. " To endeavour 
 to grow ship timber," remarks his Grace, " among rocks and 
 shivered fragments of schist, such as I. have described, would 
 have appeared to a stranger extreme folly, and money thrown 
 away. But in the year 1800, I had for more than 25 years so 
 watched and admired the hardihood and the strong vegetative 
 powers of the larch, in many situations as barren and as rugged 
 as any part of this range, though not so elevated, as quite 
 satisfied me that I ought, having so fair an opportunity, to seize 
 it." During the same period in which this range was planted, 
 his Grace also planted 400 acres in other situations, — 150 acres 
 at Haughend, and 259 acres about the Loch o' the Lows. 
 These make a total of 2409 Scotch acres, 1800 of which con- 
 sisted solely of larch, and 300 of the larch occupied a region 
 far above the growth of the Scots fir. The enclosing and 
 planting of these woods occupied the long period of fifteen 
 years, — the delay, as formerly, arising from the difficulty of
 
 ATHOLE. 41 
 
 obtaining larch plants, and which only permitted them to be 
 planted to a thickness of from 1500 to 1800 per acre. 
 
 As the Duke entertained no doubt whatever of the successful 
 growth of the larch in very high situations, he still farther 
 pursued his object of covering all his mountainous regions with 
 that valuable wood. Accordingly, a space to the northward 
 of the one last described, — known as Loch Ordie, from the 
 beautiful lake of that name, which is within the forest, — con- 
 taining 2959 Scotch acres, was immediately enclosed, and 
 planted entirely with larch. This tract, lying generally above 
 the region of broom, furze, juniper, and long heath, required no 
 artificial clearing. An improved mode of planting was employed 
 here, — that of using young plants only, two or three years' 
 seedlings, and put into the ground by means of an instrument 
 invented by the Duke instead of the common spade. This 
 change of arrangement facilitated the operation, and, at the 
 same time, greatly increased the supply of the plants, so as to 
 enable the whole ground to be planted in the three years from 
 4th December 1815 to 2nd December 1818. The increased 
 number of plants per acre, and the high price of the plants, 
 enhanced the cost of planting and fencing this forest from 
 10s. 6d. per acre to 16s. 8d. In 1824, the growth of the larch in 
 Loch Ordie forest having greatly exceeded the most sanguine 
 hopes and expectations of the Duke, he determined on adding 
 to it an extensive adjoining tract, consisting of 2231 Scotch 
 acres, denominated Loch Hoishnie. The preparations of fencing, 
 clearing where that was necessary, making roads, and procuring 
 plants from different nurserymen, occupied the time till October 
 1825, when the planting commenced, and was carried on in 
 good earnest, the whole being finished by December 1826. In 
 this case the fencing and planting cost 15s. per acre. It is 
 recorded that there was no plantation which his Grace had 
 ■executed that gave him so much satisfaction in the work as that 
 of the forest of Loch Hoishnie. The planting of this forest 
 appears to have terminated the labours of the Duke in planting, 
 and he could now look back with pardonable pride upon the 
 -splendid results of his labours. That the contemplation of 
 what he had accomplished gave him no ordinary pleasure is well
 
 42 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 brought out by the following note in his memorandum-book : — 
 " Drove up to Loch Ordie, and home by the back of Craig-y- 
 barns, every way much gratified with the growth of the larch 
 and spruce, — a very fine, grand picturesque drive, not to be- 
 equalled in Britain ! The extent of the drive through woods of 
 my own planting, from one to forty years old, is fifteen miles." 
 This was certainly something to be proud of. Although his 
 labours may here be said to have been completed, it is highly 
 probable, both from his known desire to extend his larch woods, 
 and from the following entry in his private diary, that he 
 intended still further to prosecute them : — 
 
 Wednesday, 28th July 1824. — Mr Urquhart, the nurseryman at Dundee, 
 went up to Loch Ordie with me. He is to furnish 50,000 one-year-old trans- 
 planted larch and 1,000,000 of seedlings, 500,000 of which he engages to 
 transplant, and to be ready to put into the ground in the autumn of 1825, 
 and to deliver the remainder as seedlings. These, with 100,000 transplanted 
 seedlings, to be furnished by Donaldson at Dunkeld, and 500,000 more in 
 autumn 1825, with what I shall try and collect otherwise, will make a- 
 good beginning in my new forest of 6000 acres. 
 
 The following table will show at a glance the extent of the 
 larch plantations executed by the different noble Dukes : — 
 
 
 No. of Larches 
 
 exclusive of 
 
 the other 
 
 Plants Mixed 
 with them. 
 
 No. of Larches 
 Planted 
 without 
 Mixture. 
 
 Acres 
 
 of 
 
 Entire 
 
 Larches. 
 
 Duke James planted at Dunkeld and Blair- 
 
 Athole in ... 1738 
 
 Do. do. to 1750 
 
 Do. do. to 1759 
 
 Duke John planted at Dunkeld and Blair- 
 Athole from 1766 to 1774 
 
 Duke John the Fourth, 1774 to 1783 . 
 Do. 1783 to 1786 . 
 Do. 1786 to 1791. 
 Do. 1791 to 1799 . 
 Do. 1800 to 1815 . 
 Do. 1816 to 1818 . 
 Do. 1824 to 1826 . 
 
 Totals, 
 
 16 
 
 350 
 
 1,575 
 
 11,400 
 
 279,000 
 
 20,000 
 560,000 
 250,000 
 
 43,500 
 
 480,000 
 
 240,000 
 
 2,250,000 
 
 5,922,000 
 
 4,038,880 
 
 29 
 
 450 
 
 600 
 
 1800 
 
 2961 
 
 2231 
 
 1,122,341 
 
 12,974,380 
 
 8071 
 
 The total amount of larch plants, mixed or unmixed with
 
 ATHOLE. 43 
 
 other kinds, is thus brought up to the enormous number of 
 14,096,719 plants ; and if 2000 plants are allowed per acre for 
 the amount mixed with other kinds of trees, these would occupy 
 a space, if planted alone of larch, of 533 acres ; so that the 
 whole extent of ground occupied by larch amounts to 8604 
 Scotch acres, or 10,324 imperial acres. 
 
 Although Duke James has the honour of first introducing the 
 larch into the woods of Athole, the properties of the new tree 
 were not so well known by him as to stimulate him to an 
 extention of its culture. He followed the fashion of the day, 
 of placing trees in parallel rows, in diverging rays from a centre 
 and in quincunces. Gusts of wind, having free access through 
 these alleys, blew down many thousands of the Scots firs, and 
 broke as many more, their heavy heads and superficial hold of 
 the soil rendering them unfit to resist the effects of a strong 
 gale. Although Duke James had little opportunity of intro- 
 ducing improvements in planting, the more extensive experience 
 of John, the fourth Duke, resulted in many improvements in 
 the mode of planting trees in general, and the larch in par- 
 ticular. The result of that experience has been the introduction 
 of a simple, cheap, and efficacious mode of inserting larch plants 
 into the ground. That experience has also determined the 
 proper age at which the larch should be planted, so that it 
 may reach maturity at the earliest possible period ; and the 
 number of plants that ought to be allotted to an acre. To Duke 
 John, indeed, is due the credit of discovering most of the 
 important facts now known about the treatment of the larch. 
 
 "We have already said that the main object of Duke John in 
 planting such extensive forests of larch was his conviction that 
 it was highly suitable for shipbuilding purposes. Besides test- 
 ing its suitability for this purpose, it was extensively employed 
 for ordinary building purposes with satisfactory results. About 
 the year 1800 the tanning properties of larch bark were tried, 
 at the Duke's request, by a tanner in Perth, and succeeded 
 tolerably well, although the tanner complained that it had not 
 half the strength of oak bark. The first attempt to use larch 
 for the purposes of navigation was in 1777, when a number of 
 fishing cobles on the Tay were constructed. Previous to that
 
 44 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 they were made of Scots fir, and at the end of three years had 
 to undergo a thorough repair. Fifteen years afterwards, ferry- 
 boats were constructed of larch instead of oak, and proved to be 
 more buoyant. The satisfactory nature of these experiments 
 induced the Duke to bring the subject under the notice of the 
 Admiralty, and in 1800 a large quantity of larch was employed 
 in the repair of the store-ship Serapis. Like many other new 
 introductions, the new wood had to contend with much 
 prejudice amongst the workmen in the dockyard. The pre- 
 judice, however, was said to arise in consequence of the work- 
 men having repaired a Russian vessel that was built of Russian 
 larch a very short tiuie before the Duke's larch arrived, but on 
 the latter being cut up it was found to be of such a very 
 different texture from the former, that they were ultimately 
 obliged to praise it. After the lapse of a year or two, a survey 
 of the Serajiis was made, when a most favourable report of the 
 state of the larch was given. The most important trial of larch as 
 a tree for naval timber was made from 1816 to 1820, in the 
 building of H.M. frigate A thole. The Niemen frigate, built of 
 Baltic fir, was also built at the same time, the Niemen being 
 launched on 20th November 1820, and the Athole on the 
 following day. Minute inspections were made at different 
 times as to the state of the larch in the Athole, and all were 
 very laudatory of its qualities as ship timber, it being reported 
 that the larch became harder and more durable by age in a ship ; 
 it held iron as firmly as oak, but, unlike oak, did not corrode 
 iron ; iron bolts might be driven out afterwards perfectly clean ; 
 it did not shrink ; the Athole had been caulked but once in 
 four years ; it possessed the valuable property of resisting damp, 
 inasmuch as the pump-well was as dry as the cabin. A com- 
 munication from the Admiralty of date 13th December 1827, 
 founded upon a report on the condition of the Athole and 
 Niemen frigates, states that the Athole at that time would " only 
 require very small repairs, whereas the Niemen, built of Baltic 
 fir, was found so very defective as to be proposed either to be 
 broken up or taken to pieces." At the same time as the Athole 
 was being built, the Duke caused Mr Brown, of Perth, to build 
 a brig entirely of larch. The smaller vessel was, of course, first
 
 ATHOLE. 45 
 
 ready, and on being launched on Gth August 1819, was very 
 appropriately named the Larch. The history of this brig, of 
 which there are ample details, afforded very satisfactory evidence 
 of the utility of larch for the construction of ships in the 
 merchant service. She was registered at 171 tons, though she 
 could carry a cargo of 300 tons dead weight. She sailed almost 
 over the entire globe, and never so much as carried away a spar 
 for a period of eight years, till at length she was wrecked on the 
 island of Tendra, in the Black Sea, through the ignorance of 
 the pilot, on 27th November 1827. She is described as having 
 been a fine sea boat, a fast sailer, and so tight that she always 
 brought her cargoes of dried fruit from the Mediterranean in 
 excellent condition, as was testified by her consignees. Her 
 wrecked hull was sold to some people in Odessa, and though it 
 lay high on the beach of the island of Tendra for two years, 
 exposed to the vicissitudes of summer and winter, before she 
 was launched off again, such were the strength and toughness of 
 her timbers that she never went to pieces. A number of other 
 ships were built of larch during the Duke's lifetime, some of 
 them being built of wood planted by the Duke himself. 
 Amongst the other properties noted as showing the larch to be 
 a valuable tree for shipbuilding, is that of its being slow of 
 kindling by fire. Though hot embers be thrown on a floor of 
 larch, it will not suddenly get up in a blaze, like other kinds of 
 fir. It is also said that a shot-hole through larch closes, and 
 does not splinter. 
 
 Duke John was never tired of trying experiments as to the 
 nature of the larch, both practical, physical, and chemical, and 
 the results of his experiments afforded him satisfactory proof of 
 its durability, strength, elasticity, and resilience. So confident 
 was the Duke in the satisfactory results of his experiments, that 
 in the last years of his life he planted G500 Scotch acres of 
 mountain ground solely with larch. Altogether, his Grace 
 planted 12,478 Scotch or 15,573 imperial acres, which consumed 
 the enormous number of 27,431,600 plants. His Grace was 
 altogether an extraordinary man, and, from his patriotic experi- 
 ments, he deservedly occupies a conspicuous place in the list of 
 those who have rendered eminent service to the country ; while
 
 46 
 
 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the magnificent forests with which he clothed the previously 
 desert and dreary ranges of the valleys of the Tay and the 
 Tummel entitle his name to he revered hy all lovers of the 
 beautiful iu Nature, and hy natives of Perthshire in particular, 
 on whose county he has shed so great a lustre. 
 
 No one crossing the bridge which spans the Tay at Dunkeld 
 can fail to be impressed with the beauty of the scene. Indeed, 
 the oftener one visits this ancient city the more convinced will 
 he be of the impossibility of finding, in all Scotland, a greater 
 variety of scenic grandeur within the same space. Nature has 
 
 DUNKELD CATHEDKAL. 
 
 been most lavish in her favours, but Art has largely contributed 
 to make Dunkeld what it is. How dull and uninteresting 
 would be the river at our feet, clear and ample though it be, 
 were it not for the noble trees of almost endless variety in 
 colour, form, and disposition, which skirt its margin, here and 
 there feathering down into the dark water, and concealing its 
 boundaries ! How unattractive would those towering mountains 
 be were it not for the forests that clothe them to the top ! How 
 incomplete would the picture be without that grand Cathedral, 
 hoary with antiquity, and embowered amid umbrageous grandeur ! 
 What would Dunkeld be even without its famous gardens, the
 
 ATHOLE. 47 
 
 produce of which has figured with no ordinary credit in all the 
 important horticultural shows in the country ! Without in the 
 meantime looking into the gardens, we direct our steps to the 
 woods. 
 
 In passing Little Dunkeld Bank, our attention was directed 
 to several fine specimens of the Pinus laricio growing alongside 
 the Scots fir, from which the foreigners stretch away with a 
 markedly superior growth. In no more satisfactory way, indeed, 
 could there be afforded an illustration of the advantages that 
 attend the cultivation of this recently-introduced pine — a tree 
 which has an interesting history, having, it is said, been propa- 
 gated from seed accidentally obtained from Corsica at the time 
 of the first Napoleon, and which recommends itself to foresters 
 by its quick growth, and its remarkably clean timber, though as 
 yet it has shown itself rather troublesome in transpl anting. 
 We next come to Lady well Nursery. The nursery extends to 
 4|- imperial acres, and previous to 1868 was an arable field 
 belonging to Ladywell Farm. This nursery is intended for the 
 supply of the woods in the Dunkeld, Strathord, and Middle 
 Districts of Athole, and contains a large stock of the best-known 
 forest and ornamental trees. In one portion of the nursery we 
 noted an interesting experiment : Mr M'Gregor, his Grace's head 
 forester, endeavouring to rear Picea Nordmanniani under the 
 shade of larger trees, that they may be put out at a size sufficiently 
 lar^e for immediate effect. 
 
 Leaving the nursery, we proceed to Ladywell Wood, a fine 
 plantation of 350 acres, planted principally with Scots fir and 
 larch about the year 1850, and after a crop of larch and fir. 
 The appearance of the larch would seem to confirm the prevail- 
 ing belief amongst foresters, that it does not succeed very well 
 after conifers of any kind. Where the larch has retained its 
 vigour, however, its superior growth has carried it from 15 to 18 
 feet above the heads of the surrounding Scots firs ; but, unfortu- 
 nately, it is only in isolated places that it is thriving so satis- 
 factorily, ±he greater number of the trees having had to be cut 
 down in consequence of disease. It was apparent from the 
 "bleeding" condition of a number of the trunks, that the 
 disease was to be attributed to the ravages of a species of aphis.
 
 48 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 We noticed that Mr M'Gregor cuts off the dead branches of the 
 Scots firs and conifers of all sorts, thus, besides preventing 
 black knots in the wood, improving the general appearance of 
 the tree. Before leaving Lady well Wood, Mr M'Gregor pointed 
 
 HERMITAGE FALLS. 
 
 out a rather curious formation of heights and hollows, and 
 stated that in the course of the process of draining the hollows 
 the remains of several old black oak trees were found. Where 
 these trees interfered with the drainage operations they were cut
 
 ATHOLE. 49 
 
 across, and allowed to lie. The wood was still hard and 
 sound. 
 
 After passing through the Hermitage Coppice, we paused to 
 admire the picturesque falls and the romantic scenery at the 
 Hermitage Bridge. Here there are several notable trees. At 
 the north end of the bridge there is a very fine cedar of 
 Lebanon (Geclrus Lihani), and within thirty yards of it is a par- 
 ticularly good specimen of the hemlock spruce [Abies Canadensis), 
 girthing 10 feet at 4 feet from the ground, arid 6'Ofeet high. 
 The tanning properties of this tree are very great, and in America 
 it takes the place of oak bark. The relative price of the bark of 
 the hemlock spruce and the oak bark is as 15s. per ton to £6 
 per ton. It is almost impossible to conceive the enormous 
 resources of America in this respect. Lower Canada, which 
 furnishes bark for the Boston market, will be, it is admitted, the 
 greatest field for hemlock in America for half a century to come. 
 We recently noticed in an American paper that one firm alone 
 has fourteen tanneries in Canada, using 50,000 " cords" of bark 
 per year, each "cord" being from 17 to 19 cwt., " to tan the 
 sole leather required for the boots and shoes of four millions of 
 people in the British provinces." The same firm own in land 
 and hemlock growth and bark in Maine, New Brunswick, and 
 Canada over one million acres. The extent of territory for this 
 bark in America is said to be equal to two States the size of 
 Massachusetts, or over 10,000,000 acres of land. "With such 
 resources as these, and with a glutted market already, there does 
 not appear to be much hope of an improvement in the trade for oak 
 bark, or, indeed, much prospect of tanners making a fortune 
 in this country. A Scots fir, also in the neighbourhood of the 
 Hermitage, girths 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from the ground. 
 
 On leaving the Hermitage we crossed the old Strathbraan 
 Eoad, one of General Wade's, and, like the rest of his roads, 
 constructed more from a strategical than an engineering point of 
 view. We were next conducted to Craigvinean Wood ("The 
 Craig of the Goats "), the upper portions of which afford mag- 
 nificent views of the scenery around Dunkeld, of the valley of 
 the Tay to the north and west, and of the more distant hills in 
 all directions, presenting altogether of the these views which 
 
 D
 
 50 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 leave Dunkeld without a rival in Highland scenery. This is an 
 old wood of mixed Scots fir and larch, but was replanted in 
 1868, almost entirely with Scots fir, the experience gained in 
 Lady well Wood preventing Mr M'Gregor planting any larch. 
 Although neither the beetle nor caterpillar have been met with 
 here, the trees are not without their enemies. Mr M'Gregor 
 pointed out the remarkable way in which a number of Scots 
 firs suddenly died away. After examination it was found that 
 the trees owed their death to the borings of an insect. Although 
 a few of the Scots firs have met with an untimely end, the 
 plantation as a whole is in a fine healthy state. In a few places 
 where the ground was boggy, drains were dug from 15 to 18 
 inches deep, and some spruce planted, these also thriving very 
 well. 
 
 Coming down by the banks of the Tay, a splendid row of 
 Spanish chestnuts at once arrests attention. The row is planted 
 in regular order at the foot of a knoll called " Torval," thus 
 signifying that the grove had, at a remote period, been asso- 
 ciated with worship. One of those chestnuts has a beautiful 
 spiral habit of growth. It is very rare indeed that a tree is 
 seen with such a complete twist, there being no fewer than six 
 distinct spirals, each of them clearly traceable to the very top of 
 the tree. The other trees in the group are perfectly straight in 
 the fibre. They are all of large size, — one, taken at random, 
 girthing 1 1 feet 5 inches at 3 feet from the ground, and 90 feet 
 in height, with a fine clean bole of 25 feet. Crossing the Tay, 
 we enter the policy grounds of Her Grace the Dowager Duchess 
 of Athole. The first most noted objects in arboriculture are to 
 be met with at the King's Seat, believed to have been a 
 Caledonian stronghold, and on which are still to be traced the 
 outworks of an ancient fort. Here there is a clump of splendid 
 old Scots firs of about 150 years' growth. The bark of all these 
 trees is remarkably clean, and has those lizard-like scales peculiar 
 to the indigenous Scots fir well developed. The cleanliness of 
 the bark is readily accounted for by the fine gravelly soil on 
 which the trees rest, affording good drainage, and keeping the 
 trees in first-rate health. The clean appearance of the trunks 
 is also supposed to be due to the effects of the storms from the
 
 ATHOLE. 51 
 
 opposite side of the valley. The slopes of the King's Seat being 
 very steep, the storms, coming down the gully in the hills on 
 the opposite side of the Tay, strike against this abruptly-rising 
 ground at times with great fury ; and it is supposed that, being 
 thus weather-beaten, the cleanness of the bark, as compared 
 with trees in more sheltered situations, is sufficiently accounted 
 for. 
 
 On the banks of the river, in front of what is known as the 
 North Terrace, and opposite the " King's Ford," is one of the 
 largest and most beautiful larches on the property. It lies in a 
 hollow, and its great height is, therefore, not at first sight discern- 
 ible. On going down the bank to measure the girth, we noticed a 
 peculiar mark about 5 feet up, and, on explanations being asked, 
 Mr M'Gregor stated that the mark indicated the flood in the 
 river upon 7th February 1868, when the Tay rose to about 20 
 feet above its ordinary level, inundating all the low-lying grounds, 
 and reaching to the mark upon the larch. The girth was found 
 to be 10 feet 1 in. at 5 feet from the ground, with a straight 
 height of 98 ft. of splendid bole, there being altogether about 
 200 cubic feet of saleable timber. Some very fine silver firs 
 are also to be seen in this neighbourhood. At the " King's 
 Park " there are some fine clumps of Scots fir and beech on the 
 tops of numerous knolls. An oak which was met with along 
 the river-side at this place girths at the narrowest point, being 
 4 feet from the ground, 15 ft. 2 in. At 3 feet from the ground 
 it girths 15 ft. 9 in. It has a fine bole of 12 ft., then branches 
 into five huge limbs, each of them being the size of ordinary 
 trees. The spread of branches was found to be exactly 99 ft. 
 
 On the opposite bank of the Tay is the oak under whose 
 kindly shade the celebrated Neil Gow was in the habit of 
 retiring with the violin, and where it is believed he composed 
 some of his finest pieces. The tree is pointed out to visitors as 
 " Neil Gow's Oak "— 
 
 " Famous Neil, 
 The man that played the fiddle weel." 
 
 We next come to the American Gardens, which are beauti- 
 fully laid out with luxuriant specimens of rhododendron, kalmia, 
 and other analogous shrubs, finely sheltered by the surrounding
 
 52 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 trees. In the course of the walk through these gardens, we 
 noticed a fine specimen of Pyrus aria. There is also the fine 
 old rhododendron, Ponticum, rising to a height of 8 or 10 feet, 
 and a Magnolia acuminata, said to be one of the largest in 
 
 THE PARENT LARCHES. 
 
 Britain. It girths 3 ft. 4 in. at 4 feet from the ground, and is 
 40 feet high. A beech, with a peculiar graft, is also worthy of 
 some attention. After growing straight till about 5 feet from 
 the ground it splits, and rejoins the main trunk about 4 feet
 
 ATHOLE. 53 
 
 higher, the two stems becoming incorporated by a process of 
 natural grafting. 
 
 We next reach the two parent larches at the west end of the 
 Cathedral. Although they were originally treated as green- 
 house plants, they have proved so hardy that they are 
 universally recognised as the best and largest specimens that 
 exist, although they are closely approached by the ones at 
 Monzie. Planted in 1 738, their progress has been watched with 
 ever-increasing interest. In the summer of 1831, the one was 
 1 1 feet and the other 1 2 feet- in girth at 4 feet from the ground. 
 In 1878, the larger one girthed 14 feet 9| inches at 5 feet. 
 The present girth of the largest one is as follows : — At the base, 
 27 feet ; at 1 foot from the ground, 22 feet 7 in. ; at 3 feet, 
 18 feet 9 inches ; and at 5 feet from the ground the girth is 14 
 feet 1 1 inches. There are only four moderately strong branches 
 throughout the entire tree, which has a height of fully 100 feet. 
 The other tree girths 20 feet 2 inches at the base; 17 feet 11 
 inches at 1 foot up ; 14 feet 7 inches at 3 feet ; and 13 feet 9 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground. Both of these trees are in 
 splendid health, and are still making wood. Near to the parent 
 larches is a beautiful variegated plane tree (Acer pseudo platanus 
 alio varicgatum), with a very fine upright habit of growth, and 
 measuring 9 feet 3 inches at 4 feet from the ground, with a 
 height of 65 feet. To the west of the Cathedral are four fine 
 old yews ; one, right opposite the centre of the west door, with 
 a nice upright habit, girths 7 feet 3 J- inches at the narrowest 
 part, and rises to a height of 35 feet. Further west, and 
 probably also within the limits of the old graveyard connected 
 with the Cathedral, is another yew, 10 feet 6 inches in circum- 
 ference at 1 foot from the ground, being the narrowest part, 
 and rising to a height of 40 feet. A magnificent oak also stands 
 near the parent larches. It measures 12 feet 6 inches in cir- 
 cumference at 5 feet from the ground, with a splendid bole 
 of 30 feet, the height of the tree being altogether about 100 
 feet. 
 
 Coming next to the New House Park, we get a peep at 
 that part of the grounds where the larch was got for the 
 building of the Athole. On the road to this place there is as fine
 
 54 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 a specimen of the Pavia fiava as can be seen anywhere. At the 
 Eishop's Drive, a beautiful grass walk, there are some line beech, 
 larch, spruce, silver fir, and other trees. One of the silver firs 
 girths 17 feet in circumference, and has a height of 100 feet. 
 Mr M'Gregor pointed out a larch, which, although not so large 
 as the parent ones, is, from its remarkable symmetry of growth, 
 considered to be the best specimen of Larix Europcea in this 
 country. At 5 feet from the ground it girths 1 1 feet 2 inches, 
 and at 1 foot, 13 feet 10 inches. The tree rises to a height 
 of 120 feet, all of it being clean bole, and good wood from the 
 ground to the top, there being altogether about 300 cubic feet 
 of saleable timber. There is also a fine Spanish chestnut in the 
 New House Park. At 5 feet from the ground it girths 14 feet 
 10 inches, and at 1 foot, 17 feet 6 inches, the bole being 15 feet, 
 and the entire height 70 feet. An old walnut tree, now show- 
 ing signs of decay, girths 12 feet 2 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground, the height being 80 feet. Coming back to our starting- 
 point, we find ourselves at Dunkeld Gardens, which, under the 
 management of Mr P. W. Fairgrieve, have achieved a celebrity 
 second to none in this country. Everything here is in the best 
 of order, and at each turn there is evidence of the highest 
 cultural intelligence. 
 
 Proceeding to Blair- Athole, we find that the more one sees of 
 Athole the more will he admire it. The policy grounds here 
 were originally laid out by Duke James, about 1742, in the 
 Dutch style, but have been improved from time to time by his 
 various successors to the dukedom. Like the grounds at Dun- 
 keld, they are adorned with many grand trees, the larches being 
 the most conspicuous. Immediately on entering at the grounds 
 along the side of the Tilt, we noticed a very interesting belt of 
 old native Scots fir and a fine line of larch trees. These trees, 
 although not so old as some of those at Dunkeld, are very large, 
 One, taken at random, girths 10 feet at 5 feet from the ground, 
 and 9 feet at 7 feet, with saleable timber to 90 feet. By a short 
 detour we get a view of the lower falls of the Fender, where the 
 stream, descends from among the rocks and woods above in a 
 series of cascades, boiling and eddying, and falling in a shower of 
 foam into the dark Tilt below. On regaining the carriage-way,
 
 ATHOLE. 
 
 55 
 
 we cannot help commenting upon the beautiful pasture on the 
 south side of the Tilt, a mile further up the river, due, no doubt, 
 to the limestone bottom. We next reach an eminence, from 
 which a splendid view is got of the far-famed Glen Tilt. This 
 
 GLEN TILT. 
 
 glen is not only considered one of the finest in Scotland, but it 
 has a character peculiarly its own. It is distinguished from 
 most other Highland glens no less by its extreme depth, narrow- 
 ness, and prolongation, than by the wildness of its upper
 
 56 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 extremity, and the highly-ornamented "beauty of that part which 
 approaches Blair-Athole. Proceeding along the Blairuachder 
 Drive to Blairuachder Wood, we get a really good view of Blair 
 Castle, the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Athole. As- 
 far back as history takes us, Blair Castle has been the seat of 
 the families holding the Athole property. It was the original 
 patrimony of a family which gave kings to Scotland from 
 Duncan to Alexander III., and is one of the places earliest 
 mentioned in Scottish history. The Athole family traces its 
 lineage hack to Andrew Murray of Tullibardine, great-grandson 
 of Sir John de Moravia, Sheriff of Perth in the beginning of 
 the reign of Alexander II. He aided Edward Baliol in his 
 invasion of Scotland in 1332, and contributed to the victory 
 gained at Dupplin, on the 1 2th August of that year. He was,, 
 however, taken prisoner at Perth, on 7th October 1332, and 
 beheaded. From him descended Sir David Murray of Gask 
 and Tullibardine, who was knighted at the coronation of King 
 James in 1424. His grandson, Sir William, was steward, forester, 
 and coroner, within the Earldom of Strathearn and Lordship of 
 Balquhidder for life, and was a commissioner for a treaty with the 
 English in 1495. Sir John of Tullibardine was a great favourite 
 of James VI. He was made Master of the King's Household in 
 1592 ; was knighted and raised to the peerage of Scotland, 
 by the title of Lord Murray of Tullibardine, by patent dated 
 25th April 1604 ; and further advanced as Earl of Tullibardine 
 on 10th July 1606. William, the second Earl of Tullibardine, 
 married Dorothy, eldest daughter of John Stewart, the fifth and 
 last Earl of Athole of that name, and resigned the earldom of 
 Tullibardine to his younger brother, Patrick. John, son of 
 William, the second Earl, was, on 6th August 1628, served heir 
 to his mother's grandfather's grandfather, John Stewart, first 
 Earl of Athole. The earldom was confirmed to him and his 
 heirs by patent dated 17th February 1629, "in right of his 
 mother, nearest and lawful eldest heir of the late John, Earl of 
 Athole, brother uterine of James II.," and was also granted anew 
 to him and his heirs without prejudice to his hereditary right. 
 He took an active part in the civil war against the Parliament. 
 He died in June 1642, and was succeeded by his son John,.
 
 ATHOLE. 57 
 
 second Earl of Athole of this house, K.T., and, like his father, was 
 a royalist. To such an extent did he carry his opposition to the 
 Parliament, that he was excepted hy Cromwell out of his Act of 
 Grace. After the Restoration, in 1661, he was made hereditary 
 Sheriff of Fifeshire, Justice-General of Scotland in 1663, Captain 
 of the King's Guards in 1670, Keeper of the Privy Seal in 
 1672, and an Extraordinary Lord of Session in 1673. He 
 succeeded to the Earldom of Tullibardine in 1670, upon the 
 death of James, fourth Earl, and was created Marquis of Athole 
 by patent dated 17th February 1676. He died 6th May 1703, 
 and was buried in the Cathedral Church of Dunkeld. Of his 
 three sons, John succeeded as second Marquis of Athole, Lord 
 Charles was created a peer of Scotland by the title of Earl of 
 Dunmore, and Lord "William succeeded as second Lord Nairne, 
 having married Margaret, the only daughter and heiress of 
 Robert, Lord Nairne, who was so created by patent in 1681, to 
 himself for life, and after his decease to Lord William Murray. 
 John, the second Marquis, was also a man of considerable note. 
 In 1704 he was advanced to the dignity of Duke of Athole, K.T. 
 He was chosen one of the sixteen representatives of the Scottish 
 Peerage, 1710-1713; an Extraordinary Lord of Session in 
 1712; and he proclaimed George I. as king at Perth in 
 1714. His son having joined in the insurrection of 1715, he 
 obtained an Act of Parliament " for vesting the honours and 
 estate of John, Duke of Athole, in James Murray, Esq., com- 
 monly called Lord James Murray, at the death of the said 
 Duke. " His eldest son, John, fell at Malplaquet, in 1709, and 
 the second son, William, who took part in the insurrection, was 
 attainted in 1716, and died a prisoner in the Tower of London 
 in 1746. The fifth son, Lord George Murray, was also attainted 
 for his share in the rebellions of 1715 and 1745, but his eldest 
 son, John, afterwards became the third Duke. James, the second 
 Duke, as already indicated, succeeded his father by Act of 
 Parliament. On the death of the tenth Earl of Derby, in 1736, 
 he succeeded, as heir through his grandmother, to the Barony 
 of Strange and the Lordship of Man. His only surviving 
 daughter and heiress, Charlotte, married her cousin, whom we 
 have referred to as the third Duke of Athole. On account of his
 
 ■58 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 father's attainder, a petition was presented to the King, claiming 
 the title, and on this petition heing referred to the House of 
 Lords, it was sustained. All the titles, dignities, and honours of 
 the house of Athole were thus vested in him, including the 
 sovereignty of the Isle of Man, a dignity which was purchased 
 by the Lords of the Treasury in 1765. He was member of 
 Parliament for Perthshire from 1761 to 1764. His son, John, 
 was " the planting Duke," already referred to. He was created 
 Baron Murray of Stanley and Earl Strange in the peerage of 
 Great Britain, and inherited the Barony of Strange on the 
 death of his mother. John, the fifth Duke, died unmarried, 
 and was succeeded by his nephew, George Augustus 
 Frederick John, as sixth Duke, whose father, Lord James, 
 a major-general in the army, was created Baron Glenlyon of 
 Glenlyon, in the peerage of the United Kingdom. The sixth 
 Duke married the only daughter of the late Henry Home 
 Drummond of Blair-Drummond, the mother of the seventh and 
 present Duke, Sir John James Hugh Henry Stewart Murray. 
 K.T. The present Duke is hereditary Sheriff of Perthshire, and 
 Lord-Lieutenant of the county. In October 1863 he married 
 Louisa, eldest daughter of the late Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, Bart, 
 of Moncreiffe, by whom he has had four sons and three daughters. 
 Blair Castle, the home of the Athole family, is situated on an 
 eminence rising from the plain watered by the Garry, and on all 
 sides it is surrounded by the grandest Highland scenery. To the 
 south-west Schiehallion raises its prodigious shoulders, and 
 towards Glenerrochie we have Beinnchualoch terminating the 
 view. The Ben-y-Gloe range rises to the north-east, and north- 
 wards are the mountains of Athole Forest. The latter, however, 
 is in no way associated with forestry, being a wild mountainous 
 range, and a forest only in the sense of the chase. Looking 
 along the valley of the Garry, we have a magnificent view of the 
 whole country from Struan Point to the Pass of Killiecrankie, the 
 southern spur of Ben-y-Vrackie terminating the view in that 
 direction. Bounding Blair Parks, to the north-west of the Castle, 
 is Craig Urrard, with its splendid forest of pine. In Blairuachder 
 Wood there is a remarkably fine deer fence on the Corrymony 
 principle. The fence is 5 feet high, with standards (where
 
 ATHOLE. 
 
 59 
 
 straight) at 14 yards apart, the standards being of T-iron, 1 inch 
 by 1| inches. The droppers are the invention of Mr M'Gregor, 
 and consist of using No. 6 wire instead of the wooden droppers 
 in the original Corrymony fence. The fence is a most efficient 
 
 PASS OF KILLIEC'IIANKIK. 
 
 and economical one. At aplace with the (at least to southerns) un- 
 pronounceable name of Glaiceachlaidhe, signifying "The hollow 
 of a sword," there is a very thriving plantation. The previous 
 crop was larch, and was perhaps the finest crop of this valuable
 
 60 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 timber ever grown upon the Athole property. The ground has 
 been replanted with a mixed crop of pine and hard wood. The 
 pines are somewhat eaten by vermin, but the hard wood is 
 making rapid progress, and promises to be a crop of no ordinary 
 value. At " The Den," a little farther on, we came across a 
 precipitous bank, about half a mile in length, sloping to the 
 Banvie, deservedly worthy of notice, carrying, as it does, a 
 splendid crop of full-grown timber, consisting of larch, Scots fir, 
 and spruce. The trees average from 8 to 10 feet in circum- 
 ference, and tower majestically to the height of from 100 to 120 
 feet, with straight, clean stems. This was altogether the finest 
 lot of timber we saw at Blair-Athole. 
 
 Amongst the more notable trees in the policies and gardens 
 is a splendid spruce growing by the side of the Banvie, and 
 rising to the enormous height of 140 feet, as measured by a 
 line from the top, and containing about 420 cubic feet of timber. 
 A larch girths 12 feet 10 inches, at 5 feet from the ground, and 
 another girths 11 feet at 5 feet from the ground, both trees 
 being 100 feet in height. No one visiting this part of the 
 policies would willingly miss the opportunity of seeing the ruins 
 of the old church of Blair-Athole, 
 
 " Where the bones of heroes rest." 
 
 In a vault under the aisle lie the remains of Viscount Dundee,, 
 who was killed in the battle of Killiecrankie, in what is now 
 Urrard Garden. Here are also interred the remains of the late 
 Duke of Athole, George Augustus Frederick John Murray, who 
 died 16th January 1864, and over whose tomb his Duchess has 
 placed a beautiful allegorical monument to his memory, by Sir 
 John Steell, K.S.A., an appropriate feature in the design being 
 a tree, broken across the middle. Blair-Athole Nursery, which 
 consists of 1\ acres of all kinds of plants common to the 
 country, is situated in this neighbourhood. Coming down by 
 Blair Castle, we noticed in the lawn fronting the Castle a Picea 
 nobilis, planted by the Prince of Wales on 23rd September 
 1872, and a Picea Nordmanniana planted by the Princess of 
 Wales at the same time. Both of them are beautiful, healthy, 
 and free-growing trees. Passing along "Hercules Walk," so 
 called from a fine statue of the Grecian hero with which it is
 
 ATHOLE. 
 
 61 
 
 adorned, we cannot but express our admiration of the shrubbery- 
 border. Near " Hercules Walk " there is a magnificent larch, 
 measuring 13 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from the ground. It is a 
 fine healthy tree, with a wide- spreading branchy head, although 
 it has suffered considerably from storms. The gardens at 
 Blair-Athole, it may be remarked, are amongst the finest of the 
 kind in the country, their artistic design, and the charming 
 -effect produced by the artificial lakes, presenting a scene of 
 great beauty. 
 
 The whole of the Athole woods have suffered very severely 
 from the disastrous gales of recent years. Throughout large 
 tracts of country trees have been blown down in enormous 
 numbers, and an extent of ground left blank which will keep 
 the foresters busy replanting for a considerable time. The 
 following table, prepared by Mr M'Gregor, will give a good 
 idea of the number of trees blown down in the Athole woods 
 from 3d October 1860 to the gale of 6th March 1883 :— 
 
 Districts. 
 
 Oct. 3, 
 
 1860. 
 
 Dec. 28, 
 1879. 
 
 Oct. 14, 
 
 1881. 
 
 Nov. 21 
 
 and 22, 
 
 1881. 
 
 Jan. 6, 
 
 1882. 
 
 Mar. 6, 
 1883. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Blair* 
 Middle 
 Dowallyf ... 
 Dunkeld ... 
 Strathord . . . 
 
 3,755 
 8,031 
 
 59,531 
 
 3,884 
 
 9,931 
 
 4,236 
 
 50,142 
 
 17,252 
 
 1,442 
 
 3,001 
 
 6,401 
 
 530 
 
 3,229 
 
 54 
 
 4,723 
 3,101 
 3,454 
 4,583 
 466 
 
 3,666 
 
 2,051 
 
 4,350 
 
 10,413 
 
 155 
 
 8,837 
 
 33,913 
 
 23,820 
 
 58,476 
 
 95,008 
 
 6,001 
 
 75,201 
 
 83,003 
 
 13,215 16,327 
 
 20,635 
 
 8,837 
 
 217,218 
 
 * Blair district includes Bruar and Struan Woods. 
 
 + Dowally is included in Dunkeld for 3d October 1860.
 
 V.— DALGUISE. 
 
 Situation — Ancient Ecclesiastical Residence— Steuarts of Dalguise — A 
 Branch of the Royal Steuarts — Valuable Relics of Antiquity — 
 Gigantic Araucarias — Other Remarkable Trees — " Glenalbert's 
 Fam'd Abode " — Steuartfield — Remarkable Cairn and Cave — A 
 Deserted Bridge — Plantations. 
 
 Dalguise is one of the prettiest little properties in the district 
 of Athole, and occupies the western bank of the Tay, from its 
 confluence with the Tummel at Logierait to the ancient city of 
 Dunkeld. The advantages of its situation may be pretty 
 shrewdly guessed when we remark that it was the property of 
 the See of Dunkeld from the year 1060, the old ecclesiastics 
 being notorious for selecting the richest lands in the district for 
 their private possession. The present proprietor of the estate is 
 Charles Horace Durrant Steuart, and he is the representative of 
 a family with royal blood in its veins. The progenitor of the 
 family was Sir John Steuart of Cardney, second son of King 
 Eobert II., by Mario tta, daughter of Sir John de Cardney of 
 that Ilk, and a sister of Eobert Cardney, who was made Bishop 
 of Dunkeld in 1396. He married Jane, daughter of Sir John 
 Drummond of Stobhall, and sister of Annabella, Queen of 
 Eobert III. His first charters appear to be dated in the year 
 1383, when he inherited, by his mother, the barony of Cardney 
 and other lands. His descendants enjoyed the lands of Cardney 
 till 1792, when they became the property, by purchase, of John, 
 Duke of Athole. John was knighted by his nephew, King 
 James I., at his coronation, in 1424, and is said to have been 
 imprisoned along with Murdoch, Duke of Albany, in 1425. 
 He was succeeded by his son "Walter, who acquired the lands of 
 Cluny, Stormont, Petty, &c, in Perthshire. He, again, was 
 succeeded by his son John, designed of Cluny, and who became 
 Heritable Forester of the Bishopric of Dunkeld. He had
 
 DALGUISE. 6 
 
 • > 
 
 several sons, from the third of whom, John, sprang the family 
 of Dalguise. John, the first of Dalguise, obtained possession 
 of this property in 1543, chiefly, as is supposed, through the 
 exertions of his uncle, who was Bishop of Dunkeld about that 
 period, and to whom the venerable Cathedral owed much of 
 its ancient splendour and decoration. He married Elizabeth, 
 daughter of Alexander Steuart of Grantully, by whom he had 
 two sons, and on his death, in 1570, he was succeeded by his 
 eldest son, Alexander, who married Beatrix Forbes, daughter of 
 James Forbes, vicar of Little Dunkeld, by whom he acquired 
 the property of Lady well, near Little Dunkeld, now in the 
 possession of the Athole family. He afterwards purchased the 
 lands of Kingcraigie, which were also sold to the Duke of 
 Athole. On his death, in 1G16, he was succeeded by his 
 eldest son, John, commonly called John More Macalester on 
 account of his great stature. He was much respected in the 
 district, and was specially distinguished for his success in 
 settling differences amongst his neighbours, which gave rise to 
 the saying that when his tenants were at some of Montrose's 
 battles, "they should have said that if their laird had been 
 there he would have made up matters between parties." He 
 purchased part of the lands of Middle Dalguise, which he gave 
 as a patrimony to his second son. John More Macalester 
 Steuart died in 1653, and was succeeded by his eldest son, 
 Alexander, whose eldest son, also Alexander, died in 1C69, 
 before his father. In 1675, the son of John More Macalester 
 was succeeded by his grandson, John, who married Isabella, only 
 daughter of John Steuart, portioner of Middle Dalguise, 
 by whom he got part of these lands. This, the sixth 
 laird, was chamberlain to several successive Bishops of Dun- 
 keld, and became a zealous supporter of Montrose. He 
 died in 1706, and was succeeded by his son, John, whose 
 tifth son, Thomas, became treasurer of the Bank of Scotland, and 
 is distinguished as the inventor of the calculation of interest by 
 decimal arithmetic, and the author of many useful tracts. We 
 have had the pleasure of examining a handsome little volume 
 containing the original calculations as prepared by Mr Thomas 
 Steuart's own hand, and which came into possession of the family
 
 64 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 some time ago quite accidentally, it having been sold amongst 
 a bundle of loose pamphlets. The caligraphy is exceedingly 
 beautiful, very close, but as plain as print. The arrangement of 
 the tables displays much ingenuity, and the entire volume is a 
 splendid monument to the patience of this representative of the 
 house of Dalguise. The work consists in all of 96 pages, and 
 embraces his whole system of calculation, with explanations, while 
 there are also four tables showing " what day of the week any 
 day of any month falls upon for 4299 years from the birth of 
 Christ, both according to the old and new stiles." One of the fry- 
 
 DALGUISE house. 
 
 leaves bears the following inscription :— " To John Eobert Steuart, 
 Esquire, from his uncle, Thomas Steuart, Edinburgh, 26th April 
 1790." John, the seventh laird, engaged in the rebellion of 
 1715, fighting as an officer of cavalry at Sheriffmuir. Eor this 
 he nearly lost his estate, which was only saved by the good 
 offices of James, Duke of Athole. He was, however, subjected 
 to fine and imprisonment for his share in the attempt to restore 
 the Stuarts. The fact of his being "out" in 1715, was very 
 prejudicial to his property, so much so, that at this period it was in 
 a very low state. However, by good management, he succeeded 
 in overcoming his difficulties, and lived to make ample provision
 
 DALGUISE. 65 
 
 for his children. He carried out several important improvements 
 upon the property, and built the House of Dalguise,the oldest por- 
 tion of which bears the date 1716. Considerable additions have 
 since been made to the house, but the oldest portion still retains 
 its original architectural features, which are thoroughly charac- 
 teristic of the times in which it was built. He also added to the 
 family possessions, by purchasing the lands of Easter Dalguise. 
 He died in 1776, in the 88th year of his age, and was succeeded 
 by his second son, John, who added further to the property 
 by the purchase of the estates of Eallo and Glenalbert. His 
 fifth son, David, was, in 1781, elected Lord Provost of Edinburgh. 
 The Lord Provost was an industrious book-collector, and in his 
 possession originally Avas the first edition of the Latin Bible, in 
 two large folio volumes, one of the earliest books executed from 
 moveable types, and supposed to have been printed by Gutten- 
 berg & Eaust in 1450. He also possessed the Eoman Breviary, 
 beautifully printed on the finest vellum at Venice in 1478, by 
 Nicholas Jenson, and finely illuminated. Both of these valual >le 
 volumes are now in the Advocates' Library. John died in 1785, 
 when he was succeeded by his son, Charles, the ninth laird of 
 Dalguise, who was twice married, first to a daughter of Eobert 
 Steuart of Ballechin, who died without issue, and second, to a 
 daughter of Laurence Oliphant of Gask, by whom he had two 
 sons and one daughter. He also did much to improve the 
 estate. He had the honour of being appointed a Deputy 
 Lieutenant of Eerthshire, on the institution of that office in 1794. 
 He was succeeded by his eldest son, John Steuart, who was also 
 a Deputy-Lieutenant and Magistrate for the county. He was 
 sent to the Cape of Good Hope in 1829, as High Sheriff of the 
 colony, and was afterwards raised to the office of Master of the 
 Supreme Court. The present proprietor, the eleventh laird, is 
 his grandson, and succeeded, on his grandfather's death, at the 
 beginning of 1882. He was also resident at the Cape of Good 
 Hope for many years, and honourably distinguished himself in 
 the late Basuto war, serving on the stall' of Colonel Carrington. 
 He only returned to this country in the month of June 1882, 
 when he and his lady, Leila Mary, daughter of John Wright, 
 Esq., M.D., Wynberg, Cape of Good Hope, to whom he was 
 
 E
 
 66 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 married on 9th April 1882, received a truly Highland welcome 
 to their new home. They have a son, John JSTairne, horn 
 15th January 1883. It will he seen, from the outline we have 
 given of the pedigree, that the Steuarts of Dalguise are con- 
 nected matrimonially with several families related to the royal 
 blood of Scotland, while, it may be added, they are similarly 
 related to many other families of distinction. 
 
 From its great antiquity and long connection with the most 
 important families in the country, the Steuarts of Dalguise have 
 been the means of preserving some of the most valuable relics 
 of the past. The collection of family portraits' at present in 
 Dalguise House is very extensive, and the new laird has shown 
 the importance he attaches to these heirlooms by having them 
 thoroughly renovated. These portraits include one of Prince 
 Charles, King Eobert the Bruce, and many other historical 
 personages. The collection of old swords and other weapons is 
 also most extensive, and these are likewise being put in the best 
 of order by Mr Steuart. One of the most interesting of these 
 weapons is a sword which belonged to Prince Charles, and which 
 bears his initials and the insignia of royalty on the blade. 
 The sword is evidently not one which had been intended for 
 ornament, as its whole construction shows that it was meant to 
 be used upon the necks of his foes, if they came within reach. 
 The targets, like the sword of Prince Charles, seem to have been 
 made not merely for full dress, or as ornaments for the hall, but 
 for use, and appearances indicate that they have been used. 
 The most valuable of all the relics, however, were lent by the 
 late proprietor to the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of 
 Scotland, on account of their national interest. These consist 
 of two genuine old Highland targets, now very rare, and two 
 harps, one of which belonged to Queen Mary, and the other is 
 known as the " Lamont Harp." The first we hear of the harps 
 is their being sent to Edinburgh in 1805 by General Eobertson 
 of Lude, at the request of the Highland Society, and examined 
 by a sub-committee appointed for the purpose. The family 
 tradition is that for several centuries past the first of these two 
 harps has been known as the " Clarshach Lumanach," or the 
 " Lamont Harp," and that it was brought from Argyleshire by
 
 DALGUISE. 67 
 
 a daughter of the Lamont family on her marriage with Robertson 
 of Lude, in the year 1464. It is supposed that even at this 
 remote period the harp was an old, knocked-about, battered, 
 broken, and mended instrument, with a pre-traditional story 
 that cannot now be traced. It is a plain, substantial instrument, 
 made more for use than ornament, rather fitted for the wander- 
 ing minstrel than for noble or royal hands. The other harp, 
 which has long been known as that of Queen Mary, is of much 
 more elaborate construction. The tradition regarding it is that 
 when Queen Mary was on a hunting excursion in the Highlands 
 of Perthshire in 1563, she had this harp, and presented it to 
 Miss Beatrix Gardyn, daughter of Mr Gardyn of Banchory, 
 whose family is now represented by Mr Garden of Troup. She 
 appears to have been married to one of the ancestors of the 
 present family of Invercauld, — distinguished, according to the 
 custom of the Highlands, from his size by the appellation of 
 " Findla More,"— and from her both the families of Farquharson 
 and Lude are descended. In this manner Queen Mary's harp 
 came with one of her female descendants into the family of 
 Lude. These harps were secured as a loan for the Society of 
 Antiquaries, through the instrumentality of the late Mr Charles 
 D. Bell, F.S.A., who, in a paper read before that society in 
 1881, fully describes their appearance and their history, so far 
 as can be ascertained. 
 
 On approaching the mansion-house, one of the first objects to 
 attract the attention of the visitor is a beautiful cross, sur- 
 mounted by a unicorn, standing in the centre of the lawn, and 
 shown in the illustration on page 64. Nothing is known 
 regarding its history, but, from its form and design, it may 
 be inferred that it was originally intended as a village cross. 
 Prom this cross to the garden only a few yards intervene, and 
 here we first behold some of the arboreal treasures of the 
 property, which, for its size, is one of the most thickly-wooded 
 estates in the county, very little of the timber having been cut 
 for a long series of years. The trees in the garden are purely 
 ornamental, and those most worthy of notice are three gigantic 
 araucarias, planted about 1845. They are each about 37 feet 
 high, and the girth of the largest of them is 7 feet 6 inches at
 
 68 WOODS,- FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the ground, 5 feet 10 inches at 1 foot up, 5 feet at 3 feet, and 
 4 feet 2 inches at 5 feet. Two of them, including the one of 
 which the girth has been given, grow upon a terrace, with a 
 flower-bed on either side ; and the other one grows in a hollow 
 immediately below, where there are no more than 6 inches of 
 soil, the subsoil being large stones and gravel, evidently a river 
 deposit. All of these trees, however, are now past their best. 
 After the year 1861, when the rime was exceptionally severe, 
 the trees began to show signs of going back, and about three 
 years ago they commenced to cast their lower branches. The 
 one in the hollow, however, although several of the branches 
 have been dropped, still retains the lower ones, and is tolerably 
 well furnished. At the foot of the garden there is one of the 
 original larches, — a gift from the then Duke of Athole, — and 
 nearly the same age as the ones at Dunkeld. It has attained 
 to a great size, but has been considerably shattered by the storms 
 of winter. It has a grand round bole of about 35 feet, with a 
 girth at 1 foot of 1 5 feet, and 1 1 feet 7 inches at 5 feet. An 
 old oak near the house girths 12 feet at the narrowest part of 
 the bole. This tree originally had an immense spread of 
 branches, — one of the limbs, since broken off, being 76 feet long, 
 and weighing 5 tons. There is another very good oak in the 
 Horse Park known as the " Garter Oak." This park was at a 
 former period covered with coppice, and while the coppice was 
 being cut down, the laird of Dalguise, observing the fine pro- 
 portions of this tree, offered the party to whom the coppice had 
 been sold, a pair of the garters then worn with the knee-breeches, 
 if he would allow that tree to remain. The offer was accepted, 
 hence the name of the tree. There is a fine bole of 24 feet, 
 with a girth of 13 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet at 5 feet 
 from the ground. The finest ash on the property grows at a 
 little gate leading to the main road, the girth at 1 foot from the 
 ground being 17 feet 6 inches; and at 5 feet, the narrowest 
 part of the bole, the girth is 1 5 feet. At " Glenalbert's famed 
 abode," the scene of Mrs Brnnton's well-known novel Self-Gon- 
 trol,— which opens at Balnaguard Inn, — there are a considerable 
 number of trees above the average size, most of them being 
 quite close to the road-side. Amongst the first of these to
 
 DALGUISE. 69 
 
 attract attention are two very good elms, directly opposite each 
 other, and which were made to serve the purpose of pillars in 
 the erection of a triumphal arch, through which the Queen and 
 Prince Albert passed when they first visited Scotland in 1842. 
 A grand beech tree has a girth of 1 G feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 
 13 feet 1 inch at 5 feet, with a bole of 20 feet, — the cubic con- 
 tents being altogether about 180 feet. Two Spanish chestnuts 
 of large size grow within 6 feet of each other. The larger of 
 the two girths 14 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 13 feet 3 inches 
 at 5 feet up ; while the other girths 13 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 12 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, — the bole of each of the trees being 
 about 12 feet. Two old walnut trees at Glenalbert approach 
 almost the same size, — the larger girthing 13 feet 3 inches at 1 
 foot up, and 1 1 feet 1 inch at 5 feet ; and the other girthing 1 2 
 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 5 inches at 5 feet. A line 
 of gigantic silver firs extends along a bank from Glenalbert 
 Burn to Easter Dalimise Burn, the largest of which girths 13 feet 
 4 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 11 inches at 5 feet from the 
 the ground. Almost all of those trees are about the same size. 
 There are also a number of large beech trees at Milton, but 
 none of them approach the dimensions of th.6 one at Glenalbert, 
 — the best of the Milton lot girthing 14 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 12 feet at 5 feet from the ground, with a bole of 18 feet. 
 
 At Steuartfield, where there is an excellent shooting lodge, 
 57 acres of Scots fir and spruce were planted in 1881. The 
 young plants are thriving amazingly, and, as the country is 
 rather naked at this part, a very great improvement will be 
 observable in the course of a few years. Within a short dis- 
 tance from Steuartfield, there is a somewhat remarkable cairn, 
 winch has long excited the curiosity of those residing in the 
 district. It is situated on the summit of Elrigg Mohr, the 
 highest hill in the parish. Impelled by a traditionary story 
 about treasure being deposited in the cairn, several attempts 
 have been made to get to the bottom of it, but hitherto with- 
 out success. The stones comprising it are comparatively small, 
 and unlike any of those in the immediate neighbourhood. On 
 the top of another hill, there is also a remarkable cave, tradi- 
 tionally said to extend to Kinnaird. The story is told in the
 
 70 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 district that a piper was once sent in to discover the extent of 
 the cave. He struck up a tune upon his pipes on entering, and 
 the sound gradually became fainter, until it died away alto- 
 gether, and the piper never returned. The Wolf's Bridge has 
 an interesting story attached to it. At the period when wolves 
 had been almost exterminated in Scotland, the wife of a reaper 
 was crossing this bridge on her way to a neighbouring field 
 with her husband's dinner, when she was confronted by a wolf. 
 She was too far from assistance to make her danger known, but 
 she heroically produced a large knife from her basket, and 
 defended herself with such good effect that the ferocious animal 
 fell dead at her feet. This is said to have been the last wolf 
 seen in the district. At Easter Dalguise there is an important 
 relic of the former bed of the Tay, in the shape of a substantial 
 stone bridge in first-rate repair. The river presently flows in 
 a totally different channel, although there is always a certain 
 quantity of water underneath the old bridge. 
 
 The plantations upon the property extend in all to about 700 
 acres. The greater part of the woods consist of mature timber, 
 chiefly larch, ranging from 60 to 70 years old. The wood is of 
 splendid quality, and many of the trees are of remarkable size 
 for their age. The plantations are being carefully managed, 
 and there is an evident desire to improve them still further. 
 The new laird has entered upon the management of the estate 
 with considerable enthusiasm, and with a determination to effect 
 whatever alterations may be necessary to improve the property. 
 He has already set to work with the view of increasing its 
 amenities, and in a short time, we believe, his energy in this 
 direction will make itself felt to good purpose.
 
 VI.— MURTLY. 
 
 'Great Birnam Wood" — Buried and Living Remains of the Ancient 
 Forest — Story concerning Neil Gow — The " Hanged-Men's Tree" — 
 Huge Beech and Chestnut Trees — The Douglasil Terrace — The 
 Stewarts of Grantully — Planting out of Flower-Pots — The Dcodara 
 Sunk Terrace — Ancient Yews — The Finest Araucaria Avenue in the 
 AYorld — Large Lime Trees — Huge Wdlingtonia gigantea- — Summary 
 of Remarkable Trees— The Plantations — The Trees of the Future. 
 
 "When we mention, that what Shakespeare has immortalised as 
 "Great Birnam Wood" forms part of the Murtly property, it 
 will be acknowledged that the woods and remarkable trees 
 upon this estate have a special attraction both for the general 
 reader and for the lover of trees. Both are alike familiar with 
 the story which forms the argument of Shakespeare's greatest 
 tragedy, and both are alike interested in the locality in which 
 the leading incidents are depicted. Not a few of those who 
 have climbed the slopes of Birnam Hill, a favour which Sir 
 Douglas Stewart allows to tourists, and gazed with admiration 
 upon the magnificent country which lies to the south and east, 
 must have been a little puzzled to know how the movements of 
 the Earl of Northumberland's army could be observed by the 
 messengers of the usurper all the way from Dunsinane Hill, 
 which is fully twelve miles distant. Standing upon the 
 pinnacle of Birnam Hill, and stretching the eyes towards 
 Dunsinane, one is forced to confess that the eyes of Macbeth's 
 soldiers must have been very much better than the eyes of 
 people now-a-days, or that " living grove " which they saw 
 advancing towards their encampment must have been of Brob- 
 dignagian proportions, if they saw it starting from the sides of 
 Birnam Hill. Two explanations, however, can be given which 
 seem simple enough. Birnam Hill is not confined to that 
 eminence which has become such a favourite resort of tourists,
 
 72 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 but extends for several miles round the highest peak. In 
 ancient times, too, it is highly probable that Birnam was the 
 generic term for the whole district south-east of the hill, to the 
 banks of the river opposite Dunsinane, while Dunsinane would 
 be the general name given to the district extending from Mac- 
 beth's stronghold to the river. The outposts of the opposing 
 armies — provided the whole of the tyrant's army were not 
 encamped on Dunsinane Hill — would thus be stationed on the 
 opposite banks of the Tay, so that Macbeth's spies could easily 
 detect the unusual movements in the neighbourhood of Duncan's 
 Hill, where there were some rude fortifications, the remains of 
 which have recently been restored. The other, and more 
 probable, explanation is that at the period referred to the 
 country between the river bank and Dunsinane Hill was a huge 
 jungle, and, as the whole of Macbeth's army are believed to 
 have been within their fortified camp, they would only be able 
 to detect the unusual movement within " this three mile," as 
 Sbakespeare reports the messenger to have informed the King. 
 Supposing this theory to be correct, Macbeth's messengers 
 would not be able to see effect given to the command — 
 
 " Let every soldier hew him down a bough, 
 And bear't before him ; thereby shall we shadow 
 The numbers of our host, and make discovery 
 Err in report of us." 
 
 They would, however, have early intimation of the jungle in 
 front of Dunsinane Hill showing unwonted stir, and would 
 immediately communicate the startling intelligence to their 
 sovereign, who, relying upon the prediction of the witches, 
 remained in fancied security within his fortified camp, untd 
 " Great Birnam Wood " should march against him — 
 
 " Be lion mettled, proud : and take no care 
 Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are, 
 Macbeth shall never vanquished be until 
 Great Birnam Wood to lrigh Dunsinane Hill 
 Shall come against him. 
 
 Macbeth. That can never be. 
 Who can impress the forest ; bid the tree 
 Unfix the earth-bound roots ? " 
 
 Firm in his assurance that the forest could never come 

 
 •MUETLY. 73 
 
 against him, Macbeth rested in peace, placing implicit con- 
 fidence in the prophecy of the witches — 
 
 " I will not be afraid of death or bane, 
 Till Birnam Forest come to Dunsinane." 
 
 Whether the witches were honest in their predictions, or 
 whether they were among the "conspirers" regarding whom 
 the King was advised " to take no care," is a question for the 
 critics to discuss. It is at all events certain that Macbeth was 
 not prepared for the peculiar strategy adopted by his enemies. 
 No sooner does the faithful messenger report — 
 
 " As I did stand my watch upon the hill, 
 I looked towards Birnam, and anon ruethought 
 The wood began to move," 
 
 than the tyrant strikes him dow T n, and threatens to hang him 
 
 alive upon the next tree till he starves, if his speech proves 
 
 false. The information, however,, proved too true for the 
 
 murderer of the "gracious Duncan" and the wife and children 
 
 of Macduff, and, notwithstanding his refusal to yield to young 
 
 Malcolm, 
 
 " Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane," 
 
 he is made to bite the dust. 
 
 The great forest from whose trees the soldiers of Duncan cut 
 the boughs to cover their numbers has now entirely disappeared, 
 but the eye can still bear testimony to its reality. Not only 
 are buried remnants of it frequently found, as mentioned in the 
 chapter on " The Past and the Present," but there are still a 
 few gigantic living specimens that excite the wonder of all who 
 behold them. The most famous of these, are the oak and the 
 sycamore (see frontispiece) growing on the south bank of the 
 Tay immediately behind Birnam Hotel. These two trees are 
 believed to be close upon one thousand years old, and are 
 worthy of the admiration which is bestanved upon them by 
 tourists and students of Nature from all parts of the world. 
 The girth of the oak at 5 feet from the ground is 18 feet; and 
 the sycamore, which stands about 80 feet west of the oak, is 
 even larger, being 19 feet 8 inches round the stem at 5 feet 
 from the ground. Seventy years ago, a measurement of the 
 oak was taken by the celebrated traveller, Dr E. D. Clarke,
 
 74 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 who reports its girth as being 17 feet; so that it has only 
 grown one foot during that period. These remnants of 
 " Great Birnam Wood " lie in the direct line of the march of 
 the English army which came to place Malcolm on the Scottish 
 throne in place of Macbeth, and it is not taxing the imagination 
 too much to suppose that branches may have been cut from 
 these identical trees to conceal the army on its advance from 
 Dunkeld Ferry to the stronghold of the tyrant. In connection 
 with the oak, a very good story is told concerning Neil Gow. 
 One day Neil was away on Birnam Hill on a drinking carousal in 
 some of the smugglers' dens which then abounded in the neigh- 
 bourhood, and, as the night turned out very stormy, he 
 remained until a late hour next morning. "When the storm 
 had somewhat subsided, Neil made for the ferry, and shouted 
 for the boatman, who lived on the opposite bank, to come and 
 take him across. On account of the storm, however, Neil was 
 not successful in making his voice heard, and, after having 
 exhausted his strength by shouting, he sat down at the foot of 
 this oak, and, under the soothing influence of the " mountain 
 dew" he had so freely imbibed on Birnam Hill, slept with 
 unnatural soundness. The river by this time was in flood, and 
 rising rapidly. Presently the water tipped the bottom of the 
 tree under whose friendly shade the famous musician was 
 sleeping. Then it gradually reached the sleeper, who awakened 
 with a most uncomfortably chilly feeling about his legs, just as 
 he was about to be washed into the powerful current of the 
 river. On coming to his senses, he found that he had missed 
 his way, and was at the wrong ferry altogether. This incident 
 might well have led to the composition of the favourite tune, 
 " Neil Gow's Farewell to Whisky." 
 
 There is another ancient oak, also in the line of the march of 
 the English army from Birnam to Dunsinane, about two miles 
 south-east of those trees already referred to, arid very near 
 Birnam Hall, now rented from Sir Douglas Stewart by Mr J. E. 
 Millais, the celebrated artist. Locally, it is known as "The 
 Hanged-Men's Tree," and is adjacent to the hill upon which 
 Duncan held his courts of justice, and half a mile distant 
 from Duncan's camp. Whether the King actually used this
 
 MURTLY 75 
 
 tree for the execution of criminals or enemies is not known, but 
 for many generations it was used by the lords of Murtly for 
 the hanging of thieves and other offenders, and it is highly 
 probable that they only continued a practice first commenced 
 "when Duncan was encamped in the immediate neighbourhood. 
 The tree measures over 10 feet in girth, and is very well pro- 
 portioned. 
 
 Murtly Castle, a fine glimpse of which can be had from the 
 railway, is beautifully situated on the south bank of the Tay, in 
 the heart of a landscape that is most magnificent, and has 
 elicited the warm admiration of Her Majesty, as recorded in 
 Leaves from the Journal of our Life in the Highlands. Close 
 to the river are several huge beech trees of from 700 to 800 
 years of age. The eight largest of these girth as follows at 5 
 feet from the ground: — -10 ft. 6 in., 15 ft. 8 in., 15 ft. 3 in., 
 14 ft., 13 ft. 6 in., 13 ft. 5 in., 10 ft. 10 in., and 10 ft. 3 in. 
 It may be interesting to note here that this species of tree had 
 a good deal to do with the building of the iron frames of the 
 ancient Britons, who grew to be veritable giants upon beech 
 mast and the fat of swine, which, again, were reared upon 
 acorns. There are also two Spanish chestnuts of great 
 antiquity. These are supposed to have been amongst the 
 original trees introduced into this country by the monks, and 
 girth respectively 17 feet 7 inches and 15 feet 10 inches. Sir 
 Douglas Stewart, the owner of this property, is the representa- 
 tive of the Stewarts of Grantully, who trace their descent from 
 the same Stewarts from whom the royal Stewarts are descended. 
 Grantully has been in possession of this family for over 450 
 years. The first charter of Grantully and Aberfeldy is dated 
 March 30th, 1414, and granted by the Earl of Douglas to his 
 cousin and shield-bearer, Alexander Stewart, son of the Lord of 
 Lome. A brother of his was ancestor of the Earls of Traquair. 
 This title, now dormant, is claimed by Sir Douglas Stewart. 
 Sir -John Stewart de Bonkill, killed at the battle of Falkirk in 
 1298, was another distinguished ancestor. Sir William Stewart, 
 born 1566 or 1567, was remarkable in the history of his 
 family. He was the page of King James VI., and brought up 
 witli him, and high in his favour. The King gave him the
 
 76 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Barony of Strathbraan in 1606. He purchased the baronies of 
 Murtly and Airntully from the Abercrombies in 1615, which 
 were then far more extensive than they are now, having in- 
 cluded Ballathie, Inncruytie, Tullybeagles, &c. Sir Thomas 
 Stewart, son of Sir William, was another distinguished member 
 of the family. He took a leading part in the public affairs of his 
 day, and was treated with great respect and deference by people 
 of rank and position. John Stewart, son of the above, com- 
 monly called Old Grantully, born 1643, added largely to the 
 family possessions in Forfarshire, but had to sell much of this 
 acquired property to pay a heavy fine for having invited the 
 old Pretender to dine with him. He entailed the estates. He 
 was succeeded by his cousin, Admiral Sir George Stewart of 
 Balcaskie, son of Sir Thomas of Balcaskie, Senator of the College 
 of Justice, by Lady Jean Mackenzie, daughter of. George, first 
 Earl of Cromartie. Then his younger brother, Sir John, 
 followed for five years. He married — 1st,. Elizabeth, daughter 
 of Sir James Mackenzie of Eoyston, and. 2nd, Lady Jane 
 Douglas, sister and heiress of the Duke of Douglas. About 
 the succession to the latter there was a famous lawsuit. Then 
 his son, Sir John, succeeded for twenty-five years. Then 
 his son, . Sir George Stewart, had possession for thirty-eight 
 years and died in 1827. He married Catherine, daughter of 
 John Drumniond of Logiealmond, and eventually heiress of 
 that estate. Sir George was succeeded by his son, Sir John 
 Drummond Stewart, married to a daughter of Erancis, Earl 
 of Moray. He commenced the grass drives, and built the new 
 castle which his successor, Sir William, helped to injure by cut- 
 ting out the beams. Sir John was succeeded by Sir William 
 Drummond Stewart, who in his earlier days went to America, 
 and lived for some years with, the North-American Indians. 
 He added greatly to the grass drives, which are a distinguishing 
 feature and a great beauty of the grounds of Murtly, extending 
 for miles in different directions, but he charged them as im- 
 provements to the entailed estate. He also embellished the 
 grounds by planting fine pines, &c. Sir William Drummond 
 Stewart sold Logiealmond, his mother's property. In bis 
 latter days he became entangled by a Texan adventurer, to
 
 MURTLY. 77 
 
 whom he tried to leave the estates. The attempt, however, was 
 unsuccessful, and Sir Douglas Stewart has possessed them now 
 for many years. 
 
 Besides the more ancient monarchs of the forest which Ave 
 have been describing, there are a large number of remarkable 
 trees that are comparatively young. These are not isolated 
 specimens here and there, but are to be met with in clusters 
 and in avenues as well as in solitary specimens. One of the 
 most interesting sights in the policies is the magnificent 
 Douglasii terrace or avenue, consisting entirely of Douglasii 
 .pines of from 27 to 33 years old. They rise to a height of from 
 50 to over 70 feet, — have a circumference, at 2 feet from the 
 ground, of from 8 to 10 feet,— and a spread of branches of from 
 30 to 80 feet. The soil in some places is a light sandy loam of 
 average quality, resting on deep gravel, while in other places the 
 ground is rather marshy. In many places, however, the soil 
 is remarkably dry, yet the trees have a vigorous growth, and the 
 foliage is of such a beautiful dark green that at a little distance 
 it is apt to be mistaken for a common yew. The situation is 
 moderately exposed, and in some instances almost devoid of 
 protection, aud the height above the seadevel is from 200 to 300 
 feet. In the immediate neighbourhood of the Douglasii Terrace 
 is an excavation known as the Deodara or Sunk Terrace, which 
 has been made at great expense, and planted out with rhododen- 
 drons of almost every hue, presenting in their season a blaze of 
 colour that is really dazzling. This terrace is approached by 
 massive flights of stairs, the work of the present baronet. Near 
 this place is a beautiful specimen of what is believed to be Abies 
 Douglasii elegans, or glauca, although it does not fully answer 
 to the description. It is about 65 or 70 feet high, and is 
 splendidly clothed with a purple green and closely set leaf. At 
 the north end of the Sunk Terrace is a line of the most hand- 
 some specimens of Cupressus Lawsoniana to be seen anywhere. 
 They are from twenty to twenty-five years old, 30 feet in height, 
 9 feet spread of branches, and are beautifully clothed to the 
 ground, with scarcely a branch awanting. Parallel with the 
 Sunk Terrace is a fine old yew walk. The walk opens with 
 about twenty very old trees, probably from 300 to 400 years
 
 78 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 of age. All of them are of large size, and have magnificent 
 boles. At 5 feet from the ground they average about 2 feet in 
 diameter, and the boles range from 9 to 15 feet high, — the 
 average height of the entire trees being about 40 feet. The 
 lower part of the avenue is composed of younger trees of about 
 15 feet in height, and trimmed in an arch-shape. This avenue 
 leads directly to the door of the picturesque old chapel, to which 
 it forms a most appropriate walk. In the flower garden there 
 are also a number of yews fully as old as those in this avenue. 
 The wood bears traces of having been drawn upon in olden times 
 to furnish bows for the archers. One of the largest of these 
 trees measures 210 feet in circumference of branches, the lower 
 ones lying flat on the ground. This great tree is quite circular, 
 and presents a beautiful natural bell shape, no attempt having 
 been made at trimming in any way. 
 
 There are also several other avenues of interest. Lyingbetween 
 the Douglasii Terrace and the Sunk Terrace is a line of very 
 fine specimens of Abies Pattoniana or Hookeriana of compact 
 growth and fine foliage. Leading out from the front of the old 
 castle is a beautiful avenue of Cedrus Deodara, remarkable alike 
 for beauty of foliage and uniformity of growth. There is, 
 however, no part of the grounds that will strike the visitor as 
 being more noteworthy than the Araucaria Avenue, leading 
 from the old castle to the new chapel. This avenue is said to 
 be the finest of the kind in the world, and one can readily 
 believe it. As single specimens of this peculiar ornamental 
 conifer, each tree seems perfect, and collectively they present a 
 sight as delightful as it is unique. All the trees are of large 
 size, and several of them have produced a crop of cones. There 
 are some very fine old silver firs near the new chapel. This 
 is a remarkably beautiful structure and much admired. It 
 is joined to the old Mortuary Chapel by a very handsome 
 Byzantine Arch. It was built for Roman Catholic worship, but 
 is now used only for Protestant services. In the Lime Avenue 
 leading to the old castle, there are several trees worthy of special 
 mention. Ten of them are of the following dimensions :— 10 ft. ; 
 9 ft. 10 in. ; 9 ft. 7 in. j 9 ft. 3 in. ; 9 ft. 2 in. ; 9 ft. I in. ; 
 9 ft.; 8 ft. 11 in. 5 8 ft. 6 in. ; and 8 ft., and about 100 to 120 ft.
 
 MURTLY. 79 
 
 high. The Lime Avenue was planted in 1711. While speak- 
 ing of lime trees, we might mention that at Grantully, also a 
 part of the Murtly estate, there are some very large limes, one of 
 them girthing 17 feet. 
 
 Those looking for remarkahle trees are certain to have their 
 attention directed to a square figure of ornamental pines, a 
 little to the north-east of the old castle. Amongst the most 
 conspicuous of these are some splendid specimens of Cupressus 
 Lawsoniana and other Californian pines. They are all extremely 
 healthy, and are distinguished for their uniformity and symmetry 
 of growth. This is rendered the more remarkable on account 
 of the soil being of the very poorest quality ; but their magni- 
 ficent growth may be attributed to the pureness of the 
 atmosphere and the openness of the subsoil, which consists of 
 gravel to a very great depth. Amongst other interesting 
 Californian pines, we observed, a little to the east of the Castle, 
 a fine specimen of Pinus monticola, 50 feet high, and beauti- 
 fully clothed to the ground. 
 
 The list of remarkable trees in this arboreal paradise is so 
 extensive that many excellent specimens must be omitted in our 
 enumeration. Before closing this part of the subject, however, 
 mention must be made of a magnificent Wellingtonia gigantea, 
 35 years old, and 55 ft. high, which, if sawn up for the common 
 uses of pine, would produce 9 railway sleepers, and a quantity 
 of f-inch boards. Summarising the list of more remarkable 
 trees, we find there are eight beech trees having a circumference, 
 at 5 feet from the ground, of from 10 ft. 3 in. to 16 ft. 6 in. ; 
 seven Scotch elms, from 12 ft. 7 in. to 13 ft. 6 in. ; two oaks, 
 
 18 ft. and 10 ft. 4 in. ; two Spanish chestnuts, 17 ft. 7 in. and 
 15 ft. 10 in. ; one horse chestnut, 12 ft. 5 in. ; two sycamores, 
 
 19 ft. 6 in., and 10 ft. ; ten limes, from 8 ft. to 10 ft. ; twelve 
 silver firs, from 8 ft. 7 in. to 1 2 ft. 4 in. ; one larch of 9 ft. 8 in. j 
 three Scots firs, from 8 ft. 6 in. to 10 ft. 7 in. ; — in all, forty- 
 eight trees, containing in the aggregate, at a random estimate, 
 about 14,000 cubic feet of measureable timber, besides about 300 
 loads of firewood. 
 
 We have hitherto confined ourselves to the remarkable trees 
 on the Murtly property, but when we come to examine the
 
 80 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 plantations, we will also find much that is worthy of notice. 
 Pennant has jocularly remarked that Birnam Wood has never 
 recovered from the march of its ancestors to Dunsinane, or, as a 
 poet expresses it — 
 
 " Huge Birnam towers above the tide, 
 All bright with morning glow ; 
 But scarce a tree adorns his side, 
 Where forests waved long, long ago." 
 
 A great change, however, has come over Birnam since the days 
 of Pennant, and the joke is at present devoid of force. Instead 
 of the nakedness which existed at no very distant date, the 
 slopes of the hill are now thickly covered with thriving planta- 
 tions, which hid fair to prove worthy of the reputation of " Great 
 Birnam Wood " — 
 
 " What's been before may be again, 
 
 Perhaps to crush some tyrant's reign 
 With Britain's thunder on the main." 
 
 The planting has not been confined to the classic slopes of 
 Birnam, hut has been extended all over the property, there 
 being altogether about 4000 acres of plantation. These plan- 
 tations are divided into twenty-five sections, besides many belts 
 and clumps, which, in the aggregate, are of considerable extent. 
 All the woods are traversed by regular roads, rides, and drives, 
 and in most cases are quite suitable for the transport of timber, 
 some of the roads being first-rate, some second-rate, while a good 
 many are of an ordinary kind. 
 
 The plantations are generally well fenced with stone dykes, 
 wood four-barred fences, wire on wood posts, wire on iron posts, 
 and some upright wooden fences. The latter are very easily 
 upset by winds, and continually get out of order, those giving 
 the least trouble being the stone dykes and the wire on iron 
 posts. Lying as these plantations do, about 140 miles from the 
 Atlantic Ocean and about 70 miles from the German Ocean, the 
 effects of sea breezes are little felt, even at high altitudes, so that 
 good timber is grown over 1000 feet above sea level. Humid 
 winds from the sea lose the greater part of their moisture before 
 reaching this distance (except when at a great velocity), and in 
 consequence the climate is found to be very favourable for most 
 varieties of the indigenous timber trees of northern Europe.
 
 MUKTLY. 81 
 
 The main geological formation on which seventeen of the 
 sections stand is the Old Eed Sandstone (Devonian), and the 
 soil is in most cases a light loam. In some instances the soil is 
 sharp and sandy, readily drying up, especially when under culti- 
 vation. That under timber being for the most part covered with 
 mosses, grasses, and heath, is protected from dry winds, and, in 
 consequence, timber stands the effects of dry weather better than 
 other crops. The remaining eight sections are principally on 
 the Lower Silurian formation, and in many places the clays are 
 stiff, but not barren. The soils, however, are very damp, and 
 in low and level places require draining. Although these are 
 the general formations, other strata, such as greenstone, calci- 
 ferous sandstone, &c, crop up, but bear a small proportion to the 
 gross area under wood. They, however, influence the soil con- 
 siderably, and the difference is observable in the growth and 
 health of the timber. The kinds particularly affected are the 
 finer varieties of conifera?, as, though they grow the same length 
 of shoots in a season, their shoots are more slender and their 
 foliage of a lighter colour than trees grown on a more congenial 
 soil. In one plantation of 40 acres, 160 to 200 feet above sea 
 level, and with a northern exposure, are some very fine speci- 
 mens of Abies Douglasn, A. Albertiana, A. Morinda, A. 
 Pinsapo, A. magnified, A. Menziesii, A. nigra, Pmus cembra, 
 Picea nobilis, P. grandis, P. Lasiocarpa, P. Nordmanniana, 
 Cupressus Lawsoniana, O. Funebris, C. Lambertiana, G. Macro- 
 carpa, Cedrus Libani, Libocedrus decurrens, &c. All of 
 these have been judiciously planted as regards soil, situation, 
 and exposure. Most of the specimens are handsome and large 
 for their age, — A. Douglasii, A. Menziesii, and P. nobilis being 
 particularly so. The oldest of the trees in this plantation are 
 about twenty-five years of age, and they are now 40 feet high, 
 with a girth, at 3 feet from the ground, of from 3 to 7 feet. 
 They have been rather thickly planted, many of the branches 
 already interlacing ; so that in a short time every second tree 
 will have to be removed. The planting here has been on the 
 grouping system, and excepting some Wellingtonias planted in 
 a sterile, sandy soil, it has been admirably managed. The main 
 crop on the plantation of which we are at present speaking is of 
 
 F
 
 82 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 various ages, from one to one hundred years old, and consists of 
 oak, ash, elm, beech, birch, and alder, and, in smaller quantity, 
 of hazel, Scots fir, larch, spruce, and silver fir, — the two last 
 being about one hundred years old, and of good dimensions. 
 The main crop, however, is not in a very thriving condition, 
 having been neglected in the earlier stages of growth. Another 
 section of 260 acres, chiefly Scots fir, twenty-five years old, 
 affords an illustration of the unprofitableness of spontaneous 
 growth, the state of about 60 acres proving that when planting 
 can be cheaply done, it is a loss of money to allow the ground 
 the necessary time to replant itself. 
 
 There is nothing calling for special remark, except of a very 
 technical kind, in any of the other ordinary plantations. A 
 few remarks, however, may be made regarding the ornamental 
 plantations, which cover many acres, exclusive of the rides, 
 terraces, &c, throughout the estate. The soil varies considerably, 
 but, on the whole, it may be said to be of a loamy sand, with, 
 occasionally, from a few inches to a few feet of peaty soil. It 
 is found that in this soil all the pines, without exception, thrive 
 admirably, and are making large annual growths, — the trees 
 being of a better form, larger, and having their foliage of a 
 darker green where peat exists. This is specially the case with 
 A. Douf/lasii, A. Menziesii, and other varieties of Abies, as well 
 as all the Piceas. Even when merely planted with peat soil 
 about the roots, they are doing well. The planting, for the 
 most part, has been very judiciously done ; but, as in many of 
 the ordinary plantations, the planters have been guilty of 
 cramming the trees too closely together. In dry, hot soil, 
 A. Menziesii is affected with red spider, and the Wellingtonia 
 has a stunted appearance; but cases of this kind are rare. The 
 most numerous specimens in the ornamental plantations are 
 ALies Douglasii and Araucaria imbricata, and reference has 
 already been made to them amongst the notes on the more re- 
 markable trees. 
 
 If there be one lesson more than another which can be 
 drawn from a visit to Murtly Woods, it is the evidence they 
 furnish as to what are to be the timber trees of the future. 
 Mr M'Kenzie, the late head forester, is of opinion that, sooner
 
 MURTLY. 83 
 
 or later, Abies Douglasii will take the place of our larch, and 
 Abies Menziesii that of our other pines. The timber of A. 
 Douglasii is said to be as durable as larch, when in contact 
 with the soil as a fence or other post or stob, it being in most 
 cases equally full of resin. It is also considered much prettier 
 for decorative work and house carpentry. " Eoofs," says Mr 
 M'Kenzie, " on the Gothic principle, such as the famous roof 
 over Westminster Hall, London, if done with the wood of the 
 Douglas fir, could not for beauty be excelled even by the best 
 oak, as it has, naturally, a rich mellow colour when of large 
 dimensions. It also lacks the bad qualities of the larch, as it 
 does not twist or warp, and is not, so far as has yet been ascer- 
 tained, liable to any disease in this country, while it produces 
 nearly double the bulk of timber in a given time." The tree 
 (Abies Menziesii) which Mr M'Kenzie believes will yet replace 
 our other pines is also a rapid grower, and, although yet a 
 young tree in this country, promises to reach from 80 to 100 
 feet, or about the same height as in its native habitats. " On 
 account of its knotty quality, it would, like A. Douglasii, be 
 useful for house carpentry, and any wood-work to be varnished ; 
 but the same quality prevents it from being used for beams, or 
 where any great strength is desirable, as knotty wood is not 
 strong; but if grown close in masses it would be more suitable, 
 as, generally speaking, its fibre is more elastic and tenacious 
 than fir or Norway spruce. Neither does it rot so readily as 
 Norway spruce when in contact with the soil, but I have no ex- 
 perience of its qualities when in continual contact with water." 
 What is really wanted now-a-days, to supply the rapidly- 
 increasing demand, is a tree that will grow quickly into good 
 useful timber, and a comparison of the growth of A. Douglasii 
 and A. Menziesii, with the growth of larch, Scots fir, and 
 Norway spruce, as to be seen at Murtly, is very much in favour 
 of the former. To plant an acre of Abies Douglasii, 10 feet 
 apart, with plants 18 to 24 inches high, and with larch of the 
 same height to 5 feet over all, would cost about £7, 10s., 
 including everything, Abies Menziesii costing about the same 
 figure. This, no doubt, is a large sum, but the returns would 
 much exceed the ordinary returns from an average acre of
 
 84 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 timber. To thin out the crop of larch to one-fourth of the 
 whole at the age of 15 or 20 years, allowing for ordinary 
 casualties, would give, after paying for felling, &c, £30 to .£40. 
 The remainder cut out at 35 years old, would yield about the 
 same sum of clear revenue, and at 75 years old, the principal 
 crop would be worth £500 or £600, under ordinary conditions. 
 The returns of an acre of Abies Menziesii would be about £100 
 less, as the timber, although of the same bulk, would not be so 
 valuable. The data for the opinion that the newer varieties 
 are more profitable, are taken from a careful measurement of 
 the different trees, compared with common trees grown within a 
 few yards of the newer ones. We find Abies Douglasii, at from 
 27 to 33 years of age, measuring 45 to 60 feet in height, 
 having a circumference, at 2 feet from the ground, of from 6 J 
 to 8J feet, with a spread of branches from 20 to 70 feet, — the 
 soil being remarkably dry, and the situation moderately 
 exposed. Abies Menziesii, at from 25 to 30 years old, grown 
 under similar conditions, reaches a height of from 45 to 55 feet, 
 have a circumference, at 2 feet from the ground, of from 5 to 
 8-| feet, and a spread of branches of 24 feet. Comparing this 
 with the larch, Scots fir, and Norway spruce growing alongside of 
 those just mentioned, we find the results as follows : — Larch, 25 
 years old, 30 to 40 feet high ; circumference at 2 feet from the 
 ground, 2 feet 4 inches ; Scots fir, of the same age, 20 to 30 
 feet high, 2 feet to 2 feet 6 inches in girth at 2 feet from the 
 ground ; Norway spruce, 30 to 35 years old, 30 to 40 feet in 
 height, and 3| to 4 feet in circumference at 2 feet from the 
 ground. 
 
 There is here undoubtedly a great difference in the bulk of 
 the timber produced, much more than would repay the difference 
 in the price of planting an acre. To the eye the newer and the 
 older varieties present a very striking contrast. In some places, 
 where the older conifers were planted as nurses for the younger, 
 the difference between the two is so great that it requires not a 
 little faith on the part of the uninitiated to believe that the larch, 
 Scots fir, or Norway spruce are not much younger than the 
 Douglasii or the Menziesii, the former being mere handsticks 
 compared with the gigantic trees they were originally intended
 
 MURTLY. 85 
 
 to protect from the winter's storms. The experienced eye, how- 
 ever, will at once see that the nurses though infinitely smaller 
 are much older. These facts open up a very interesting inquiry, 
 and if experience at other places proves that the newer varieties 
 referred to are so much -more profitable, larch and Scots fir, as 
 well as Norway spruce, will become somewhat rare, — a circum- 
 stance which would give a different complexion to several very 
 large tracts of wooded country. 
 
 We have by no means exhausted all that might be said 
 regarding the woods of Murtly, but as anything we have to 
 add would be of a more technical nature, it would have little 
 interest for the general reader. All over the estate the defects 
 of former years are being remedied as rapidly as circumstances 
 will permit. Plantations that are too crowded are being thinned, 
 and the coppice is receiving the most approved treatment for 
 facilitating its growth. Drainage is being carried out wherever 
 that is necessary, and nothing is allowed, as far as that is 
 possible, to stand in the way of the successful cultivation of the 
 timber. There are still, however, large tracts of hill land that 
 might yet be planted. These have all been duly reported upon, 
 and in the course of time action may be taken, Sir Douglas 
 Stewart not having been sufficiently long in possession of the 
 property to have all his wishes in this respect carried out ; but 
 the commencement which he has already made is an earnest of 
 what we may expect in the future.
 
 VIT.— DUNSINANE. 
 
 The Historical Connection between the Hills of Birnam and Dunsinane — 
 Macbeth's Castle — View from the Summit of the Hill — Original State 
 of the District — First Attempts at Improvement — "Trees Planted 
 for Behoof of the Poor " — Lord Dunsinane's Improvements — Story 
 regarding the Introduction of Macadamised Roads in the District — 
 Extensive Planting — Improvements by Subsequent Proprietors. 
 
 Dunsinane Hill and neighbourhood are so closely associated, 
 historically, with " Great Birnam Wood," that a description of 
 what is to be seen in this locality naturally follows an account 
 of the woods on the Murtly property. It is scarcely within 
 our province to dwell upon the interesting historical associations 
 of the district ; but, still, these are so inseparably mixed up 
 with our narrative, that a brief reference is indispensable. In 
 writing upon Birnam Wood, we ventured upon an explanation 
 of the difficulty which has frequently been experienced as to 
 how Macbeth's messengers upon Dunsinane Hill could see 
 " Great Birnam Wood " start on its journey towards the Castle 
 of Macbeth. We then pointed out that at that time the whole of 
 the country between the River Tay and Dunsinane Hill was 
 one vast jungle, — the predominating growth, it is believed, 
 being hazel, birch, broom, and briar. Supposing, as is also 
 believed to be the case, that Macbeth's army were confined 
 within the walls of Dunsinane Castle, no movement in Birnam 
 Forest could possibly be observed; but no sooner would the 
 advancing foe reach the higher grounds of Stobhall, than an 
 unusual bustle would be detected in the brushwood. Not a 
 man would be seen, but to the astonished eyes of the 
 "messenger," as he "looked toward Birnam," the whole of the 
 jungle would appear as if moving towards the encampment of 
 the King, who, observing the excited appearance of the soldier, 
 would naturally command him to " tell his story quickly."
 
 DUNSINANE. 87 
 
 "Messenger. Gracious my lord, 
 I shall report that which I say I saw, 
 But know not how to tell it. 
 
 Macbeth. Well, say, sir. 
 
 Mess. As I did stand my watch upon the hill, 
 I look'd toward Birnam, and anon, methought, 
 The wood began to move." 
 
 This instantly brought to Macbeth's mind the recollection of 
 the prophecy of the witches, but the story of the soldier seemed 
 so improbable that the tyrant exclaimed, " Liar and slave," and 
 struck him. Following the popular version of Shakespeare, we 
 learn that the messenger adhered to his original story, despite 
 the cruelty of his Sovereign. 
 
 " Mess. Let me endure thy wrath, if 't be not so ; 
 Within this three mile may you see it coming ; 
 I say, a moving grove. 
 
 Macb. If thou speak'st false, 
 
 Upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive, 
 Till famine cling thee : if thy speech be sooth, 
 I care not if thou dost for me as much. — 
 1 pull in resolution ; and begin 
 To doubt the equivocation of the fiend, 
 That lies like truth : " Fear not, till Birnam wood 
 Do come to Dunsinane ;" — and now a wood 
 Comes toward Dunsinane. — Arm, arm, and out ! - 
 If this, which he avouches, does appear, 
 There is nor flying hence, nor tarrying here. 
 I 'gin to be a- weary of the sun, 
 
 And wish the estate o' the world were now undone.- - 
 Ring the alarum bell : — Blow, wind ! come, wrack ! 
 At least we'll die with harness on our back." 
 
 Macbeth, having fully realised the truth of the messenger's 
 statement, made every preparation for defence. It is evident 
 that very little time was left for deliberate action, as within a 
 short time after being discovered, the foe threw down the " leafy 
 screens " which had disguised their approach, and stormed the 
 castle with comparatively little difficulty. 
 
 Unless there had been some treachery in the camp, it is hardly 
 possible tbat Macbeth's stronghold could have been so " gently 
 surrendered." The Castle stood at a height of upwards of 
 1100 feet above the level of the sea, and at an elevation of 
 800 feet above the base of the hill. On three of its sides the 
 hill is very difficult of access, and the defences of the Castle were
 
 88 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 high outer rocks, and where these were not availahle, there was a 
 wall with a deep fosse. Excavations have been made at different 
 times, with the view of discovering the extent of the fortifica- 
 tions, and in the course of the last of these, in the spring and 
 summer of 1854, it was ascertained from several openings made 
 in the ruins that the outer wall of the main building was an 
 immense mass, 21 feet broad, surrounding the summit of the 
 hill, " strongly built with large blocks of stone, regularly put 
 together, no lime being visible, but much red mortar pulverised 
 by the action of fire ; and the inner wall, distant from the outer 
 about 24 feet, seemingly only encircled the hill. The inter- 
 mediate space between the walls was full of what must have 
 been building material, probably indicating that the two walls 
 had fallen against each other, and formed this mass of ruins." 
 The workmen, digging within the inside wall, down to the rock, 
 cleared out an underground apartment, 13 feet long by 6 wide, and 
 found it paved with a rude dressed freestone, bedded upon the 
 rock with red mortar; and from that small apartment a passage 
 led out, towards the centre of the area, 18 feet long by 6 broad, 
 and paved in the same way, with the walls on each side standing 
 entire, about 5 feet high, rudely built of freestone, having four 
 small entrances diverging from the ground floor, — two on the 
 right, and two on the left, — about 2J feet high by 2 feet wide, 
 leading in through the walls, and forming communications with 
 the other underground apartments on each side of the passage. 
 In one of these small entrances some human remains were found 
 in a wonderfully good state of preservation. Beyond the 
 passage where the human relics were discovered, a small apart- 
 ment was reached, measuring 5 J feet long by 5 broad, " and 
 squared in the building, filled with burnt materials and remains 
 of bones, indicating a place of concealment or a burial vault, with 
 no apparent ingress or egress but the small 2-feet entrance above 
 referred to." The workmen removed a piece of the side wall of 
 this small room to the right, and came upon a floor of pavement 
 jointed in a rather more tradesmanlike manner, but still un- 
 dressed plinths from the quarry, no tool-mark having been seen 
 on any of them. Several other remains were also discovered, 
 and the narrator of the exploration concludes with a statement
 
 DUNSINANE. 89 
 
 that gives a fair idea of trie remains as they are now to be seen : — 
 "Let us imagine a wall, 21 feet thick, surrounding an oblong- 
 circular area of 40 poles of ground, intersected with vaulted 
 passages and small underground apartments of every shape and 
 size (with the exception of an open court of considerable extent 
 occupying the centre), and we have probably an idea of the 
 ground floor of Macbeth's Castle, as it now stands after the 
 lapse of 800 years." Amongst the other objects of antiquarian 
 interest in the district is a spot known as " The Lang Man's 
 Grave." The tradition of the district is that Macbeth, finding 
 it impossible to escape from Macduff, threw himself from the top 
 of the hill, was killed upon the rocks, and buried at the " Lang 
 Man's Grave." The tumulus, on being examined, however, 
 proved to be a druidical stone that had toppled over, and no relic 
 was discovered that could throw any light upon the tradition. 
 
 Although very little can now be seen of the remains of the 
 fortifications, a visit to the summit of Dunsinane Hill is amply 
 repaid by the glorious prospect it affords of a wide expanse of 
 surrounding country. Beneath our feet lies the beautiful 
 Valley of Strathmore, — no longer a jungle hiding the advance 
 of a relentless foe, but laid out with fertile fields, and ornamented 
 with flourishing plantations, thriving clumps, and isolated trees 
 of considerable size and beauty. Lifting our eyes from the rich 
 plain below, we instinctively seek out and mark the eminence 
 historically associated with Dunsinane, and which is hardly dis- 
 tinguishable from the mass of towering mountains. To the 
 north and west, the blue Grampians look frowningly upon the 
 peaceful valley, and many well-known peaks can be recognised — 
 Ben-y-gloe, Ben Vrackie, Faragon, Ben Lawers, Schiehallion, &c, 
 
 " Yonder Ben Lawers' mighty crest 
 O'erlooks Breadalbane to the west, 
 Schiehallion — Nature's throne : where rest 
 
 The thunder cluds : 
 An' Ben-y-gloe, that claims behest 
 Owre Atholl's woods." 
 
 The view in this direction, however, is not limited to mountain 
 scenery, but takes in the environs of Forfar and Brechin, and 
 the country up to the borders of Aberdeenshire. The entrance 
 to Glenlyon, the woods of Airlie, the slopes surrounding Dun-
 
 90 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 keld, and the towns of Coupar- Angus and Blairgowrie, are also 
 distinctly visible. Turning westwards, the eye takes in the 
 whole range of the rich green Ochils to the blood-stained field of 
 Sheriffmuir. Southwards, we look upon the boundaries of Fife- 
 shire, and note the more prominent Lomonds, one of which 
 shelters the venerable palace of the Scottish kings, and the other 
 reflects itself on one of the most famous trouting lochs in Scot- 
 land, rendered classic by the romantic escape of the unfortunate 
 Queen Mary from one of the islands which adorn its bosom. 
 Stretching the eyes still further, we can see the Firth of Forth 
 gleaming in the sunshine ; and on a clear day we can even dis- 
 tinguish the well-known Arthur's Seat, looking down upon 
 " Edina, Scotia's darling seat." To the south-east, we have a 
 glimpse of the widening Tay, from the gossamery bridge, whose 
 partial fall struck so much terror into the heart of the country, 
 till it approaches the German Ocean. 
 
 Such is a very imperfect portrayal of the magnificent view 
 which can be obtained from the summit of Dunsinane Hill. 
 The prospect is, if anything, superior to that which can be got 
 from Birnam ; but as Dunsinane is away from railway communi- 
 cation, visitors are, consequently, few and far between. The 
 interest which attaches to the remains of so ancient an historical 
 relic as the ruins of the Castle of the great Macbeth, probably 
 the most stupendous undertaking of that age, ought to be suffi- 
 cient to attract larger numbers ; while the trouble of ascending 
 the hill, which has a very gentle slope, is repaid ten times over 
 by the splendour of the view, north, south, east, and west. 
 
 Dunsinane cannot claim to have ever been anything of a 
 forest, but sufficient evidence can be produced to show that it 
 is not devoid of interest to the arborist, and to all who delight 
 in the improvement of landed property. The estate has been 
 exceptionally favoured in having some distinguished improving 
 landlords, and several of them were characterised for keen 
 arboricultural tastes. Through their exertions, what was 
 marsh or jungle in the days of Macbeth has become productive 
 fields or valuable woods, and several magnificent crops of the 
 latter have been reaped. 
 
 We have already alluded to the original appearance of the
 
 DUNSINANE. 91 
 
 country around Dunsinane Hill. Unlike the larger tract of 
 the county with which we have hitherto heen dealing, this 
 district seems to have heen originally destitute of timher. The 
 soil was of a damp, marshy nature, and in its wild state, where 
 the land was not altogether a hog, it was thickly clothed with 
 hrushwood, in which broom, briar, hazel, and birch predomin- 
 ated. The work of reclaiming such soil as this must have been 
 no easy task ; and, considering that a commencement was only 
 made within comparatively recent years, the results which have 
 been achieved are simply marvellous. So far as can be ascer- 
 tained, the first attempts at systematic improvement were made 
 about the beginning of last century, the proprietor being Sir 
 William Nairne, who had the baronetcy conferred upon him by 
 Queen Anne in 1704. Sir William inaugurated the improve- 
 ments by planting hardwood trees very extensively upon the 
 drier portions of the marshy land. Beech was the favourite 
 wood, but this variety was well mixed with oak, sycamore, and 
 elm. A great many trees were also planted about the mansion- 
 house and the villages round about Dunsinane, beech being 
 again the principal tree planted. At that time the villages were 
 much more numerous than they are now, several of them 
 having since become quite extinct. The chief of these villages, 
 Kinrossie and Collace, however, are still of respectable dimen- 
 sions, and can boast of great antiquity, — the former being 
 mentioned as early as the days of Alexander III., who succeeded 
 to the Scottish throne in 1249. From this we infer that the 
 village must have been a place of considerable importance in 
 the infancy of Scottish history, — an importance which may be 
 attributed to its lying almost midway on the main road between 
 Scone and Dunsinane. The trees which were planted round these 
 villages by Sir William Nairne were simply for ornament, and 
 many of them were allowed to grow to a considerable size. The 
 arable land of the property was also enclosed to a large extent with 
 timber, and many of the trees which were then planted are still 
 to be seen. Amongst the more interesting of these trees are 
 those which adorn the churchyard of Collace, and which were 
 planted by Sir William in the year 1736, "for behoof of the 
 poor." According to modern ideas, tins seems rather a unique
 
 92 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 provision for the poor ; but in those clays, when the poor were 
 supported entirely by the landlords and the kirks, and when 
 parochial boards were undreamt of, there was nothing very 
 peculiar in the laird making such a donation. It was doubtless 
 desirable to have the last resting-place of the parishioners 
 embellished with a few robust, green trees, as these would at 
 once tend to enliven a place full of sorrowful associations, and, 
 by way of contrast, suggest the short-lived character of man. 
 The laird was the man to whom the people would look to adorn 
 their burying-place in this way, and the question would 
 naturally arise as to whom the trees would belong when they 
 were matured. There would be some difficulty in the successor 
 of the laird seeking to claim them, and it was most unlikely that 
 he would ever do so. Supposing the kirk-session, again, were to 
 cut down the trees, there might be some doubts as to what 
 purpose they could apply the proceeds. It was, therefore, a wise 
 act to stipulate that the trees should be grown for the benefit 
 of the poor, as it will ensure that the timber will not be allowed 
 to rot in the ground, and no difficulty will be experienced 
 in disposing of the price of the trees when they have reached 
 maturity, while at the same time a respectable sum may be 
 realised for a most laudable purpose whenever it is most required. 
 Although Sir William Nairne appears to have done a great 
 deal towards the improvement of the property, Lord Dunsinane 
 was a much greater enthusiast in the same direction. He was 
 also a Sir William Nairne, being the fifth Baronet, and a 
 younger son of the second Baronet. He studied for the bar, 
 was admitted an advocate in 1755, and was appointed Sheriff 
 of Perthshire in 1783. Three years afterwards he was pro- 
 moted to the Bench by the title of Lord Dunsinane. He pur- 
 chased the property of Dunsinane from his nephew, Sir William 
 Nairne, on whose death his Lordship succeeded to the baronetcy. 
 As soon as he entered into possession of the property, Lord 
 Dunsinane set to work with great zeal in improving the estate. 
 The tradition of the people in the locality is, that all the avail- 
 able income from the property was devoted to its improvement, 
 his salary as a Judge being sufficient for his maintenance. 
 During his time, the whole appearance of the district was
 
 DUNSINANE. 93 
 
 changed for the better. Substantial buildings were erected, — 
 the carpenter work consisting of the celebrated Braeniar wood, 
 the trees upon the property not being sufficiently matured for 
 the purpose. Until he became the proprietor of Dunsinane, 
 there were no macadamised roads in the parish, and a very good 
 story is told regarding the circumstances under which this 
 improvement was effected. His Lordship, while on circuit at 
 Inveraray, was attracted by a peculiarity in the construction of 
 some roads leading to the Castle, and, approaching one of the 
 workmen, asked to be favoured with a few of the stones he was 
 breaking. This seemed to the workman rather a strange request 
 coming from such a personage, but his astonishment must have 
 been considerably heightened when his Lordship took out a silk 
 handkerchief and rolled up the pieces of road metal as if they 
 had been the most precious stones, giving the stone-breaker, at 
 the same time, a gratuity of half a crown. His Lordship then 
 gave the stones to his coachman, John "Whittet, who died 
 within the last twenty years, and who used to relate this story, 
 telling him to take the greatest care of them, and convey them 
 to Dunsinane House. John, fancying that his master had 
 made some very important discovery, — that he had traced the 
 presence of gold, or something of that sort, — watched over the 
 precious parcel with the greatest faithfulness, and deposited it 
 safely within the walls of Dunsinane House. His Lordship 
 afterwards caused the stones to be laid in a corner near the 
 entrance to the mansiondaouse, and gave instructions to some of 
 his men to have stones broken exactly similar to the specimens 
 he had provided, telling them, at the same time, that if they 
 were ever in any doubt as to the size and shape of the stones, 
 they were to take a walk up to the mansiomhouse, and have 
 another look at them. After a large quantity of stones had 
 been broken as his Lordship directed, he caused them to be 
 utilised in the same way as he had seen in the neighbourhood ■ 
 of Inveraray Castle. 
 
 "While Lord Dunsinane took a great interest in the improve- 
 ment of the property generally, his energies were especially 
 directed to the planting of the less profitable portions of the 
 land, and embellishing the more picturesque spots with suitable
 
 94 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE, 
 
 trees. In fact, arboriculture was with him quite a hobby. 
 Owing to the many calls upon his time, and the engrossing 
 nature of his judicial duties, his visits to Dunsinane were 
 seldom very protracted, and when it was impossible for him to 
 look round the property in daylight, he was known to proceed 
 at ni"ht, with a lantern in his hand, to examine how some 
 favourite trees were thriving. Throughout the whole of his 
 lifetime, he was actively engaged in laying down plantations 
 all over the property. In 1780, he continued the work which 
 had been commenced by the first Baronet, by planting about 
 300 acres of Scots fir. These were cut down between the years 
 1820 and 1840, and the timber proved to be of very fine quality, 
 and was much sought after by the wood merchants of Perth and 
 Dundee. About the same time, Collace Hill was first planted 
 by Lord Dunsinane, larch being the principal variety. Indeed, 
 the larch appears to have been a great favourite with his Lord- 
 ship, as we gather from an old document which has come into 
 our possession, dated October 1782, and containing eighteen 
 separate directions to the forester, Hugh Fraser, regarding the 
 management of the woods. In these directions the larch is 
 frequently referred to, and the forester is instructed to obtain 
 as many of them as he could. His Lordship appears to have 
 obtained a great many of the plants in gift from his friends. 
 In the first direction, Hugh Fraser is told that " Mr Donaldson, 
 at Elcho, is to give me some hundreds of ashes fit for planting 
 out. You must go and take them up at a proper time — go over 
 the hill the short way, and pass at Mr Donaldson's boat opposite 
 to the Castle of Elcho. The trees may likewise be brought over 
 by that boat. At Kinfauns, you may inquire at the gardener 
 about any tree seeds that can be got there, larix cones, &c. 
 Lord Gray was to let me have such as I wanted." All of the 
 eighteen directions are equally as explicit as the one we have 
 quoted, and many of them are quite as interesting. In the next 
 paragraph we are told that Mr Smythe of Methven had a 
 number of plants for him, and Fraser is instructed to have them 
 planted in the nursery as soon as he gets them. We are after- 
 wards told that " Lintrose is to give me a few plants of the 
 scarlet oak, and I will point out two or three places in the
 
 DUNSINANE. 9r.) 
 
 nursery where I would have them planted You 
 
 may go east to Lintrose and get them as soon as the season is fit 
 for planting them, which I suppose will he directly. Lintrose 
 (to whom make my compliments) will give you any tree seeds 
 that you may want. I suppose you can get from him plenty of 
 larix cones and of beech mast, both which I wish to have, 
 especially plenty of larixes." In addition to the large number 
 of seeds and young trees which his Lordship appears to have 
 got in gift from his friends, he also made extensive purchases 
 at the Perth Nurseries. In the third of the directions referred 
 to, Fraser is instructed to " get from the nursery at Bridgend 
 one thousand elm seedlings, and plant them in my nursery. 
 The price is only 5s." At another place, he is instructed to 
 plant " the Northumberland fence at the Hill Park" with 
 " ashes and elms — one hundred elms of six feet high, at 5s. per 
 hundred, may be got from the Perth Nursery for that purpose. 
 If these are not sufficient, it may be made two hundred, but 
 not to exceed that number." All through the document 
 instructions are given to Fraser to have every available spot 
 planted with the trees most suitable for the soil. " Let the 
 strip lying east from the Todhill Park be fully planted up with 
 oaks, a few larixes and beeches also may be mixed with them. 
 Let some oaks also be planted at the head of that strip near the 
 road, although it is at present pretty much filled up with other 
 trees, yet, as I believe there are no oaks amongst them, I would 
 have some put in. If we find them thrive, we can make room 
 for them by removing some of the other trees. Plant two-year- 
 old larixes on the muir ground at top of the strip." Again, 
 "in the east wood, where the natural firs are, there are a great 
 many blanks near the roadside The larixes which have been 
 planted there are thriving remarkably well; some more may be 
 put in where there are blanks — also some oaks and beeches." 
 The seventh direction is to the effect that "on the face of the muir 
 where the two-year-old larixes have thriven so well, a great many 
 more ought to be planted, and likewise a good mixture of oaks and 
 beeches." Many other directions are given regarding the manage- 
 ment of the woods, and about half a dozen instructions are given 
 in the same document as to general improvements in different
 
 96 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 parts of the property. These directions hear out, in a very strong 
 light, the great and intelligent interest Lord Dunsinane took in 
 the promotion of forestry, and give us some idea of the extent of 
 the planting he accomplished. His Lordship retired from the 
 Bench in 1809, hut he only enjoyed his retirement for a very short 
 time, having died at Dunsinane House in 1812, the title becoming 
 extinct at his death. According to all accounts, Lord Dunsinane 
 was not only an excellent landlord, — judiciously expending large 
 sums of money in the improvement of his property, — hut he was 
 likewise a most distinguished Judge. We are also told in the 
 Statistical Account of the parish, that he was a good man in the 
 highest sense of the term : — " To the welfare of the parish, and 
 more especially to their religious instruction, he was equally atten- 
 tive. He feared God and honoured the King. He remembered 
 the Sabbath day, and was never absent from church except 
 from necessity. This example was highly useful in his 
 own time. Still more useful must such conduct be in our 
 own times, to put to shame, if possible, increasing impiety, and 
 to stem the overflowing tide of iniquity. Lord Dunsinane died 
 22nd March 1812, being upwards of eighty years old, and was 
 buried within the walls of the old church of Collace, now 
 converted into a mausoleum for the Dunsinane family ; and to 
 which there is access by a large arched gateway of uncommon 
 beauty, and of the rare and ancient order of Saxon architecture." 
 Lord Dunsinane was succeeded in the property by a nephew, 
 James Mellis Nairne, who followed the noble example of his 
 uncle both as an improving landlord, as a county gentleman, 
 and as a Christian philanthropist. In his day, the greater 
 portion of the wood upon the property reached maturity, and 
 was cut down between the years 1820 and 1840, — the superior 
 quality of the timber, as already mentioned, securing for it a 
 ready market in Perth and Dundee. Although he was largely 
 engaged in cutting down the ripe timber which had been 
 planted by his predecessors, he was far from forgetful of his 
 duty to those who were to come after him, the ground being 
 replanted at different periods, and additional plantations laid 
 down. Amongst the first of his efforts in this direction was 
 the planting of Dunsinane Hill. It was originally his intention
 
 DUNSINANE. 97 
 
 to plant the hill to the summit, but on reconsideration he 
 resolved to leave the upper portion of the hill in pasture, so as 
 to preserve intact the classic ground immortalised by the 
 dramatic genius of Shakespeare. The planting of Dunsinane 
 Hill was executed about 1824, Scots fir and larch being the 
 principal varieties. A larger portion would have been planted, 
 apart from the site of Macbeth's stronghold, but as the ground 
 on the west side was found to be unsuitable, it was not pro- 
 ceeded with further. 
 
 James Mellis Nairne was succeeded by his brother John, 
 who has now, in turn, been succeeded by his son "William. 
 The work of planting the property had been so far accomplished 
 before the present and the late proprietor came into possession, 
 that they have found comparatively little to do in this branch 
 of improvement. Still the work of improvement is going on as 
 occasion arises, not only in the planting of waste ground, but in 
 the increasing of the value of the property generally. During 
 the minority of the present proprietor, Mr William JSTairne, the 
 Hill of Collace, consisting of about 112 acres, was replanted 
 with Scots fir and larch, and it is the intention of Mr Nairne to 
 continue to plant all the available land with both hard and soft, 
 woods. 
 
 There are no trees in the district that can be described as 
 particularly remarkable, but everywhere Ave see the beneficial 
 result of judicious and systematic planting. The greatest care 
 is taken that only the varieties best suited to the soil and 
 climate are planted ; and, on the whole, the woods are in 
 splendid health and condition.
 
 VIII.— SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, &c. 
 
 The Former Glory of Scone — The Stone of Destiny — The Ancient Abbey 
 — The Mansfield Family — The Modern Palace — Queen Mary's Syca- 
 more — Trees Planted by King James VI. — Other Remarkable Trees 
 in the Policies — David Douglas — The "Boot Hill" — Appearance of 
 the Country a Century Ago — A Landscape Forester's Blunder — The 
 Plantations — Voracity of the Hylobius abietis — The Steading at Bal- 
 boughty — Preservation of Wooden Posts — Douglasii Plantations — An 
 Experimental Plantation — Taymouut — Lynedoch — Logiealmond. 
 
 We can hardly think of Scone without recalling the many 
 associations, historical, antiquarian, and artistic, which cluster 
 around it. At one time the Windsor of Scotland, its name is 
 redolent of the far bygone days when royalty held high state 
 within the walls of its ancient palace. The possession of the 
 famous Stone of Destiny rendered it necessary for all the early 
 Scottish Princes to repair to Scone for coronation, and until the 
 stone was seized and carried to Westminster Abbey in 1296, by 
 Edward I. of England, a halo of royal grandeur hung around 
 the place. Scone is believed to have been a royal residence 
 before the end of the Pictish kingdom in 843. At a period so 
 remote as this, we must rely upon tradition to a large extent for 
 any knowledge that has come down to us regarding its royal 
 origin. It is said, for instance, that the Stone of Destiny was 
 originally transferred from Dunstaffnage by Kenneth Macalpine 
 before the end of the Pictish kingdom, he having brought it to 
 " The Eoyal City of Scone," because in the neighbourhood he 
 had fought and won the last decisive conflict with the Picts. 
 Tradition, however, is not any clearer upon this point than it is 
 with regard to the history of the Stone of Destiny itself, — other 
 historians asserting that the battle of Scone, which appears to 
 have been a very important one, was fought, not between the 
 Scots and the Picts, but between the Danes and Norwegians 
 and the Picts. According to tradition, the Stone of Destiny has
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. 99 
 
 had a wonderfully chequered career. There is a curious legend 
 tracing its history up to the veritable pillow upon which the 
 patriarch Jacob rested his head at Luz when he was favoured with 
 his beautiful vision. In the mythical account, we next trace 
 the stone to the possession of Gathelus, the son of Cecrops, 
 King of Athens, who entered into the service of one of the 
 Pharaohs, and married his daughter Scota, from whom Scotland 
 is said to derive its name. He brought it from Syria to Egypt, 
 and, to escape an impending plague, he is said to have sailed 
 from the Mle, in accordance with the advice of Moses, with his 
 wife and the precious stone, and landed on the coast of Spain. 
 Gathelus afterwards sent the stone to Ireland under the care of 
 his son, who invaded the island, and by whom it was set up on 
 Tara Hill, where it was used as tbe Irish Coronation Stone for 
 many ages. We next find it brought to Scotland by Fergus, 
 the son of Eric, who led the Dalriadic Scots to the shores of 
 Argyle, and who considered the stone necessary to his coronation 
 at Dunstaffnage. Here, we are told, it remained until 834, 
 when it was removed to Scone by Kenneth Macalpine, as 
 already mentioned, and where it remained till it was trans- 
 ferred to Westminster Abbey by Edward. Matter-of-fact 
 people, however, refuse to believe this very interesting legend, 
 and are inclined to suppose that the stone was quarried in the 
 neighbourhood of the ancient Palace of Scone, where, from its 
 use as a Coronation Chair, it acquired its sacred character as 
 influencing the destinies of the Scottish nation — 
 
 ' ' Unless the Fates are faithless grown, 
 And prophet's voice be vain, 
 Where'er is found this stone, 
 The Scottish race shall reign." 
 
 Scone is not only distinguished as an ancient seat 'of royalty, 
 at which most of the long line of Scottish Kings from Kenneth 
 III. to Charles II. were crowned, but it has the honour of being 
 the meeting-place of no fewer than ten Parliaments, from 1284 
 to 1401 inclusive, and there many important enactments were 
 passed. It is also noted as a seat of the Culdees, and as the site 
 of an abbey. The abbey was founded in 1 1 14, by Alexander I., 
 as a memorial of his gratitude for a narrow escape from a band
 
 100 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEKTHSHIRE. 
 
 of traitors at Liff, who had conspired to murder him. The 
 abbey was dedicated to the Holy Trinity and St Michael, and 
 was endowed with the lands of Liff and Invergowrie, which the 
 Lord of Gowrie had gifted to his Majesty at his baptism. The 
 abbey was sacked and burned in 1539, and what remained after 
 this sacrilegious act fell about 1624. At this period, David, 
 first Viscount Stormont, built a new church at Moathill, and 
 which is described as having been a very elegant fabric. The 
 main portion of this building was thrown down towards the end 
 of last century, but the aisle still remains, and is an object of 
 additional interest as the mausoleum of the Mansfield family. 
 This family, as is well known, occupies a prominent part in the 
 annals of our country. It traces its lineage to Sir David Murray 
 of Arngosk and Balvaird, elder son of Sir Andrew, third son of 
 Sir William Murray of Tullibardine. The second son of Sir 
 David was Cupbearer, Master of the Horse, and Captain of the 
 Guards to James VI., by whom he was knighted. He was also 
 Comptroller of the royal revenues, and accompanied the King to 
 England, obtaining from him the Barony of Ruthven, and the 
 lands belonging to the Abbey of Scone, which were erected into 
 the temporal lordship of Scone, with a seat and vote in Parlia- 
 ment, in which he was invested on 7th April 1605. He made 
 a settlement of his estates and title, ratified by charter under the 
 Great Seal, 4th October 1616, with various remainders, and was 
 created Viscount Stormont, Perthshire, on 16th August 1621, 
 with remainder in default of issue male to his heirs male and of 
 entail, bearing the name and arms of Murray, &c. On 26th 
 October 1625, he made a settlement of the lordship of Scone 
 and other estates, with successive remainder, to Sir Mungo 
 Murray of Dumcairn (Master of Stormont, who had married his 
 niece), John, Earl of Annandale, Andrew Murray, minister of 
 Abdie, &c, and their issue male respectively. Sir Andrew 
 Murray, the minister of Abdie, succeeded, on the death of the 
 first Viscount, to the baronies of Arngosk and Kippa, and was 
 knighted at the King's coronation in 1633. He was a member 
 of the General Assembly at Glasgow in 1638, and was created 
 Lord Balvaird in 1641, with remainder to his heirs male. 
 David, the second Lord Balvaird, was fined £1500 by Crom-
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. 101 
 
 well's Act of Grace and Pardon, 1654. He ultimately became 
 fourth Viscount Stormont and Lord Scone. His only son, David, 
 fifth Viscount, opposed the union, and was, with his eldest son, 
 one of those summoned to surrender themselves at the breaking 
 out of the rebellion of 1715. The fifth Viscount had other two 
 sons, both of whom occupied prominent positions in the country. 
 The second son, James, an advocate, was elected M.P. for Elgin 
 burgh. The third son, William, was a King's Scholar, West- 
 minster School, and, after distinguishing himself at thebar, be- 
 came M.P. for Boroughbridge. He was made Attorney-General 
 in 1754, was Chief-Justice from 1756 to 1788, and refused the 
 seals of Lord Chancellor in 1757, 1770, and 1771. In November 
 1756 he was created Baron of Mansfield, Notts, in England ; 
 and in October 1776 he was created Earl of Mansfield. For 
 several years he occupied the position of Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer. David, seventh Viscount Stormont, succeeded as 
 second Earl of Mansfield, on the death of his uncle, William, 
 who died on 20th March 1793, and was buried with full 
 honours in Westminster Abbey. The second Earl of Mansfield 
 was Justice-General of Scotland, Joint-Clerk of the Court of 
 King's Bench, was Ambassador-Extraordinary to the Courts of 
 Vienna and Versailles, a Secretary of State, President of the 
 Council, and a Representative Peer. He died in 1796, and 
 was buried in Westminster Abbey. Sir William David 
 Murray, K.G., the fourth and present Earl, is also full of 
 honours. He was M.P. for Aldborough, 1830; Woodstock, 
 1831 ; Norwich, 1832-7 ; and Perthshire, 1837-40. He was a 
 Lord of the Treasury in the years 1834-35. Besides the other 
 dignities to which he has succeeded, he is Hereditary Keeper of 
 the Palace of Scone. He has been Lord-Lieutenant of Clack- 
 mannanshire since 1852. He was selected as Her Majesty's 
 Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scot- 
 land on several occasions, and the magnificence of Ids levees are 
 still remembered as something exceptional. 
 
 The ancient glory of Scone is perpetuated by the magnificence 
 of its modern Palace, which, in the hands of its noble proprietor, 
 is one of the finest mansions in Scotland, flying the Mansfield 
 flag from its battlements as proudly as ever it flew the Royal
 
 102 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Standard. Occupying a commanding site within the sound of 
 the ceaseless rush of the lordly Tay, the Palace is surrounded 
 by a wide stretch of exquisitely beautiful sylvan scenery. As 
 far as the eye can reach, forests of every variety of timber 
 suitable to the climate wave to the passing breeze, while here 
 and there a huge arboreal giant raises his head proudly to the 
 sky. "While the interior of the Palace can boast of its priceless 
 treasures of art, its historical relics, and its mementos of royalty, 
 
 QUEEN MARY S SYCAMORE. 
 
 the policies are not without its monuments of royal visits. On 
 a beautifully -sloping bank at the south-west front of the Palace 
 is a sycamore planted by the beautiful, but unfortunate, Queen 
 Mary. Although the west fork is broken off, the tree is still a 
 beautiful one, and stands 63 feet high, girthing 13 feet 1 inch at 
 5 feet from the ground. Nearer the river, and in a hollow, is an 
 oak planted by James VI. It is also a magnificent tree, with a 
 spread of branches of 75 feet, a height of 55 feet, a girth of 15 
 feet at the base, 14 feet 1 inch at 3 feet from the ground, and
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. 103 
 
 13 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the ground. On the terrace to 
 the east of the Palace is another tree, a sycamore, also planted 
 hy James VI. Standing 80 feet high, with a nohle head, it 
 girths 12 feet at 4 feet from the ground. Among the other 
 notahle trees in the park are an American scarlet oak in splendid 
 foliage, with a girth of 8 feet 2 inches at 5 feet ; a Turkey oak, 
 with thick umbrageous head, and a girth of 8 feet 7 inches at 5 
 feet ; a Douglas fir, raised from the first seed sent to this 
 country in 1827, from British Columbia, 75 feet in height 
 and 7 feet in girth ; a Wych elm, 95 feet high and 6 feet 
 7 inches in circumference. Near this place is the site of 
 the ancient Abbey, which enclosed the famous Coronation 
 Stone, now removed to Westminster. jSTorth of the old 
 Scone burying ground, in which arc some stones of the early 
 part of the fifteenth century, including that of Alexander Mar, 
 the sixteenth Abbot of Scone, — who flourished when the 
 Battle of Flodden was fought, — is an oak planted in 1809. 
 With 40 feet of a straight stem, this oak stands 70 feet in height. 
 At the root the girth is 10 feet 2 inches, and at 5 feet from the 
 ground, 8 feet 2 inches. The pinetum has some fine specimens 
 of Abies Menziesii, Pieea Nordmanniana, Wettingtonia gigantea, 
 Araucaria imbricata, Picea nobtlis, and Pinus monticola, — the 
 latter being about fifty-one years of age, and believed to be about 
 the best specimen in Scotland. In the flower garden there is 
 a splendid Douglas fir, planted in 1834. This tree is 75 feet in 
 height, and is 7 feet in girth at 5 feet from the ground. It was 
 originally planted in a place which turned out to be inconvenient, 
 and it was removed to its present site about thirty years ago. 
 When looking at this tree we could not but think of the sad 
 fate which overtook the gentleman with whose name the 
 species is inseparably associated. David Douglas was born at 
 Scone in 1798, and was the son of a labouring man. He 
 received his education at the Parish School of Kinnoull, after 
 which he served his apprenticeship as a gardener in Scone 
 ■Gardens. In 1818, being then at Valleyfield, he had oppor- 
 tunities of viewing the garden of Sir Eobert Preston, which 
 contained a choice collection of exotic plants, and, through the 
 kindness of the head gardener, he obtained access to Sir Robert's
 
 104 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 botanical library. He was afterwards employed in tbe Glasgow 
 Botanic Garden, where his botanical knowledge gained for him 
 the favourable notice of Sir William Hooker, whom he 
 accompanied in several of his excursions, including the one 
 through the Western Highlands to collect materials for his 
 Flora Scotica. He was subsequently recommended to the 
 Horticultural Society of London by Sir William, and was sent 
 several times to America to examine the plants growing in the 
 neighbourhood of the Columbia Eiver. His first visit to 
 America was in the year 1823, in which year he secured many 
 valuable plants, and greatly increased the Society's collection of 
 fruit trees. He returned home in the autumn of the same year, 
 but was sent out again in July 1824, for the purpose of explor- 
 ing the botanical riches of the country adjoining the Columbia 
 River, and southwards towards California. When the vessel 
 touched at Rio de Janeiro, he collected many rare orchideous 
 plants; shot many curious birds in his voyage round Cape 
 Horn ; sowed a collection of garden seeds in the Island of 
 Juan Fernandez ; arriving at Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia, 
 on the 7th April 1825. During this visit, he traversed the 
 country across the Rocky Mountains to Hudson's Bay, and re- 
 turned to England in the autumn of 1827. Through the 
 influence of Mr Joseph Sabine, Secretary of the Horticultural 
 Society of London, he was introduced to the Literary and 
 Scientific Society of London ; and he was elected, free of expense, 
 a member of the Linnsean, Geological, and Zoological Societies, 
 to which he contributed some valuable papers. After remaining 
 for a couple of years in London, he again sailed for America, to 
 continue his favourite pursuit, in the autumn of 1829. He 
 afterwards visited the Sandwich Islands, where he met with his 
 death under very shocking circumstances, having fallen into a pit 
 made by the natives to ensnare wild animals. He was attacked 
 by a bull already entrapped, was dreadfully mutilated, and eventu - 
 ally killed. The intelligence of his dreadful end, which took place 
 on 12th July 1834, in the thirty-sixth year of his age, created 
 a profound sensation in the country. A very neat monument 
 to his memory has been erected in his native village, where 
 his talents and services endeared him to his fellow-towns men.
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. 105 
 
 Amongst the other objects of interest in the policies, mention 
 may be made of the " Boot Hill," now the family burying- 
 ground, and planted with several sycamores, elms, and beeches. 
 How this mound came to get the name of the " Boot Hill," is 
 somewhat of a puzzle, and is variously accounted for. When 
 the ancient Kings of Scotland were crowned at the Eoyal 
 Palace of Scone, all the nobles were present. It is traditionally 
 said that in order to maintain the independence of the Barons, 
 each brought with him from his own property a small quantity 
 of earth, which he placed in his boots on the Coronation Day, 
 so that he might have the gratification of saying that he stood 
 on his own ground during the ceremony, and on leaving the 
 place each emptied the contents of his boot on the spot, and 
 thus formed the mound. However poetical this explanation 
 may be, we fear it will have to be abandoned in favour of 
 another which is more prosaic. The Highlanders called it 
 " Yom-a-mhoid," — " The Hill where Justice is Administered," 
 and it is highly probable that " Boot Hill " may be a corruption 
 of "Moothill" or "Moathill," and may signify the hill of 
 meeting, the seat of judicial or baronial assembly. It is said 
 that the conventions of the nobles were in ancient times held on 
 this eminence, and that from it Kenneth promulgated his edicts 
 called the Macalpine Laws. A little to the north-west of this 
 spot, and embowered by lordly trees, is a fine old cross — all that 
 remains of the ancient village of Scone. Near the Palace 
 grounds, and skirting the Stormontfield lioad, we noticed what 
 is believed to be the only avenue of purple beeches to be seen 
 anywhere. They were planted about sixteen years ago, and 
 from the length of the avenue, and the symmetry and luxuriance 
 of the individual trees, a very pretty effect is produced. 
 
 Leaving the policies for the plantations, we have ample 
 opportunities of observing the advantages of judicious planting. 
 A century ago there was almost no wood whatever either at 
 Scone, Lynedoch, Logiealmond, Taymount, or Innernytie, — Lord 
 Mansfield's estates in Perthshire, — with the exception of a 
 number of trees in the home grounds. There were, at all 
 events, none of the plantations which now adorn the landscape. 
 At that time most of the property was simply moorland, with a
 
 106 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 great extent of waste land partly occupied by barren woodbrush 
 such as hazel, birch, elder, &c. At one period Scone was said 
 to be well wooded, but the blunder of a landscape forester 
 denuded it of its arboreal beauty. During the absence of the 
 Earl who then held the property, and who was at the time an 
 Ambassador abroad, a Mr White was employed to " embellish " 
 the estate, but his idea of embellishment was closely allied to 
 Vandalism, as he executed his commission by cutting most of 
 the old oak timber on the property. The " landscape forester " 
 must have carried out his work of destruction most completely, 
 as at the present day there is no oak timber beyond 70 years of 
 age, with the exception of a few trees in the neighbourhood of 
 the Palace. The late Lord Mansfield did what he could to 
 repair the damage by planting oak very extensively. The trees 
 then planted have thriven so well that few plantations of the 
 same kind can compare with them for rapidity of growth. 
 Some of these trees, which are only about 70 years old, already 
 contain about 100 cubic feet of timber. When Mr William 
 M'Corquodale, his Lordship's head forester, came to the estate 
 forty -five years ago, he immediately turned his attention to the 
 training of these oaks. He discovered amongst them a mixture of 
 other hardwood trees. These were all taken out, and the planta- 
 tions converted into pure oak. Fir plantations occupy a large 
 area of the woods at Scone, Lord Mansfield being the proprietor 
 of perhaps the most extensive old Scots fir plantations in Perth- 
 shire. Many of them are from 80 to 100 years of age, and the 
 quality of the timber is magnificent. At Moorward Wood there 
 are still a number of Scots fir trees close upon 300 years of age. 
 Amongst these is a very remarkable tree, appropriately called 
 " The King of the Forest," on account of its extraordinary size. 
 It stands in the centre of a section of the old wood which was 
 recently cut down, and is " attended " by about half a dozen 
 trees of large size and great beauty, — worthy " attendants " upon 
 a " King," — to protect it from the fury of the elements. The 
 " King" stands about 80 feet in height, has a girth of 16 feet 
 at 3 feet from the ground, and 15 feet 4 inches at 5 feet and 
 contains about 400 cubic feet of timber. There is no Scots fir 
 of similar size south of Braemar, and it is doubtful if its equal
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. • 107 
 
 can be found even there. Moorward extends to upwards of 400 
 acres. Extensive sections have, however, been cut out, and 
 replanted with Scots fir. About six years ago 15 acres of this 
 plantation were sold for £1820, being at the rate of £132 per 
 acre — the wood being eighty years old — and this, of course, 
 without including a handsome revenue got for the thinnings. 
 
 Colen plantation extends to 360 acres, chiefly Scots fir, with 
 a mixture of oak. The Scots fir is from 90 to 100 years of age, 
 and, both in point of size and beauty, there are no Scots firs, 
 age considered, to equal them, except, perhaps, at Braemar. 
 There are several smaller plantations of Scots fir, and, both in 
 size and quality, the trees are equal to those in the larger 
 woods. 
 
 At Drumshogle "Wood, as well as in other plantations, Mr 
 M'Corquodale has adopted a very effectual mode of preventing 
 the ravages of rabbits amongst the young trees, by placing 
 boards, firmly fastened with wire, round the stems, the boards 
 being removed before the tree becomes too large, and re- 
 placed by wire-fencing. Drumshogle was planted about sixty 
 years ago, and some men still living remember of cutting 
 corn upon it. It was originally planted with all kinds of 
 hardwood, and when Mr M'Corquodale undertook the charge, 
 he thinned it out, leaving very few trees except oak, intermixed 
 with spruce and larch widely apart. The oaks now average 70 
 feet in height and 5 feet in girth ; while the few spruce that 
 remain are from 80 to 90 feet high, and from 6 to 7 feet in 
 girth. The strong rambling side-shoots of the oaks were fore- 
 shortened, and the tops balanced, when they were about thirty 
 years old. In the course of one of our rambles we came across 
 a grand weeping beech, on the right-hand side going out the 
 Old Scone Eoad at Quarry-Mill. It was planted about thirty- 
 seven years ago, and is now 45 feet in height. The plant was 
 got from the Perth Nursery, and is acknowledged to be the 
 finest of the kind to be seen anywhere. A little farther on, 
 there is a magnificent black Italian poplar, from 95 to 100 feet 
 in height, and containing about 150 cubic feet of timber. 
 
 At Burnside Wood there is a 20-acre crop of Scots fir, after 
 an old crop of the same had been removed, which gives
 
 108 "WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 a complete contradiction to the belief that Scots fir crops do 
 not thrive in succession. The soil, it may be mentioned, is of 
 a moorish character, on hard till. The wood is thirty years 
 old, and there was no preparation for it except thorough 
 draining. Mr M'Corquodale explained that the land was 
 drained before the ground was replanted, and the villagers at 
 Scone were permitted to take out the roots of the old trees, 
 which they did most effectually. The year after the young 
 trees were planted a number of them died, but they were 
 replaced the following year. During the same summer Mr 
 M'Corquodale was surprised to find that some of the plants 
 which had formerly been doing remarkably well were dying out 
 suddenly, and he was accordingly compelled to institute a search, 
 and, for the first time in his experience, he discovered the 
 destructive beetle, Hylobius abietis. for the purpose of experi- 
 ment, he took about a dozen of them, and placed them in an 
 inverted tumbler, and fed them on the stems of Scots fir. From 
 this experiment he became acquainted with their extraordinary 
 voracity. By this timely discovery he was enabled to save 
 the plantation, and the beetle was effectually destroyed, — the 
 plan adopted being to place a layer of earth smoothly beaten 
 down round the base of each tree, covered by a quarter of an 
 inch of the flour of hot lime. The diseased plants were all 
 taken out the following spring, and their places supplied, and 
 Mr M'Corquodale has never seen a bad plant since. "When the 
 plantation was first thinned it realised £73. Speaking of the 
 Hylobius abietis, we once heard a very good story of its tenacity 
 of life. In order, as was thought, effectually to destroy them, 
 a gentleman placed a number in a bottle containing whisky, and 
 kept them there for twelve hours, and then starved them for 
 five or six days. At the expiry of that time he examined 
 them, and found them dead — drunk. They soon recovered from 
 their inebriation, and were as lively as ever. This showed that 
 they were essentially Scotch in their tastes, so that it is but 
 natural that they should have a partiality for the native pine. 
 
 One of the most interesting sights in this neighbourhood is 
 the Earl of Mansfield's beautiful steading of Balboughty, than 
 which no better-designed or better-appointed and ordered
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. 109 
 
 steading can be found in Perthshire, or perhaps anywhere. 
 The steading consists of a quadrangle of elegant and substantial 
 buildings, erected between 1858 and 1861, from designs pre- 
 pared by the Earl, who takes the warmest interest in all the 
 details and working of the farm. The main entrance is sur- 
 mounted by a handsome tower, built in 1861, and with a clock 
 that at once attracts attention from the peculiarity of its dials. 
 On the front face the hours are marked by the letters of the 
 Mansfield motto, Spero meliora ; on the north face is the 
 Stormont motto, TJni cequus virtuti ; on the south face is the 
 national motto, Nemo me impune lacessit ; and on the west side 
 are the ordinary Koman figures. Passing under the tower, we 
 enter the centre block, comprising cattle courts, pig-sties, &c. 
 The floor is laid with flag-stones, and the different divisions are 
 separated by stone partitions, mounted with iron, giving the 
 whole a substantial and tidy appearance. The extraordinary 
 cleanliness, and the absence of anything like disagreeable smell 
 in the byres, at once attract attention. The freedom from 
 smell is obtained by superior ventilation, assisted by disinfec- 
 tants. The building fitted up with feeding-boxes is 140 feet 
 long by 32 feet wide, the passage down the centre being 8 feet 
 wide. The sarking is all of yellow pine, varnished, and the 
 supports of the roof are of iron, the whole having a light and 
 airy appearance. Extending down the entire centre is an 
 underground channel, with air-shafts on either side of the 
 exterior, and fitted with iron gratings, so that a continuous 
 draught comes in from the outside. In addition to this, 
 ventilators, which can be shut or opened at pleasure, are placed 
 in the side walls ; and at the apex of the roof, throughout the 
 entire length, is another ventilator to allow the hot air to 
 escape. The building is drained from the centre of each box, 
 and the whole drainage of the steading goes into an underground 
 liquid manure tank, and is utilised in the spring. 
 
 Leaving what is in every respect a model steading, we resume 
 our journey through the woods. We had not proceeded far till 
 Mr M'Corquodale pointed out a very interesting experiment, 
 having for its object the preservation of wood posts. After 
 the post is put into the ground, a groove 2 inches wide and 8
 
 110 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 inches deep is cut out round the post, which is firmly packed in 
 with gravel, raised up 3 inches above the surface in a conical 
 form against the post ; after which tar is poured on in its natural 
 state, and gravel thrown over it again. This process was only 
 tried a few years ago, but it gives every promise of being most 
 successful in keeping out wind and water, as at present it is as 
 hard as concrete. A part of this fence is on posts made from 
 Douglas fir-trees twenty-five years of age, and its stability is very 
 remarkable. In the same district we noticed three oaks of royal 
 mein, the first two being Quercus sessiliflora, and the other a 
 pedunculated The former were planted in 1808, the stter a 
 year later; and, for " plantation " trees, are very extraordinary 
 for their age. The first has a clean stem of 56 feet ; the height 
 is over 88 feet ; it girths 5 feet 7 inches at 5 feet from the ground ; 
 and has 76 cubic feet of timber. The second is about the same 
 height, is 7 feet in girth, and has 95 cubic feet of timber. The 
 jjedtmculata has a stem of 57 feet, girths 6 feet 9 inches, 
 and has 114 cubic feet of timber. All of these trees are quite 
 near the two-milestone from Perth. Here, too, we noticed the 
 old Coupar-Angus Eoad, now covered with several ash trees, 
 bordering on 100 feet in height, and got a glimpse of a fine lime 
 avenue, fully 600 yards long. 
 
 Continuing our walk through the woods, we came across a verj 7 " 
 fine plantation of Abies Douglasii, covering about 13 acres, and 
 planted about twenty-seven years ago. All these trees, as well 
 as hundreds of the same class planted out singly, are making 
 rapid progress. There are no trees upon the property which for 
 their age, are so tall as the Dotcglasii firs. The average height 
 of those planted twenty -five years ago is from 35 to 40 feet, and 
 at present many of them are making 3 feet of growth in a season. 
 The soil, it may be important to note, is moorish, on hard till. 
 Mr M'Corqudale says that, in filling up vacancies in old planta- 
 tions, the Douglasii can be recommended above all others. If 
 there be head-room, light, and air to be had at all, this tree will 
 push its way. These trees were originally planted at 9 feet apart, 
 with larch nurses. The nurses at Taymount are now all removed ; 
 and, by and by, as every alternate Douglasii will be thinned out, 
 they will be left to grow at 18 feet apart for the permanent
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. Ill 
 
 growth. In addition to the Douglasii plantations at Scone and 
 Taymount of which we have been speaking, there are also 
 plantations of the same kind at Logiealmond and Lynedoch, all 
 of which are making similar progress. 
 
 At Highfield, Scone, there is a very fine experimental planta- 
 tion. It was chiefly planted with Scots fir, partly reared from 
 Eannoch seed. A portion of it was laid out and planted with 32 
 different varieties of the newer conifera?, larch being the only 
 tree which was planted amongst them as nurses. Many of these 
 pines have made extraordinary progress since they were planted 
 twenty-five years ago, the largest being the Abies Menziesii and 
 Corsican pine. Highfield extends to 15 acres, has a southern 
 exposure, and is sheltered from the biting north winds by an old 
 Scots fir plantation. The plantation is about 300 feet above the 
 level of the sea, and the soil is marshy, on a hard till. The ground 
 was well drained, and the trees are 36 feet apart. In rapidity 
 of growth, the first place, as has been mentioned, must be assigned 
 to the Menziesii, and the second place to the Corsican pine. 
 Next in order comes Austriaca. There is also a very fine Picea 
 nobilis, but unfortunately, for the sake of comparison with the 
 Menziesii, some mischievous person cut off the top about twelve 
 years ago, evidently for the purpose of making a walking-stick. 
 Perhaps the slowest in growth is the Pinus excelsa, although it 
 is a very compact, well-clothed, and beautiful tree. There were 
 no Douglasii firs planted here. The trees were planted promis- 
 cuously, but care was taken to keep the branches as clear from 
 each other as possible, so as to give each tree plenty of room 
 to develop. 
 
 Coming to another portion of his Lordship's estate, we find 
 that the same intelligent interest in arboriculture, as an important 
 factor in estate management, is manifested. At Innernytie and 
 Taymount there are several thriving plantations of Scots fir and 
 larch. At Innernytie about 50 acres of Scots fir were cut 
 down seven or eight years ago, and four years ago this disforested 
 land was replanted with Scots fir and larch, and, contrary to ex- 
 perience in some other parts of the county, both the Scots fir 
 and the larch are succeeding very well, the character of the 
 previous crop having no detrimental effect, so far as can be
 
 112 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 observed. Amongst the hardwood trees at Innernytie is a 
 magnificent oak, growing at the east march adjoining Ballathie 
 on the river side. It is believed to be about 300 years old, and 
 has a girth of 20 feet 10 inches at 5 feet above the ground with 
 a grand bole of about_15 feet. 
 
 On the Taymount Estate there are 172 acres of a valuable 
 crop of trees, about 60 years of age, principally larch and Scots 
 fir. In the neighbourhood of Taymount House there are some 
 fine old oaks. One of these oaks, on the river side, on the east 
 march of Innernytie, girths 20 feet 10 inches at 5 feet above the 
 ground. It has splendid ramification of limbs, and is altogether 
 a noble tree. It is believed to be about 500 years of age. 
 Immediately on the west side of the Highland Eailway at Tay- 
 mount there is a very fine plantation of purely Douglasii firs of 
 nearly thirty years' standing, the larch nurses having all been 
 removed a considerable time ago. The side of this plantation 
 nearest the railway has twice caught fire from the sparks of 
 passing engines. The last occasion when this unfortunate 
 accident occurred was about twelve years ago, and at that time 
 a large number of valuable young trees were destroyed. Their 
 places were supplied by fresh plants, which are thriving well, 
 and which, it is hoped, will meet with a better fate. 
 
 At Lynedoch a large acreage has been planted since the Earl 
 of Mansfield purchased the property from the late Lord Lyne- 
 doch, about thirty years ago. The woods at Lynedoch are not 
 only very extensive, but they are of great value. Here is a great 
 silver fir, acknowledged to be one of the finest in" Great Britain. 
 Here, also, are two magnificent Douglasii firs, which rank 
 amongst the best to be met with in this country. The silver fir 
 is 110 feet high. It is about 150 years old, girths 13 ft. 10 in. at 
 3 feet from the ground, 13 ft. 3 in. at 5 feet from the ground, has 
 a spread of 45 feet, and contains 425 cubic feet of timber. The 
 largest Douglasii fir has lost its leader, but the other one is 
 perfect in all its proportions. They were planted in 1834, and 
 both reach an altitude of 85 feet. The one girths 9 feet 10 
 inches at 3 feet, and 9 feet 7 inches at 5 feet from the ground ; 
 and the other girths 9 feet 3 inches at 5 feet. The largest tree 
 has a spread of branches of 70 feet, and the other a spread of 45
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. 
 
 113 
 
 feet; and the cubic feet of timber in the one is 132, and in the 
 other 121 feet. On the west side of the estate there is a large 
 track of larch plantation about fifty years of age, the seed of 300 
 acres of which is said to have been sown by the late Lord 
 Lynedoch when on horseback. From some points of view this 
 plantation is so extensive as to convey the impression that the 
 
 ABIES DOUGLASII AT LYNEDOCH. 
 
 whole property is one vast forest, scarcely anything but larch 
 being visible within a very wide range. The forest is in perfect 
 health, and when it comes to be cut down will no doubt yield a 
 most profitable return. Only a very inadequate idea of the 
 value of the wood on the Lynedoch property can here be given, 
 and it is probable that during the earlier lifetime of the late 
 Lord Lynedoch, it was even more valuable than at present, as a 
 large tract of valuable old timber was cut down before Lord
 
 114 "WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Mansfield purchased the property. Indeed, for ten years 
 previous to Lord Mansfield securing the property, Lord Lyne- 
 doch and his representatives were making sad havoc amongst 
 the woods, cutting down timber to the value of about £5000 per 
 annum during the entire decade — 
 
 " Many hearts deplored 
 The fate of those old trees, and oft with pain 
 The traveller at this day will stop and gaze 
 On wrongs which Nature scarcely'seems to heed. " 
 
 Notwithstanding this wholesale destruction, the estimated 
 value of the wood by the exposer was as high as £52,000. 
 The Earl of Mansfield has been at enormous expense in re- 
 foresting the plantations which were so ruthlessly despoiled. 
 An almost incalculable quantity of young trees, chiefly Scots fir, 
 have been trained and planted, and now many thriving young 
 plantations occupy the ground rendered vacant by the despoiler. 
 The Douglasii is planted very extensively as solitary trees and 
 in groups, and are making remarkably good progress. 
 
 At Logiealmond, a great many new plantations have been 
 laid down since the property was purchased by Lord Mansfield 
 from the late Sir William Stewart, Bart, of Murtly, about 
 forty years ago. When the property changed hands, the west 
 end especially had a most bleak and naked appearance. This 
 is now to a large extent removed, several plantations having 
 been laid down, and hedgerows extensively planted with 
 trees. These hedgerows consist of two varieties. Some are 
 purely of oak and others entirely of sycamore. All the trees 
 are trained in the Home Nursery at Logiealmond until they are 
 considered strong enough for planting out. This system is 
 found to be much more advantageous than lifting the trees 
 from young plantations. At the nursery they are continually 
 under the eye of the forester and his assistants, and they can be 
 trained in a way which is impossible in the plantation. Before 
 being planted out, they are removed and replanted two or 
 three times inside the nursery, and when finally removed to 
 their permanent seats as hedgerow trees, they are well furnished 
 with root and branch. They remain in the nursery altogether 
 for eight or nine years, and when put out have attained a height
 
 SCONE, LYNEDOCH, LOGIEALMOND, ETC. 115 
 
 of 10 or 12 feet. They are planted about 12 or 14 yards apart; 
 and so successful have they proved, that out of several miles of 
 hedgerow trees which we saw there was scarcely such a thing 
 as a blank. All the trees are remarkably well trained, not a 
 single strong rambling side-branch being permitted to grow, nor 
 a contending shoot allowed to compete with the leader. The 
 tops are shaped off so as to throw all the vigour possible into 
 the stems. By this means their symmetry is preserved, and 
 they are at the same time protected from the force of the wind, 
 it being almost impossible for the wind to destroy them by 
 sjjlibting down the heavy limbs. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Logie mansion-house there is a 
 large extent of fine old timber, consisting of beech, sycamore, 
 oak, and larch. There is also a splendid avenue of walnut 
 trees, and several gigantic silver firs. Some of the sycamores 
 are remarkably large. One of them contained 309 cubic feet of 
 timber when Lord Mansfie]d acquired the property. The tree 
 is still very healthy, and now contains about 350 cubic feet of 
 good timber. Along the banks of the Almond there are some 
 very fine Weymouth pines. At the old main approach to Logie 
 House there is a magnificent avenue of lime and beech trees, 
 which is perhaps the finest in Perthshire. It is fully a quarter 
 of a mile in length, is very wide, the trees are aged and of large 
 dimensions, while the foliage reaches almost to the ground. It 
 presents altogether a grand sight, and one upon which the noble 
 proprietor may look with no small pride. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Logie House there is also a Home 
 Nursery of about two acres, teeming with Abies Douglasii, 
 Cedrus Deodara, Pinus excelsa, and several pines reared from 
 Indian seed. There are also some ash trees from Indian seed. 
 The latter variety has a different habit of growth from home- 
 grown timber, being much stronger and more robust in the 
 stem. Hundreds of oak and sycamore trees are being trained 
 here for hedgerow trees to beautify the property. 
 
 The new plantations which have been laid down upon the 
 Logiealmond property are all on moorland, and on soil which, 
 in the meantime, cannot be turned to more profitable account. 
 They are very judiciously laid out in belts and clumps, which
 
 116 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIEE. 
 
 serve the double purpose of shelter and ornament. Amongst 
 the more important of these plantations is one of Scots fir to the 
 east of the shooting lodge, covering a large portion of the moor. 
 It is situated 1000 feet above the level of the sea, and was 
 planted about fifteen years ago. It has already been partially 
 thinned, and, wherever the soil is at all favourable, is 
 succeeding very well. Shortly after the trees were planted 
 their growth was very much retarded by the ravages of the 
 blackcock and greyhen eating the leading buds — a very 
 common occurrence on hilly land frequented by these birds. 
 After the trees got beyond the reach of these enemies, however, 
 they made rapid progress. 
 
 Altogether, the plantations on the properties of the Earl of 
 Mansfield extend to about 5000 acres. Almost the whole of 
 these vast forests occupy ground that would otherwise be un- 
 profitable, and an eyesore in the landscape. Some idea of the 
 extent of planting in recent years may be gathered from the 
 fact, that for many years after Mr M'Corquodale became forester, 
 he planted from 300,000, to 500,000 trees every year. His 
 lordship's instructions are that no ground is to be allowed to lie 
 waste, and that every acre be planted with the crop which is most 
 profitable. "We had abundant opportunity of observing how 
 well his instructions are followed almost over the entire property, 
 and particularly at Scone, where there is not a single acre but is 
 thoroughly utilised as arable ground or as woodlands. We have 
 repeatedly driven over the property, and on several occasions 
 we have had the pleasure of being accompanied by Mr M'Cor- 
 quodale, of whose fifty years' experience we largely availed 
 ourselves.
 
 IX.— METHVEN. 
 
 Methven Wood a Lurking- Place of Wallace— The Battle of Methven 
 Wood— The Castle— Walk through the Ancient Wood— An Enormous 
 Beech— The Plantations— History of the Property— The First Exten- 
 sive Planter— Remarkable Trees— The Pepperwell Oak— Ancient 
 Church of Methven— The Bell Tree— The Black Italian Poplar at 
 Tippermallo. 
 
 Methven Wood, like Birnam and other ancient forests in 
 Perthshire, is inseparably mixed up with the history of Scot- 
 land. Methven is mentioned in the chronicles of the country 
 as far back as 972, when the Thane of Methven appears to have 
 been a person of considerable importance. When sorely pressed 
 by his foes, Wallace is said to have found a safe lurking-place 
 in the wood of Methven. After hiding for some time in the 
 wood, he is said to have come to Perth under the assumed 
 name of Malcolmson, and passed himself off as a borderer who 
 had come north in search of employment. It was to Methven 
 Wood that he returned after reconnoitring the city, and it was 
 from there that he emerged to attack the English on their way 
 to strengthen Kinclaven Castle. The great Scottish patriot, 
 when in Perth under the assumed name of Malcolmson, ascer- 
 tained that it was the intention of the English to send a rein- 
 forcement of ninety horsemen to Kinclaven Castle. Immediately 
 on gaining this intelligence, he ceased to solicit employment 
 from the burghers, and hastened to his confederates in Methven 
 Wood, and made preparations for waylaying the force as it 
 proceeded northwards along the banks of the Tay. This they 
 were successful in doing, killing sixty out of the ninety soldiers, 
 — the commander of Kinclaven Castle, Sir James Butler, falling 
 by the hand of Wallace himself. The defeat of the English 
 was observed from the battlements of the castle, whither the 
 survivors fled, but so close was the pursuit that Wallace and
 
 118 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 his comrades entered the castle along with the discomfited 
 horsemen before the drawbridge could be raised. All the 
 English within the castle were put to the sword, with the 
 exception of some women and children and two priests. The 
 Scottish patriots remained within the castle for seven days, 
 during which they carried off a large quantity of plunder, which 
 they hid in the neighbouring forest of Shortwood Shaw. They 
 afterwards burned the castle to the ground ; but before effecting 
 their escape, they were attacked by a large body of English, 
 numbering about one thousand men, under the command of Sir 
 John Butler, son of the governor of the castle whom Wallace 
 had slain. As Wallace had only about sixty men with him 
 altogether, the English felt pretty certain of his capture. Their 
 attacks, however, were met with the invincible firmness 
 characteristic of Wallace and his friends, and the English were 
 ultimately repulsed with heavy loss, several of the Scots having 
 also fallen during the conflict. After a short cessation of 
 hostilities, the English were about to make a most resolute attack 
 upon the position of the patriots, when Wallace and his friends 
 succeeded in effecting their escape to Cargill Wood. The 
 English made an ineffectual search for the booty carried away 
 from the demolished castle, and afterwards returned to Perth. 
 The Scot3 returned to Shortwood Shaw a couple of days after 
 the battle, and carried off their treasure to the almost inaccessible 
 Wood of Methven. 
 
 Methven Wood, however, is best known in history by the 
 battle which was fought within the wood itself between the 
 Scots under Bruce and the English under the Earl of Pembroke, 
 and which was fought in 1306. After having ravished Gallo- 
 way, Bruce marched to Perth, which was then strongly fortified, 
 and where the Earl of Pembroke lay with a fairly large force. 
 On arriving at the " Fair City," and finding the English army 
 shut up within the walls, Bruce, in accordance with the 
 chivalrous style of the age, sent a challenge to the Earl to come 
 out and try his fortune in single combat. Pembroke replied 
 that the day was too far spent, but that he would test his 
 prowess against the Scottish monarch next morning. Bruce 
 thereupon retired and encamped in Methven Wood. But the
 
 METHVEN. 119 
 
 Scots were not allowed to enjoy repose for any length of time. 
 Shortly after they had pitched their camp, and whilst the 
 soldiers were cooking their suppers, or were dispersed in 
 foraging parties, an alarm was raised that the enemy was upon 
 them. The alarm had hardly spread over the camp when the 
 Earl of Pemhroke, whose army outnumbered the Scots by 1500 
 men, hurst in upon the weary soldiers of Bruce almost before 
 they had time to arm. They made, however, a most determined 
 resistance, Bruce slaying the horse of the Earl of Pembroke at 
 the first onset. Notwithstanding their stubborn valour, the 
 Scots could make no impression upon the superior forces of the 
 English, and the battle was from the first almost a rout. Bruce 
 was thrice unhorsed, and once was so nearly taken that Sir 
 Philip de Mowbray shouted that he had captured the new-made 
 King, when Sir Christopher Seton felled the Englishman to the 
 earth, and rescued his master. Some of the best and bravest of 
 the Scottish knights fell into the hands of the enemy, but 
 liruce himself, his brother, Edward Bruce, the Earl of Athole, 
 Sir James Douglas, &c, with 500 men, effected their retreat 
 into the fastnesses of Athole, where they suffered the miseries 
 of outlawry. 
 
 The Castle of Methven, surrounded as it is by so many 
 historic scenes, is an edifice of great interest. It is believed 
 that there has been a castle upon this site for a thousand years ; 
 and the present building, a fine old baronial residence, has been 
 in existence for two centuries. Large additions have been 
 made to it at intervals, and it is now as commodious as it is 
 picturesque. The present laird, Mr "William Smythe, the 
 respected Convener of the County, has improved the castle very 
 considerably, covering it with a new roof, and modernising it in 
 several respects. He has also increased the amenity of the 
 ancient edifice by enlarging the grounds to four times what 
 they were when he came into possession, planting a large 
 number of valuable trees, and building an extensive range of 
 glass erections in the gardens adjoining. The castle stands upon 
 a commanding eminence between the villages of Methven and 
 Almondbank, and looks down upon a prospect that is both 
 extensive and enchanting. Standing upon the terrace on the
 
 120 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 south front, the eye rests upon the fertile valley invaded by the 
 Crieff and Methven Eailway, wanders over the dark expansive 
 "Wood of Dupplin, with the bare, treeless Ochils in the distance. 
 A little to the left, we obtain glimpses of the Fife Lomonds. 
 From the east front the view stretches away to the pine-clad 
 Hill of Kinnoull ; and from the south front we obtain a 
 magnificent sight of Ben Yorlich through a vista of singular 
 beauty. 
 
 Leaving the Castle our steps are naturally directed to the 
 historical Wood of Methven, the scene of bloody conflicts, 
 and where doubtless lie the remains of many of our fore- 
 fathers who died for the liberation of their country from the 
 tyranny of Edward. The ancient Wood of Methven comprises 
 about 200 acres, chiefly oak coppice, and is almost as dense as 
 it would be in the days of Wallace and Bruce. It has been a 
 wood from time immemorial, and, although there are not many 
 trees which can be said to be of a very great age, still there are 
 several that have survived the vicissitudes of a few centuries. 
 The wood lies along the western bank of the Almond, and 
 several fine views are obtained of the surrounding country, and 
 the gurgling river, flowing onwards to the Tay. In some places, 
 we look sheer down upon the river from a height of nearly 200 
 feet. No respectable person is interfered with in walking 
 through the woods, and the proprietor has very considerately 
 cut away some of the shrubbery which hid the finer prospects, 
 and provided seats for the more comfortable enjoyment of the 
 scenery. Proceeding along the walk at the top of the cliff 
 skirting the banks of the Almond, we suddenly meet with a 
 monster beech, ranking amongst the largest in the country. It 
 is believed to be about 600 years old, and may have been a large 
 tree when the Battle of Methven Wood was fought. One 
 almost instinctively lifts his hat on coming across such a 
 venerable monarch of the forest. Who can recount what has 
 transpired within its protracted lifetime 1 . How many genera- 
 tions of mankind have lived and died since it first sprung up in 
 that quiet spot by the side of the classic stream on whose banks 
 Ossian sleeps 1 How many storms has it weathered ? Has it 
 any history beyond its general association with the bloody
 
 METHVEN. 121 
 
 struggles which took place around it ? If so, it must remaia 
 a sealed book for ever. The tree strikes one all the more 
 forcibly that it confronts him unexpectedly. The walk 
 on the summit of the cliff is not fringed with trees 
 remarkable for their size — coppice-wood and young trees 
 generally predominating on both sides. We therefore walk 
 leisurely along the footpath without the slightest expectation of 
 seeing anything noteworthy for some little time, but a sharp turn 
 to the right, and a few steps onwards, brings us instantly to a 
 standstill, in mute admiration of the gigantic vegetable wonder 
 before us. The tree has every appearance of being over 100 
 feet in height, overtopping by far many immense trees in the 
 neighbourhood. At one foot from the ground, it girths 21 
 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet from the ground, it girths 14 feet 
 9 inches. It has a splendid bole of 20 feet, and divides into five 
 great limbs, each of which would be a large tree by itself. As yet 
 it shows no signs of decrepitude, but seems to be endowed with 
 perpetual youth, the whole tree being in luxuriant health and 
 foliage. It is, unfortunately, closed in to a large extent with 
 coppice-wood, and its huge proportions are not, therefore, shown to 
 the best advantage ; but this obstruction may, in course of time, 
 be removed, and the giant displayed in all his beauty. Almost 
 opposite the beech to which we have been referring is a very fine 
 oak, girthing 11 feet 10 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 8 feet 9 inches at 5 feet from the ground, with a bole of 30 feet. 
 Close by the banks of the river is a beautiful sycamore, 1 1 feet 
 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 9 feet 1 inch at 5 feet 
 from the ground. The bole is about 20 feet and the branches 
 spread far over the river. Excellent roads and footpaths have 
 been constructed through the ancient wood, and indeed over the 
 whole of the property, and at every turn one sees something to 
 admire. Here we meet with a huge giant or an interesting young 
 tree, and there we pause to admire the far-stretching view of 
 river, valley, and mountain that is ever opening before our 
 eyes. Although the ancient "Wood of Methven proper only com- 
 prises about 200 acres, this is by no means the whole extent of 
 the wood upon the property. The plantations altogether consist 
 of between 900 and 1000 acres, apart from the timber in the
 
 122 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 neighbourhood of the Castle, of which we have yet to speak, and 
 which includes a good many trees between 200 and 300 years of 
 age. The great proportion of the wood was planted within the 
 past century, although planting has been systematically going on 
 siuce the property passed into the hands of the Smythe family 
 in 1664. The property was purchased in that year by Patrick 
 Smythe of Braco from Charles, the last Duke of Lennox, who 
 died without issue in 1672, and whose honours, of which the 
 Methven peerage was'one, fell to Charles II., his nearest male heir, 
 the King's great-grandfather and the Duke's great-grandfather 
 having been brothers. The great-grandson of the first proprietor 
 and father of the present proprietor has the honour of carrying 
 out the most important of the planting operations. This was 
 Mr David Smythe, who was educated for the Bar, and who sat 
 as a Lord of Session with the title of Lord Methven, from 1793 to 
 1806. Most of the plantations were laid down between 1772 and 
 1800, but they have been extended at intervals up to the present, 
 the blanks being also filled up as they occurred. Part of the 
 woods formerly belonged to the Lynedoch property, and was 
 transferred to the Methven estate by excambion. 
 
 Continuing our walk through the ancient woods, we come 
 across some very fine timber at the north end, chiefly planted by 
 Lord Methven, and somewhere about 100 years of age. The 
 timber is principally beech, but is well mixed with larch, oak, 
 and Scots fir. There are, throughout the entire wood, many 
 fine specimens of Scots fir and larch. One of the former, taken 
 at random, girths 9 ft. 11 in. at 1 foot from the ground, and 8 
 ft. 4 in. at 5 feet, with a clear stem of fully 30 feet. Another 
 close beside it girths 8 ft. 9 in. at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 7 ft. 10 in. at 5 feet. A larch, also taken at random, girths 10 
 ft. 4 in. immediately above the swell, and 8 ft. 4 in. at 5 feet 
 from the ground. A Spanish chestnut in the back woodlands, 
 standing upon the top of an earth fence, girths 9 feet at the 
 narrowest part of the bole. An elm in the Cow Park girths 
 11 ft. 9 in. at 1 foot from the ground, and 10 ft. 9 in. at 5 feet. 
 At the back of the garden, there is an oak girthing 10 ft. 9 in. 
 at 1 foot from the ground, and 9 ft. 6 in. at 5 feet. There are 
 also a large number of very fine beech trees behind the garden.
 
 METHVEN. 123 
 
 One girths 13 ft. at 1 foot from the ground, and 11 ft. 2 in. at 
 
 5 feet. Another, taken at random, girths 10 ft. 5 in. at 1 foot 
 from the ground, and 9 ft. 2 in. at 5 feet. 
 
 It is in the policies, however, that most of the more remark- 
 ble trees are to be found. These grounds, as already mentioned, 
 have been considerably improved and extended by the present 
 proprietor, who has laid them out with fine taste. Three acres 
 of the dressed grounds to the west of the Castle were partly 
 taken in during 1868, previous to which they were grass parks. 
 The whole of this portion of the policies has been planted with 
 specimens of the newer coniferous trees, all of which promise to 
 become great trees, the soil, apparently,' being most suitable. In 
 walking through the ground, the first tree to which our attention 
 was specially attracted is a fine old ash in the garden girthing 15 
 ft. 9 in. at 1 foot from the ground and 13 ft. 8 in. at 5 feet, above 
 which there is a considerable swell in the trunk. The bole is 
 about 20 feet j after which, the tree branches out into two main 
 limbs. The height is altogether about 80 ft. The spread of 
 the branches is very great, but owing to the confined situation 
 of the tree, it cannot be accurately measured. It must be a very 
 aged tree, as in 1796, when the garden wall was built, it was found 
 necessary to construct an arch to protect the roots. In the same 
 neighbourhood is a Hue Abies A Ibertiana, planted fifteen years ago. 
 It is over 50 ft. in height, and is growing so rapidly that 4 ft. 
 
 6 in. have been known to be added in the course of one year. 
 It is beautifully clothed, and is altogether a very good specimen 
 of this favourite conifer. The rapid growth of this tree is well 
 brought out by an adjacent Cupressus Lcwsoniana, which was 
 planted in 1858, but is 10 ft. less than the Albertiana of almost 
 half the age. There are some fine specimens of Abies Douglasii, 
 also planted in 1858, and reaching a height of about 50 ft. 
 One of them girths 6 ft. 9 in. at 1 foot from the ground, 
 and 4 ft. 11 in. at 4 feet, with a spread of branches of 33 ft. 
 A little to the west of the Castle is a splendid avenue of Cedrus 
 Deodora, raised from seed by Mr Whitton, the gardener, in 
 1868. The seeds were brought from Simla by the Dowager 
 Lady Elgin, by whom they were presented to Mrs Smythe of 
 Methven. The avenue, which includes over one hundred trees,
 
 124 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 is appropriately named " The Simla Walk." Many of the trees 
 are magnificent specimens for their age, and are all in fine health. 
 They are planted 12 feet apart. Several of the trees raised from 
 the same seed are planted out in the woods, and are also doing 
 well. In the immediate neighbourhood there are some very 
 good specimens of Wellingtonia gigantea, planted fourteen years 
 ago, nine seeds having been sent by a friend in California, of 
 which seven have lived to become very promising trees. One 
 of these girths 6 feet 1 inch at 1 foot from the ground, and 4 
 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, the height being about 50 feet. Close 
 beside this Wellingtonia is a very old holly. It girths 6 feet 5 
 inches at the narrowest part, — being 1 foot from the ground, — 
 has a great spread of branches, and is in fine health. There is 
 no appreciable difference upon this tree within the memory of 
 the oldest people in the locality, and it is believed to be fully 
 200 years of age. Amongst the other noteworthy specimens 
 surrounding the two latter trees, mention may be made of Picea 
 nobilis, Picea Nordmanniana, Abies Hookerii, Abies Pattonii, 
 Picea magnifica, the ferndeaf beech, and tulip tree, all of which 
 are remarkably good specimens. Still keeping by the west of 
 the Castle, we come to a fine clump of trees several centuries 
 old. There is a cedar of Lebanon, about 100 years old, girthing 
 
 9 feet 2 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 5 feet 9 inches 
 at 5 feet. There are several fine spruce trees about 180 years 
 of age, with a growth representing 1 foot for each year. One of 
 these girths 9 feet 4 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 7 
 feet 4 inches at 5 feet ; and another girths 9 feet 9 inches at 1 
 foot, and 8 feet 1 inch at 5 feet. There are also several 
 remarkably good Spanish chestnuts. One of the largest of 
 these girths 14 feet 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 11 
 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, with a beautiful bole of 25 feet. 
 Another girths 14 feet 2 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 
 10 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, and has an equally good bole. The 
 following trees are all in the same neighbourhood, and their 
 measurements also deserve to be recorded : — An elm, 16 feet 8 
 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 13 feet 4 inches at 5 feet; 
 a sycamore, 11 feet 10 inches immediately above the swell of 
 the roots, and 6 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 20 feet ;
 
 METHVEN. 125 
 
 a horse chestnut, 1 1 feet above the swell, and 6 feet at 5 feet 
 from the ground ; an ash, 1 8 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 13 feet 5 inches at 5 feet, with a clear stem of 30 feet, and an 
 entire height of about 100 feet ; and a beech girthing 18 feet 5 
 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 13 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, 
 with a bole of 20 feet. At the east front of the Castle there is 
 also a very good specimen of Abies Morinda, although it was 
 considerably destroyed during the winter of 1879. There is also 
 a wonderfully good Lucombe oak. 
 
 There are still three remarkable trees to be noticed, and these 
 are by no means the least interesting. The first we shall notice 
 is the celebrated Pepperwell oak, in the park in front of the 
 Castle, and so called from its proximity to a refreshing spring 
 bearing the aromatic name by which the tree is designated. 
 Special reference is made to this tree in the New Statistical 
 Account of the parish, where it is described as " a tree of great 
 picturesque beauty, and contains 700 cubic feet of wood"; the 
 trunk measures 17 J feet in circumference at 3 feet above the 
 ground ; and its branches cover a space of 98 feet in diameter. 
 It has attained an increase of girth of three feet since the year 
 1796. In the year 1722, 100 merks Scots were offered for this 
 tree ; and tradition reports that there is a stone in the heart of 
 it, but, like the Golenos oak, it must be cut up to ascertain this." 
 In 1867, the tree girthed 21 feet 7 inches at 1 foot from the 
 ground, and 19 feet at 6 feet. The tree has grown very con- 
 siderably since the publication of the Statistical Account, and 
 even since 1867. At 1 foot from the ground it now girths no 
 less than 23 feet, and at the narrowest part, or about 5 feet 
 from the ground, it has a girth of 19 feet 5 inches, being 
 2 feet more than at the date of the publication of the New 
 Statistical Account (1837), when it was measured at 3 feet 
 above the ground. The tree is growing by the side of a steep 
 bank, so that the size of the bole is somewhat irregular. On 
 the upper side the bole measures about 8 feet, but on the lower 
 side it has a height of 10 or 12 feet. Four immense main 
 limbs start from the bole, and a fifth was broken off some years 
 ago. The tree is altogether about 80 feet in height, and is in 
 every respect a noble specimen of the " brave old oak." It is
 
 126 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 known to be over 400 years old at least. The second of the 
 trees to which we have just referred is an ash, known as the 
 "Bell Tree," in the village churchyard, so called, we presume, 
 from the bell of the ancient church having at one time been sus- 
 pended from its branches. Its age is unknown, but it is highly- 
 probable that it was planted at the time the ancient church was 
 built, about the year 1433, when Walter Stewart, Earl of 
 Athole, then proprietor of the barony of Methven, formed the 
 church of the barony into a Collegiate Church, which it con- 
 tinued to be down to the Eeformation. Part of this old church 
 is still standing ; and up till now, although it will not continue 
 to be so any longer, it has been used as a burying-place by the 
 Methven family. The portion of the old edifice still standing 
 is the aisle, on one of the walls of which there is a stone show- 
 ing its connection with royalty. The stone has the Eoyal 
 Lion of Scotland sculptured upon it, with the crown above, and 
 some Saxon inscription below, but the letters are so worn by age 
 as to be completely illegible. It is believed that this portion 
 of the ancient building was erected either by Margaret, the 
 Queen Dowager of James IV., and eldest daughter of Henry 
 VII. of England, when she resided at Methven Castle, or, as is 
 perhaps more probable, by Walter Stewart, Earl of Athole, who 
 endowed the church with lands and tithes. Being a son of 
 Bobert II., he was also a member of the Boyal Family, and 
 entitled to place the emblems of royalty upon the building 
 erected under his patronage. Supposing the " Bell Tree " to be 
 planted about the time of the building of the old church, this 
 would make it about 450 years of age, which it has every 
 appearance of being. The New Statistical Account says that 
 " at 3 J feet above the surface of the ground, this tree measures 
 20 feet in circumference, and it contains in all 380 cubic feet of 
 timber. Forty years ago, it exhibited a magnificent top, but 
 wearied, as it were, of its former pliancy, it now chooses rather 
 to break than bow, and yearly it does homage to the soil which 
 nourishes it, by surrendering a portion of its withered branches." 
 The tree has continued to decay since this measurement was 
 taken, and, although it still gives birth to luxuriant foliage, it 
 has an aged and decrepit appearance. It may, however, still
 
 METHVEN. 127 
 
 live for several generations, but Ichabod is written upon its 
 venerable bead. At Tippermallo tbere is another remarkable 
 tree, also in its dotage — a black Italian poplar. It is not 
 nearly so old as the other two above referred to, having been 
 planted in 1776. It is, however, a very large specimen of this 
 variety, although recent storms have lessened its dimensions. 
 In 1836, it girthed 11| feet at 3 feet from the ground, and had 
 300 cubic feet in solid contents. It now girths 20 feet 7 inches 
 at the base ; 1 7 feet 1 inches at 2 feet from the ground ; and 
 15 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. 
 
 Although we have presented a pretty extensive -catalogue of 
 remarkable trees upon the Methven property, we have far from 
 exhausted the list. It is quite possible even that we have not 
 included the largest specimens of some of the varieties, as a 
 great many huge trees are to be met with nearly similar in size. 
 However, the measurements we have given may be taken as 
 fair specimens of a countless number of trees remarkable for 
 their size and symmetry, and which are not only a great orna- 
 ment to the country round the ancient and picturesque Castle of 
 Methven, but are of considerable pecuniary value.
 
 X.— MONCREIFFE. 
 
 " The Glory of Scotland "—Remains of an Ancient Fort— Druidical Circle- 
 Woods Adorning Monereiffe Hill— The Moncreiffes of Moncreiffe— 
 Plantations on the Estate— Large and Remarkable Trees— Largest 
 Horse Chestnut in the Country — Taxodium sempervirens as a Forest 
 Tree— The Remains of the Old Chapel. 
 
 To those who have at any period visited Moncreiffe, the very- 
 mention of the place is sufficient to conjure up delightful visions 
 of that truly charming scene, in which 
 
 " The camp-crowned Moredun lifts its piny height," 
 and enahles the visitor to view what Pennant has described as 
 "the glory of Scotland." The view from the top of Moncreiffe 
 Hill certainly is glorious. Standing at the flagstaff on the 
 summit, the visitor may see at a glance the whole of the lower 
 portion of the fertile valley of Strathearn, clothed with rich pas- 
 tures and smiling corn fields, embellished with thriving woods, 
 and watered by the clear, tortuous Earn, the windings of which 
 can be traced from its entry into lower Strathearn until its 
 junction with the Tay. By taking a few steps to the east, the 
 view may be continued over the broad expanse of the Firth of 
 Tay, with part of the Carse of Gowrie, and Dundee in the 
 distance. From the crest of the hill the eye looks straight down 
 upon the clean and tidy village which takes its name from the 
 substantial bridge which crosses the Earn. In the background, 
 to the south, we have a view of Abernethy, the ancient capital 
 of the Picts, with its curious round tower, nestling at the foot 
 of the Ochils. By this range of hills, the view southwards is 
 interrupted, although the Fife Lomonds may be seen peeping 
 over from the opposite side. In ancient times, Moncreiffe Hill 
 appears to have been regarded as an important military position, 
 as there are to be seen the remains of what is believed to have 
 been a stronghold of the Picts, the fosse of which is still traceable.
 
 MONCREIFFE. 129 
 
 It is circular in form, and has a diameter of sixteen yards. In 
 those days of primitive warfare, it must have taxed the powers 
 of the most energetic and skilful generals to dislodge a vigilant 
 enemy encamped upon this fortress, as no foe could appear 
 within a considerahle radius without being instantly detected, 
 if the defenders were upon the alert. It is therefore highly 
 probable that at one period Moncreiffe Hill formed ah important 
 link in the chain of forts that protected the Pictish capital. On 
 the lower grounds there is a still more ancient relic of the past 
 in the form of a fine Druidical circle, to which we shall again 
 have occasion to refer in connection with a memorial of an 
 interesting event in the history of the Moncreiffe family. 
 Although not visible from the top of the hill, there are certain 
 points from which good views can be got of Moncreiffe House, 
 a fine old edifice, built from plans prepared by Sir William Bruce 
 of Kinross, the designer of several important buildings, and the 
 restorer of Holyrood Palace in 1671-78. Very much to the 
 advantage of the people of Perth, the hill is at all times open to 
 the public, although, we regret to say, the privilege has been so 
 often abused that the proprietor would be justified in declining 
 to continue it. Sir Eobert Moncreiffe, however, is as anxious as 
 his father was that visitors should enjoy the privilege of visiting 
 the hill at all times, and the policies on Fridays ; and it is 
 sincerely to be hoped that no thoughtless parties may give such 
 provocation as will render it necessary to deny such a boon as 
 the liberty to enjoy a walk to the top of Moredun Hill. 
 
 The hill, we need hardly say, forms a prominent object in the 
 landscape for a very wide distance. The back of the eminence, 
 with its load of varied timber, and its highly-cultivated fields 
 sloping gently to the Tay, is one of the most pleasing of the 
 many pleasant sights visible from the " Fair City." It is the 
 front view, however, which constitutes its great attraction. 
 Eising to a height of several hundred feet above sea-level is a 
 sheer precipice, straight and clean, as if sawn through by 
 Titanic hands. This would be a striking enough object in 
 itself, but it would be almost destitute of beauty were it not for 
 the many-tinted trees which clothe the slopes leading up to the 
 naked cliff. These trees were solely planted with the view of 
 
 I
 
 130 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 adorning the hill, and, with the exception of a few old trees on 
 the low grounds, are all within 100 years of age. Hardwood trees 
 have found most favour, — oak, ash, elm, beech, and sycamore 
 predominating, — although these are intermixed with Scots fir 
 and larch. Here and there a few purple beech trees have been 
 planted, the foliage of which presents a beautiful contrast to the 
 light and dark green of the other varieties. The oldest trees on 
 the hill are principally oak, although a few larch have attained 
 about '100 years of age. One of these, when cut, yielded 100 
 cubic feet of measurable timber. About twenty years ago, 
 shortly after Mr Bissett, the present land-steward, became con- 
 nected with the property, a commencement was made with 
 the planting of the finer varieties of pine upon the hill — a 
 process which is still being continued. The favourite species 
 have hitherto been Abies Douglasii and Wellingtonia gigantea, 
 which have grown with remarkable vigour. Immediately above 
 the mansion-house are a few very fine specimens of Pinus 
 insights. In walking about the hill, we noticed a dozen very 
 fine araucarias, which had been transplanted from the lower 
 ground in 1861, after having suffered severely from the intense 
 frost of the previous winter. Their removal has proved most 
 beneficial, as they have thriven every day since they were trans- 
 planted, and are at present in luxuriant health. The soil into 
 which they have been replanted is a light loam, in which the 
 bracken grows to a height of 6 or 8 feet, and the situation is at 
 a sufficient height above the level of the sea to be free from the 
 deadly rime which falls profusely upon the lower grounds. 
 These trees were each about 8 feet high when transplanted, and 
 they have now attained a height of about 25 feet. It is note- 
 worthy that not one of these twelve trees has suffered from the 
 removal, all of them having taken kindly to their new position. 
 The present laird, Sir Kobert Drummond Moncreiffe, belongs to 
 the seventeenth or eighteenth generation of the family in a direct 
 male line. The surname of Moncreiffe is of great antiquity in 
 Perthshire, and belonged to the proprietors of the barony of 
 Moncreiffe as early as any surnames were in use in Scotland. 
 The genealogical accounts of the family mention Eametus 
 Moncreiffe as its founder. He lived between 1107 and 1124,
 
 MONCREIFFE. 131 
 
 and is said to have been keeper of the wardrobe to the family 
 of Alexander I. The first laird of importance was Mathew de 
 Moncreiffe, who obtained a charter of the lands of Moncreiffe 
 from Sir Koger de Mowbray, at that time the superior. This 
 charter has no date, but as Mathew got the same lands erected 
 into a free barony by Alexander II. in 1248, it must have been 
 given before that time. He also got a charter of confirmation 
 in 1251 from Alexander III. of the whole lands and barony of 
 Moncreiffe and Balconachin. In 1495 we find Sir John 
 Moncreiffe, the eighth baron from Mathew, obtaining a charter 
 of Moncreiffe. He was survived by his wife, who had a charter 
 granted in 1530 to herself and William Moncreiffe, her eldest 
 son, of the lands of Balgonie, The second son, Hugh, was the 
 progenitor of the Moncreiffes of Tippermaloch, although he was 
 never himself in possession of that estate. The third son, John, 
 was the ancestor of the present laird of Moncreiffe. About this 
 period considerable additions were made to the family property, 
 including the lands of Kilgraston, Wester Ehynd, Carnbee, 
 Craigie, &c, but afterwards the affairs of the second baronet, 
 Sir John Moncreiffe, became so embarrassed that he was com- 
 pelled to relinquish the whole of the large property which had 
 so long belonged to the family. The first estate he parted with 
 was Carnbee, which was sold in 1657 for about 40,000 merks, 
 to William Ord, sheriff-clerk of Perth. This sale did not 
 retrieve his affairs, and in 1663 he sold Moncreiffe itself to his 
 cousin, Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, one of the Clerks of the Exchequer, 
 who was created a Baronet of JSTova Scotia in 1685. Sir' 
 Thomas, in 1679, erected the present mansion-house, over the 
 principal entrance to which there are still to be seen his 
 arms, with the name of himself and his lady. Shortly 
 afterwards, the direct line of the first Baronet failed, but 
 the patent devolved on the family of Hugh Moncreiffe, the 
 ancestor of the Tippermalloch branch. The representative of 
 this branch was Sir John Moncreiffe of Tippermalloch, well 
 known as the author of a small work, now very rare, entitled 
 Tijjpermalluch's Receipts, in which there are many peculiar 
 remedies, based on superstition, for all the ills that flesh is 
 heir to. The Moncreiffes were early connected by marriage with
 
 132 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 some of the most noble families in the country, and have filled 
 honourable positions in all branches of the national service. 
 Many of them have had a strong predilection for the Church, it 
 being rather a remarkable circumstance, as regards one of the 
 branches, that the late Sir Henry Moncreiffe Wellwood, was the 
 sixth in lineal succession who had been officiating ministers of the 
 Church of Scotland. The Rev. Sir Henry Wellwood Moncreiffe, 
 Bart., D.D., of Free St Cuthberts, Edinburgh, is a kinsman. 
 The present laird is the fifth Baronet since 1663, and the seventh 
 Baronet of the house of Moncreiffe, besides being, as already 
 stated, of the seventeenth or eighteenth generation of the family 
 in a direct male line. 
 
 We have referred to the great improvements which have been 
 quite recently effected on Moredun Hill, but the labours of the 
 proprietors of Moncreiffe have not ended with the embellishment 
 of the magnificent hill which looks down upon their ancestral 
 home. During the past century extensive planting has been 
 going on all over the property. Craigie Wood and St 
 Magdalene's Wood, in the immediate vicinity of Perth, — to the 
 attractions of which they add considerably, — are fair specimens 
 of what the proprietors have been doing over the whole estate, 
 wherever this has been practicable or expedient. On the 
 Moncreiffagstate 646 acres are laid out in wood, on the Balgonie 
 property there are 48 acres of woodlands, and at Trinity-Gask 
 there are 360 acres, making 1054 acres under wood upon the 
 entire property. The plantations consist principally of larch, 
 spruce, and Scots fir, and they have been planted at places not 
 in the meantime likely to be more profitably utilised. A large 
 portion of these woods were planted by the late Sir David 
 Moncreiffe, but a good deal of the work was also done by the 
 late Sir Thomas, who took a great interest in the beautifying 
 and improving of his property. This work is being judiciously 
 continued by Sir Robert Moncreiffe. 
 
 Although the greater part of the planting upon this estate has 
 been effected within the past 100 years, it is not to be supposed 
 that there is no old timber. In the immediate neighbourhood 
 of the mansion-house we have some magnificent specimens of 
 most of the varieties of trees grown in this country, many of
 
 MONCREIFFE. 133 
 
 them "being the finest specimens of their kind in Scotland. 
 Indeed, we believe it will be difficult to find anywhere such 
 a collection of remarkable trees within the same space. The 
 most of the older trees appear to have heen planted about the 
 time of the erection of the present house in 1679. Leading 
 from the old Edinburgh Road up to the house is a very fine 
 beech avenue from 600 to 700 yards long — one of the trees, 
 taken at random as a fair specimen of the whole, girthing 10 
 feet 3 inches at 4 feet from the ground. This avenue, it is 
 supposed, was originally a hedge planted about the time of the 
 building of the house, and gradually thinned out as the plants 
 required more space. In the centre of this avenue, surrounded by 
 a small Druidical circle, is a young oak, which at once attracts 
 attention on account of its straight clean stem, all the more 
 interesting from the fact that it is a memorial of the birth of the 
 late genial laird of Moncreiffe, planted in January, 1822, as part 
 of the rejoicings in connection with the natal day. Although 
 the tree is rather confined, being surrounded by three large 
 beeches, it has grown wonderfully, being fully 70 feet in height, 
 and in excellent health. The surrounding beeches have 
 repeatedly been pruned to prevent them injuring this memorial 
 of an interesting event in the family history. 
 
 The most of the old trees surrounding Moncreiffe House are 
 
 oak, beech, ash, and horse chestnut ; while a number of lime, 
 
 elm, sycamore, walnut, and birch trees were evidently planted 
 
 some short time afterwards. One of the oaks in the policies 
 
 girths 17 feet 7 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 12 feet 
 
 3 inches at 5 feet from the ground, — the height of the bole 
 
 being about 20 feet, the entire height about 90 feet, and the 
 
 spread of branches about 75 feet. The largest of the ash trees 
 
 girths 18 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 13 feet 9 inches 
 
 at 5 feet, — the bole being about 30 feet, the entire height 100 
 
 feet, and the spread of branches 75- feet. At the west end of 
 
 the house there is a fine group of seven old horse chestnuts, of 
 
 such peculiar formation as to give them a highly rustic and 
 
 ornamental appearance. They have been planted rather close, 
 
 and their beauty is, on that account somewhat contracted ; but 
 
 the group, as a whole, with its magnificent foliage and unique
 
 134 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 form, presents a most captivating arboreal picture. The largest 
 tree of all is a horse chestnut. This tree — believed to be the 
 largest of its kind in Scotland, if not in Britain — girths 20 
 feet 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 19 feet at 5 feet 
 from the ground. At about 10 feet from the ground it diverges 
 into three great limbs, each of which is equal to the stems of 
 ordinarily-sized trees. Great as this tree is, it is utterly unable 
 to support these enormous branches, and about fifteen years ago 
 the largest of them rooted firmly into the ground at four or five 
 different places, adding very much to the majesty of the tree, 
 and bringing out the spread of branches to 90 feet. Unfortu- 
 nately, some of the heavier branches have, from time to time, 
 broken off through their ponderous weight. One of the largest 
 of the limbs was blown off during the memorable storm which 
 destroyed the Tay Bridge, and when weighed was found to be 
 about two tons. South of the group of horse chestnuts already 
 referred to, and on a piece of ground supposed to be adjoin- 
 ing the original garden, there was until recently an equally 
 picturesque group of walnut trees. The largest of these girthed 
 
 13 feet 7 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 10 feet 9 inches 
 at 5 feet. The largest of the elms girths 20 feet 6 inches at 
 1 foot (the same as the horse chestnut already referred to), and 
 
 14 feet 8 inches at 5 feet from the ground. The difference 
 between the measurements at 1 foot and 5 feet is largely 
 accounted for by a good deal of vacant space being about the 
 roots. There is another elm which cannot be passed over 
 without notice, as not only is it of great dimensions, but the 
 peculiarity of its form renders it one of the most remarkable 
 trees on the property. At some remote period it appears to 
 have been rent through the centre, and formed a sort of archway 
 through which a person could pass. Thus weakened, the tree 
 was unable to bear the superincumbent weight, and toppled 
 over. Notwithstanding this accident, the tree has continued to 
 flourish as luxuriantly as ever, and has fixed many of its 
 branches in the earth, very much after the manner of the banyan. 
 Near to the front entrance of the house there is a hickory, 
 considered to be the finest in Scotland. It girths at 1 foot 
 from the ground 6 feet 6 in. ; and at 5 feet, 5 feet 9 in., with a
 
 MONCREIFFE. 135 
 
 splendid bole of 20 feet. In the lawn to the east of the 
 mansion-house is a very fine specimen of Picea Nordmanniana. 
 Although only planted about twenty-six years ago, it has already 
 attained a height of 30 ft. It girths at the ground 4 ft. 2 in.; 
 at 1 foot from the ground, 3 ft. 9 in.; and at 5 feet from the 
 ground, 2 ft. 2 in. A special interest attaches to this tree on 
 account of its being the first of its kind to produce ripe seed in 
 Scotland, Mr Bissett having raised a number of young plants 
 from the seed. It is a little remarkable, however, that the 
 plants raised from the cones taken from this tree have at present 
 more resemblance to the silver fir than to the parent plant. 
 The reason of this is not very apparent, but it may probably be 
 caused by the pollen of some silver firs situated about 50 yards 
 distant acting upon the flower of the P. Nordmanniana. 
 There is also a remarkable silver willow in the lawn, about 20 
 yards from the tree already mentioned. This willow girths 
 17 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 19 feet at 5 feet from 
 the ground, — the difference being due to a projecting limb. On 
 the southern side, the branches have yielded to their weight 
 and rooted, extending the spread of the tree very considerably 
 — the younger portions being much more vigorous than the 
 parent stem. In the pleasure grounds there is a beautiful 
 cedar of Lebanon, which carried between 200 and 300 cones 
 five years ago. It reaches a height of 66 feet; and at 3 feet from 
 the ground it girths 11 feet, the spread of branches being about 
 64 feet. A very good example of the value of Taxodium 
 sempervirens as a forest tree for this country is to be seen in 
 the policies. It was planted about the same time as the P. 
 Nordmanniana, and already it has a height of 43 feet, being 13 
 feet more than the P. Nordmanniana. Its girth at the ground 
 is 6 ft. 10 in. ; at 1 foot from the ground, 5 ft. 10 in. ; at 3 
 feet, 5 ft. 4 in. ; and at 5 feet, 4 ft. 11 in. The spread of 
 branches is 22 ft. It will thus be seen that the tree has a 
 growth of about 2 feet each year. The tree has, unfortunately, 
 lost its leader several times, or it might have shown still more 
 satisfactory progress. The situation is sheltered, and the 
 ground dampish. A short distance from the two trees above 
 mentioned there is a remarkable common spruce, beautifully
 
 136 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 feathered to the ground, and with some of its branches rooted, 
 like many others at Moncreiffe. It rises to the height of 80 
 feet, girths 9 feet 4 in. at 3 feet from the ground, and has a 
 spread of branches of 50 feet. The three last-mentioned trees 
 stand triangularly only about 50 and 70 feet apart, and afford a 
 very good illustration of the proximity of all the remarkable 
 trees in the policies of Moncreiffe. In the same neighbourhood 
 there is also one of the largest Portugal laurels in the country. 
 It is very thick and close, with a circumference of 186 feet, and 
 would have measured fully 200 feet had it not been cut to 
 keep clear of a walk. Within a very short distance from this 
 laurel there is a hue silver fir, reaching a height of about 100 
 feet. At 1 foot from the ground it girths 1 3 feet ; and at 5 
 feet 11 feet 7 in., the spread of branches being 45 feet. A 
 purple beech girths 9 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 7 
 feet 6 in. at 5 feet, the spread of branches being 60 feet. In 
 front of the garden there is a fine clump of 12 American cedars 
 of different species, one of which deserves to be specially 
 mentioned. It is a Ciqyressus tliyoides viridis, and is considered 
 the best specimen of the species in this country. It is about 35 
 feet in height, of very symmetrical form, and with the foliage 
 thick and close to the trunk. The policies of Moncreiffe also 
 furnish an illustration of the rapid growth of the Abies Alber- 
 tiania. A specimen which was planted in 1869 has already a 
 height of fully 30 feet. It girths at the ground, 2 feet 6 in., 
 at 1 foot from the ground, 2 feet 3 in. ; and at 3 feet from the 
 . ground, 2 feet. The foliage is very rich, and close down to the 
 ground. The splendour of this tree is all the greater when 
 compared with an Abies Menziesii close beside it, and which, 
 although planted eight years earlier, has only a height of 25 feet. 
 Beside these two, there is also a superb specimen of Cupressits 
 Laivsoniana, planted in 1859, and now 25 feet high. Between 
 the garden and the orchard there are several large specimens of 
 gean trees. The situation of these trees so near to the garden 
 and orchard is of considerable advantage, as it is found that, if 
 there be an abundant crop of geans, the birds are not in the 
 habit of doing so much damage to the fruits. 
 
 Before leaving Moncreiffe, there are one or two objects of
 
 MONCREIFFE. 137 
 
 interest in the policies worthy of notice. About 300 yards to 
 the south-east of the mansion-house are the remains of a very 
 old chapel, now used as the family burying-ground, romantically 
 embowered with wide-spreading and richly-foliaged trees. This 
 chapel is of hoary antiquity, and was originally an appendage 
 to the church at Dunbarney. The occasional discovery of 
 bones, and various appearances, as well as the uniform voice of 
 tradition, concur in proving that the ground surrounding it was 
 at one time used as a cemetery. The interior has been used as 
 a burying-place by the Moncreiffe family for many successive 
 generations. Sir Robert Douglas, in his Baronage of Scotland, 
 states that at so remote a period as 1357, Duncan Moncreiffe of 
 that ilk and his lady were buried there. The families of the 
 M oncreifies of Tippermalloch and the Moncreiffes of Kinmonth 
 were also at one time interred in the same chapel. It would be 
 almost impossible to conceive of a more beautiful and romantic 
 spot for the repose of the ashes of a distinguished family. The 
 walls of the edifice are nearly entire, but not a vestige of the 
 roof remains ; and the ruin is so deeply embosomed in wood, 
 that it presents a most picturesque appearance, while the thick 
 foliage of the trees and evergreens by which it is surrounded, so 
 completely hide it from view that a stranger may be quite near 
 without being aware of its existence. The old chapel is 30 feet 
 long, 18 feet broad, and 10 feet high. It has a north aisle, 
 containing a vault underneath, and a small belfry at the east 
 gable, the bell formerly belonging to which is still preserved 
 in Moncreiffe House. Here lie the remains of the late Sir 
 Thomas Moncreiffe, who died, very much regretted, on Saturday, 
 16th August 1879, at the comparatively early age of fifty- 
 seven. The late Sir Thomas was not only a great lover of trees, 
 but he was also an enthusiastic naturalist, being widely known 
 as an accomplished entomologist. Beside him there also lie the 
 remains of his eldest son, David-Maule, who died when only 
 three years of age, as well as Sir Thomas' father, Sir David, 
 who died in 1830. The old chapel is, therefore, a place that 
 merits the reverence it receives from the Moncreiffe family, 
 surrounded as it is with so many hallowed memories. A pair 
 of quaint old stones, bearing the arms of the Moncreiffe and
 
 138 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Tullibardine families on either side, show the close relationship 
 which has existed between the Athole and Moncreiffe families 
 from a very early age. In the midst of the policies there is an 
 elaborately-constructed summer-house, made of different species 
 of willows most artistically and curiously arranged. In the 
 centre there is a large table of the same construction, and 
 showing an amount of skill and labour that are now very 
 seldom bestowed upon such an article of garden furniture. In 
 a rockery near Mr Bissett's house there is an interesting 
 memento of Mr Laurence Macdonald, the Perthshire sculptor, 
 consisting of a specimen of his first attempts at that art by 
 which he became famous, and which was executed when he was 
 working as an- apprentice mason at Moncreiffe.
 
 XL— KILGEASTOK 
 
 Situation — The Mansion-House — An Apiarian Curiosity — Grants of Kil- 
 graston — Policies — "Cromwell's Tree" — Other Remarkable Trees — 
 Pitkeathly and its Mineral Wells — Drummonie House — Large Tulip 
 Tree, &c. 
 
 Kilgraston, the property of Charles T. C. Grant, is finely 
 situated in Lower Strathearn, near the confluence of the Earn 
 and the Tay. The mansion-house cannot he said to command a 
 very extensive prospect, hut the district within range is varied 
 and beautiful. Taking our stand upon the roof of the mansion, 
 we see that it is entirely surrounded by hills, with the exception 
 of the eastern side, which is opened up by the passage of the 
 Tay and the Earn on their way to the sea. The hills, indeed, 
 surround the house in such a way as to suggest the form of a 
 horse-shoe, with the opening towards the east. The hills 
 bounding the north and west are those of Moncreiffe and Caller- 
 fountain, the Ochil range skirting the horizon to the south. 
 Within these limits there is exposed as fine a track of fertile 
 country as could be desired, while the valley and the pictur- 
 esque hills enclosing it are richly ornamented with timber. 
 The mansion itself is an exceedingly pretty structure, of the 
 Greek style, plain and substantial. It was chiefly designed by 
 the late Mr Francis Grant, grandfather of the present laird ; 
 and although the interior was entirely destroyed by fire in 1870, 
 this has not affected the outward appearance of the original 
 building, which is built of a red freestone found upon the 
 property. While standing upon the top of the house, we had 
 our attention attracted to an apiarian curiosity. The parapet 
 along the front elevation is adorned by a hugh vase with a 
 gigantic lion on each side. These ornaments are made of 
 plaster, and the " little busy bee " has discovered a small aper- 
 ture about the feet of one of the lions, through which it can
 
 140 WOOLS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 easily gain access to the interior. The place has "been found so 
 commodious and suitahle that a large colony of bees have made 
 the inside of the lion their regular home for the last forty years 
 at least, beyond the possibility of having their stores of honey 
 disturbed. While the workmen were reconstructing the house 
 after the fire, they thought it necessary to turn over this 
 ponderous model of the king of the forest, and found the inside 
 completely packed with honey. 
 
 The family of Grant of Kilgraston is originally of Glenlochy, 
 in Strathspey, which was their ancient residence. The first of 
 the lairds of Kilgraston of this name was John Grant, elder son 
 of Peter Grant, the last of the Grant lairds of Glenlochy. He 
 proceeded to the island of Jamaica, where he was the Chief- 
 Justice from 1783 to 1790; and, on his returning home he 
 purchased Kilgraston and the contiguous property of Pitkeathly. 
 Previous to this, the property was held by the Craigies, a branch 
 of the Craigies of Craigiehall, in the parish of Dalmeny, Linlith- 
 gowshire. It is traditionally said that the property came to the 
 Craigies through one of them having the good fortune to ex- 
 change the wilds of Orkney for the fruitful lands of Kilgraston. 
 The family ultimately rose to a position of considerable distinc- 
 tion both in law and arms, while they did much to make Kil- 
 graston what it is. " They were remarkable," says the 
 Statistical Account, " for the elegant improvements they made 
 on their estates ; and it is to their public spirit that the com- 
 munity is indebted for several avenues of trees which adorn the 
 roads, in the parish." The first of the Grants of Kilgraston 
 died without issue in 1793, and he was succeeded by his 
 brother Francis. Prancis married Anne, daughter of Robert 
 Oliphant of Eossie, who became Postmaster-General. Prancis 
 died in 1819, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John, who 
 was twice married,- — first, in 1820, to the Hon. Margaret Gray, 
 second daughter of Francis, fifteenth Lord Gray ; and, secondly, 
 in 1828, to the Lady Lucy Bruce, third daughter of the Earl of 
 Elgin and Kincardine, and by them he had a large family of sons 
 and daughters. The most distinguished of the sons of Francis 
 was the late Major-General Sir Jas. Hope Grant, K.C.B. He 
 was Brigade-Major under Lord Saltoun, in the war with China;
 
 KILGEASTON". 141 
 
 and subsequently in India, under Lords Gough and Hardinge. 
 He took an active part in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny, 
 his services in that war being rewarded by a Knight-Comman- 
 dership of the Order of the Bath. In 1860 he commanded 
 the British forces during the operations in China ; and in 
 November of that year he was decorated with the Grand Cross 
 of the Order of the Bath. Sir Francis Grant, the distinguished 
 President of the Boyal Academy, was another son. 
 
 The policies of Kilgraston are laid out with beautiful shrub- 
 beries and flower gardens, intersected with most delightful walks 
 and drives. One of the most charming of the walks is 
 appropriately named " Paradise "Walk," from its beautiful 
 formation and # commanding position on a ridge^along the southern 
 boundary of the property. The walk is about one mile in length, 
 and for fully half a mile there is a splendid avenue, composed 
 chiefly of beech trees of a good size. Another very nice avenue, 
 principally lime trees, leads from the Dunning Eoad to the family 
 burying-ground, a distance of half a mile. Formerly, the 
 avenue extended to the Eiver Earn, half a mile farther, but 
 when the railway cut through the lands it was found necessary 
 to remove most of the trees, so as to square the agricultural land. 
 Nearly all the limes in this avenue are of a good size, — one, 
 which we measured as a fair average specimen, girthing 1 3 feet 4 
 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 8 inches at 5 feet. The main 
 entrance to the policies also forms a very beautiful walk. The 
 approach (which enters from the picturesque old village of 
 Kintillo) is through a highly artistic arch of Craigmillar stone, 
 the lodge harmonising in design with the gateway. Perhaps the 
 most notable of the trees at Kilgraston is a large. Spanish chestnut 
 on the farm of Kilgraston Mains, regarding the history of which 
 there are several traditional accounts, the generally-accepted one 
 being that it was planted on the day on which the city of Perth 
 capitulated to Oliver Cromwell, the 3rd August 1651. The 
 girth above the swell of the roots, about 2 feet up, is 19 feet, 
 and at 5 feet from the ground the girth is 14 feet 5 inches. 
 There is a splendid bole of about 15 feet, and the tree is in other 
 respects well balanced. About 30 years ago it met with an 
 accident which was then feared might be fatal, but has,
 
 142 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 happily, turned out to have had quite an invigorating effect. The 
 farmer at that time obtained liberty to remove a number of roots 
 in the field, but the workmen, misunderstanding their instruc- 
 tions, thought they were to remove this great tree. They 
 accordingly, proceeded to dig a deep trench all round the tree, 
 and had cut off a number of the roots before they were detected. 
 The trench was immediately ordered to be filled in, and the work 
 of destruction stopped. The tree at this time was beginning to 
 show symptoms of decay, but since it has suffered this under- 
 ground amputation, it has entirely recovered its health, and is 
 now thriving most vigorously. The largest of the oaks on the 
 property grows in the North Lodge Park, the girth at 1 foot up 
 being 16 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet, 11 feet 5 inches. It is an 
 exceedingly shapely tree, and has a nice bole of 10 feet. The 
 next best oak to be met with grows in the pleasure-grounds, and 
 has a girth of 11 feet 8 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 11 
 feet at 5 feet. Beside the burying-ground, which is enclosed in 
 a picturesque building representing a ruined chapel, there are 
 several gigantic silver firs. The largest of these girths 1 1 feet 
 at 1 foot from the ground, and 9 feet 6 inches at 5 feet; and 
 another has a girth of 10 feet at 1 foot, and 8 feet 5 inches at 5 
 feet from the ground. They range from about 80 to 90 feet 
 high, and are magnificent timber trees. Behind the garden, a 
 very peculiar pollard ash attracts attention. There are in reality 
 two trees, growing about 3 feet apart, but when they were 
 saplings the wind would seem to have twisted them round each 
 other, and, now that they have become trees, they are literally 
 locked in each other's embrace, forming a sort of arch, and must 
 stand or fall together. A large willow tree also presents a curious 
 feature; it was originally a prop for a neighbouring tree, and was 
 so placed in the ground some 60 years ago; but now it has grown 
 into a great tree, and the original plant, much decayed, is seen 
 protruding about 1 foot through the centre of the bole, where 
 the branches break off. The girth of the trunk of this willow 
 at the narrowest part is 12 feet 6 inches. A cedar of Lebanon 
 in the same neighbourhood, which is quite close to the house, 
 girths -9 feet at 1 foot, and 8 feet 2 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. A horse-chestnut quite near the house, girths 1 1 feet
 
 KILGRASTON". 143 
 
 3 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 7 inches at 5 feet; and a beech in 
 the pleasure-grounds has a girth of 1 6 feet 2 inches at 1 foot 
 and 12 feet 2 inches at 5 feet. The latter is an exceedingly- 
 beautiful tree, the bole being of a good size, and the branches 
 numerous and well arranged. There are also a number of very- 
 fine beeches in the Dovecot Park, the best of them girthing 12 
 feet 10 inches at 1 foot up, and 10 feet 3 inches at 5 feet. 
 Several large elms also grow in the same park, the best one 
 girthing 21 feet at 1 foot, and 12 feet 7 inches at 5 feet, the 
 narrowest part of the bole. Only a few of the newer coniferous 
 trees have been planted at Kilgraston. The most notable of 
 these is a Wdlmgtonia gigantea near the house. It has a height 
 of about 35 feet, and is very shapely and well furnished. The 
 girth at the ground is 8 feet 7 inches; at 1 foot up, 7 feet 6 
 inches; and at 5 feet up, 4 feet 8 inches. A thriving little 
 specimen of Thujopds dolobrata may be noted on account of 
 its having been publicly planted in 1879 by Mr C. T. C. Grant, 
 on his being initiated into the mysteries of the Ancient Order 
 of Foresters. 
 
 Pitkeathly, the contiguous property, which was purchased 
 along with Kilgraston, has for many generations been highly 
 famed for its mineral wells, and these were, about eight years 
 ago, vastly improved by Mr Grant, so as to maintain their 
 reputation as a favourite resort. These wells are situated only 
 about one mile from Bridge of Earn, and the surrounding scenery 
 is of the richest description. Indeed, the wells, which are five 
 in number, spring up in one of the most beautiful parts of 
 Strathearn, being immediately surrounded by the seats of Mon- 
 creiffe, Kilgraston, Freeland, Dunbarney, Invermay, &c. The 
 celebrated Moredun, or Moncreiffe Hill, is quite at hand. 
 Mundie Hill, on the Kilgraston estate, is perhaps not so well 
 known, but the view from the top is no less enchanting. This 
 hill is one of the peaks of the Ochils, and lies a little to the 
 south of the Wells. On a clear day the traveller will be 
 rewarded for his trouble in ascending the summit by a glimpse 
 of Edinburgh and the Bass Bock to the south, Dundee to the 
 east, Perth and the Grampians to the north, and Ben Lomond 
 and the western hills to the west. Close to the Wells, there is
 
 144 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 a favourite spot which has gained celebrity through a slight 
 mistake made by Sir "Walter Scott in the first chapter of The 
 Fair Maid of Perth. The "Wizard of the North" there states 
 that a view of Perth was obtained from a spot known as the 
 Wicks of Baiglie ; but as this was impossible, it is more probable 
 that Chrystal Croftangry had come from the south by an old road 
 called Wallace's Eoad, from a tradition that it had been traversed 
 by the Scottish champion, as this would have led him to obtain 
 a sight of Perth. This old road to the south passes over the 
 Ochils, and comes down from Milnathort by West Dron ; and 
 from a spot on that road, a little above West Dron, the traveller 
 may have a view of the " Fair City." Putting aside the mistake 
 of the great novelist — which, after all, has only been caused by 
 his giving a wider range to the " Wicks of Baiglie " than is 
 generally accepted — our readers will have some idea of the glory 
 of the view from the description by the " Chronicler of the 
 Canongate " himself. In the first chapter of Tlie Fair Maid of 
 Perth, we are told : — 
 
 " One of the most beautiful points of view which Britain, or perhaps the world 
 can afford is — or rather we may say, was — the prospect from a spot called the 
 Wicks of Baiglie, being a species of niche at which the traveller arrived, after 
 a long stage from Kinross, through a waste and uninteresting country, and 
 from which, as forming a pass over the summit of a ridgy eminence which he had 
 gradually surmounted, he beheld, stretching beneath him, the valley of the 
 Tay, traversed by its ample and lordly stream ; the town of Perth, with its two 
 large meadows or Inches, its steeples and its towers ; the Hills of Moncreiffe 
 and Kinnoull faintly rising into picturesque rocks, partly clothed with woods ; 
 the rich margin of the river, studded with elegant mansions ; and the distant 
 view of the huge Grampian mountains, the northern screen of this exquisite 
 landscape. The alteration of the road — greatly, it must be owned, to the 
 improvement of general intercourse — avoids this magnificent point of view, and 
 the landscape is introduced more gradually and partially to the eye, though 
 the approach must be still considered as extremely beautiful. There is yet, we 
 believe, a footpath left open by which the station at the Wicks of Baiglie may 
 be approached ; and the traveller, by quitting his horse or equipage, and walk- 
 ing a few hundred yards, may still compare the real landscape with the sketch 
 which we have attempted to give. But it is not in our power to communicate, 
 or in his to receive, the exquisite charm which surprise gives to pleasure, when 
 so splendid a view arises when least expected or hoped for, and which Chrystal 
 Croftangry experienced when he beheld, for the first time, the matchless scene." 
 
 If is not known when the virtues of the Pitkeathly Wells 
 were originally discovered, but the first authentic notice which
 
 KILGRASTON. 145 
 
 is anywhere to be found concerning thern is supplied by the 
 Session Records of the parish, where, under the date of 20th 
 September 1711, it is recorded that " the Session met according 
 to appointment, and took into consideration the profanations of 
 the Sabbath by people frequenting the medicine-well of Pit- 
 keathly, whereupon some of the elders were desired to visit the 
 well every Sabbath morning, and exhort the people from coming 
 to it on the Lord's-Day, and inquire what parishes they belong 
 to, that word may be sent to their respective ministers to 
 discharge them ; and John Vallance is forbidden to give them 
 passage at Dunbarney boat, and Thomas Drummond desired to 
 spread the report that they are to be stopped by constables by 
 authority of the Justices of the Peace." Prom the Statistical 
 Account we learn there are two traditions current concerning the 
 discovery of these mineral waters. The first tradition is that the 
 country people were attracted to them by observing pigeons resort 
 to the place ; but the second, and more probable, tradition is, 
 that their medicinal virtue was first discovered by reapers who, 
 when using them to quench their thirst at their mid-day meal, 
 experienced their strong effects. It is of little importance, 
 however, when the Wells were discovered ; but it is interesting 
 to know that from a very early date they became a place of 
 fashionable resort, — Bridge of Earn, indeed, as well as the 
 Pitkeathly villas, having been built for the accommodation of 
 those using the Wells, — and that they still retain their healing 
 qualities. 
 
 Drummonie Castle, an old seat of the Lords Oliphant, is in 
 the immediate vicinity of the Wells. This castle was built in 
 the year 1693, and in recent years became known as Pitkeathly 
 House. Although it had become very much decayed, the 
 present proprietor has put it in a thorough state of repair, and 
 restored the old title by calling it Drummonie House. Surround- 
 ing the mansion-house are several noteworthy trees. The most 
 remarkable of these is an unusually large tulip tree, which girths 
 10 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 8 feet at 5 feet. There 
 are a number of very good oak trees near the house. The 
 largest girths 12 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 9 feet 5 
 inches at 5 feet ; and the next largest girths 10 feet at 1 foot,
 
 146 WOODS, FORESTS, AXD ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 and 9 feet 10 inches at 5 feet. There are many, however, about 
 the same size. 
 
 The plantations upon the property are not very extensive, the 
 greater part of the land being of the best quality for farming. A 
 large quantity of timber has been blown down within the past 
 few years, but the vacant spots are being replanted, and several 
 acres additional laid down.
 
 XII.— INVEEMAY. 
 
 The Beauties of Invermay — The Belshes of Invermay — Their Improve- 
 ments — The Soldier and the Laird — The "Birks" of Invermay — The 
 Mansion-House— The "Bell Tree"— The Old House— Notable Yew and 
 Holly Hedges — A Remarkable Spruce Tree— The Walk by the May — 
 Old Muekersie Church— The " Humble-Bumble"— The Plantations. 
 
 There are few places in the environs of Perth more popular 
 with pleasure-seekers than the beautiful grounds of Invermay. 
 Here all the most delightful characteristics of Highland and 
 Lowland scenery are to be found, — the broad peaceful valley, 
 with the sluggish waters of the Earn winding their way to the 
 more rapid Tay, — the deep woody dell, with the impetuous May 
 and its tributary streamlets rolling along their rocky beds, — the 
 dense forest, and the commanding hill, — all combining to attract 
 the visitor, and increase the amenity of the property. From an 
 early date, the place was known as Endermay, but this desig- 
 nation was dropped about the beginning of the present century 
 in favour of the present more euphonious name. The estate is 
 now the property of Lord Clinton, but for centuries it was the 
 home of the Belshes. This family trace their descent from Ralf 
 Belasyse, a Norman baron, who came to England with William 
 the Conqueror. One of the Belshes married into the family of 
 the Stuarts of Fettercairn, and ultimately succeeded to Invermay. 
 Several of the Belshes attained to considerable distinction, the 
 last of the family rising to the rank of a Major-General in the 
 army, having served with distinction in the Peninsula, and 
 obtained the war medal with four clasps. That the various 
 members of this family took a deep interest in the improvement 
 of the property, is testified by its present condition. All the 
 older timber which now adorns the estate was planted by the 
 Belshes ; and the suitability of the wood to the soil and climate, 
 and the taste with which it was planted, show that they were;
 
 148 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 fully alive to the importance of the work. The late Mr P. R. 
 Drunimond, in his entertaining work on Perthshire in Bygone 
 Days, tells a very good story, which shows the carefulness with 
 which one of these proprietors looked after his woods. On one 
 occasion, when Mr A. H. M. Belshes was walking over the 
 property, he encountered a soldier committing, in Mr Belshes' 
 eyes, a flagrant crime. " The soldier, when passing the east 
 gate, observed a young oak that he thought would make a good 
 walking-stick ; so, without scruple, he laid down his musket 
 against the dyke, and, going into the wood, cut down the tree. 
 While he was quietly lopping the branches from his prize, the 
 laird came along the road. He saw at once the daringly 
 impudent and really wicked step that the fellow had taken, and 
 his passion, of course, rose to the occasion. No remedy to the 
 evil deed occurred to him ; indeed, there was none. But the 
 irate laird seized the gun, and, with an oath, said, 'Take hack 
 that tree, and lay it down where you got it, or I will blow your 
 brains out.' The soldier obeyed doggedly, and, after a round of 
 the linguistic guns, he reluctantly gave the soldier his musket, 
 No sooner had the man of war got possession of it, than he 
 presented it at the laird, saying, with the same oath, ' If you do 
 not put that stick into my hands as a gift, I will blow your 
 brains out.' The laird made a virtue of necessity, and 
 surrendered it." Sir John Forbes of Fettercairn and Pitsligo 
 succeeded to the Belshes, and Lord Clinton, marrying the only 
 daughter of Sir John Forbes, succeeded to the property about 
 sixteen years ago. His Lordship does not reside here, his 
 principal seats being Heanton Satchville, Beaford, Devonshire, 
 and Fettercairn House, Laurencekirk, but he is well represented 
 by Mr Mackie, his land-steward, 
 
 The main entrance to the property is from the Green at Inver- 
 may, the place being so called probably from its having at one 
 time been a clachan, although there are now no remnants to 
 indicate that there were ever any inhabitants to sport upon the 
 village green. Our way lies along the river side, and we are 
 immediately in the midst of the beauties of the place. As soon 
 as we' enter the approach, we pass, on the left hand side of the 
 drive, some splendid specimens of Abies Menziesii, about ten
 
 INVEEMAT. 149 
 
 years of age, and making rapid progress, trie annual growth 
 being from 18 inches to 2 feet. The ground is of a light loamy 
 nature, and drains freely into the May. At one time almost all 
 the trees at Invermay were oak, intermixed with beech— the 
 oak being not only the favourite variety, but the most thriving, 
 the soil being admirably adapted for the cultivation of the 
 timber which so long provided our sea-girt home with its wooden 
 walls. The " Birks of Invermay " are often spoken of as the 
 subject of a popular song, but we are afraid that the " birks " 
 must be set down as a poetic fiction. There are no birch trees 
 worth speaking of at Invermay, nor does there ever appear to 
 have been any in sufficient quantity to touch the poetic fire. 
 There was no reference to the birch in the original edition of the 
 song which now bears the title of " The Birks of Invermay," 
 the following being a copy of the first edition of Mallet's 
 pastoral ; — 
 
 " The smiling morn, the breathing spring 
 
 Invite the tuneful birds to sing ; 
 And while they warble from each spray, 
 Love melts the universal lay. 
 Let us, Amanda, timely wise, 
 Like them improve the hour that flies ; 
 And in soft raptures spend the day, 
 Among the shades of Endermay, 
 
 For soon the winter of the year, 
 And age, life's winter, will appear. 
 At this thy living bloom must fade ; 
 As that will strip the verdant shade. 
 Our taste of pleasure then is o'er ; 
 The feathered songsters love no more ; 
 And when they droop and we decay, 
 Farewell the shades of Endermay." 
 
 The original version is much truer to Nature than the " im- 
 proved " one. If the author had intended to refer to " birks," 
 he would never have spoken of them as affording shade, — a 
 term, however, which might be appropriately employed with 
 reference to thewidespreading oak, which seems to have abounded, 
 instead of the birch. The alteration from the " shades " to the 
 " birks," of Invermay appears to have been made by the Eev. 
 Alex. Bryce of Kirknewton, who composed three additional and 
 inferior stanzas, and who evidently never saw the place, or he
 
 150 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 would not have tampered with the more accurate picture 
 sketched by Mallet, who is one of our Perthshire poets. 
 
 A short drive brings us to the mansion-house of Inverrnay, 
 situated on a piece of rising ground overhanging the May, and 
 commanding a magnificent prospect for a great many miles. 
 The whole vale of Lower Strathearn lies at our feet, and to the 
 west the Crieff and Logiealmond Hills strike the sky. North- 
 wards the classic Hill of Birnam is easily recognised, while in 
 the remote distance we have a shadowy view of Ben-y-gloe, and 
 the mountains around Blair-Athole. The mansion has the 
 verdant Ochils for a background, and is surrounded by 4 acres 
 of pleasant policy grounds, in which clumps of rhododendrons, 
 laurels, and common bay predominate, although vegetation of a 
 more stately growth is not absent. The "Bell Tree" ranks 
 amongst the most notable of the ornaments in the policies in 
 the immediate neighbourhood of the mansion. It is a very fine 
 old Scots fir, with a grand bole of 25 feet. At the top of the 
 bole the tree forks into two branches, in a way which suggests 
 the thought that the tree was specially grown for the purpose 
 of hanging the bell which regularly called the Belshes to the 
 dinner table to the end of their days, and which is still to be 
 seen fixed in its pretty bifurcated belfry. The " Bell Tree " is 
 surrounded by some good Scots firs, but none of them are so 
 suitable for the suspension of the great bell as the one which 
 has been selected. 
 
 The old house — or " The Tower," as it is called — is situated 
 but a short distance from the present mansion, and is rendered 
 somewhat picturesque by a complete covering of ivy. A great 
 part of the building has been demolished, and the remaining 
 portion is used as a laundry, gun-room, and lumber-room. A 
 shield over the entrance bears the date 1633 and the initials 
 " D.D." and " E. A." The grounds around " The Tower " appear 
 to have been laid out with considerable taste, according to the 
 notions which prevailed at the time. The principal feature, 
 which can still be traced, is a long yew hedge, with a holly 
 hedge in continuation. These hedges which were doubtless 
 planted about the time of the building of the " The Tower," in 
 1633, have now grown to be great trees of their kind. They
 
 INVERMAY. 151 
 
 are very compact, there being only a few inches between each 
 of the trees. The trees in the yew hedge are about 50 feet 
 high, and have a spread of fully 40 feet. The holly hedge is a 
 particularly pretty one. It has been cut down at one time, and 
 afterwards allowed full liberty to spread its branches. The row 
 is about 100 yards in length, and the trees are about 60 feet high, 
 or 10 feet higher than the yews. At the old bowling-green 
 below " The Tower," and close by the river side, there is a very 
 remarkable spruce tree. It is thought to be a different variety 
 from the ordinary kind, as it is both shorter and finer in the 
 needle. It is a little naked about the bottom, but, otherwise, it 
 is a grand tree. The girth at 1 foot from the ground is 15 feet, 
 and at 5 feet from the ground, 1 3 feet 6 inches. There is a 
 clean bole of 14 feet, — the entire height of the tree, which is 
 about 200 years old, being about 80 feet. 
 
 Perhaps the most interesting walk on the property is that 
 which clings close to the river. The walk is not particularly 
 remarkable on account of the size of the timber which adorns it, 
 but for its splendid sylvan beauty, and the charming peeps 
 which are got of the river as it dashes over the rocks, and cuts 
 its way through the narrow gorges. There are, however, several 
 trees of large dimensions. We have already given the measure- 
 ment of the largest of the spruce trees, but there are several 
 others of this species which girth from 12 to 13 feet at 5 feet 
 from the ground. Silver firs are to be met with girthing from 
 14 to 15 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and from 12 to 13 feet 
 at 5 feet from the ground. There are several very fine oaks on 
 the banks of the May, girthing from 12 to 13 feet at 5 feet from 
 the ground. A few sycamores girth from 12 feet 6 inches, to 16 
 feet at 5 feet from the ground. There are a number of very 
 fine beeches along the drive to Muckersie Chapel. The girth 
 of the largest is 16 feet 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 14 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, the others girthing from 12 to 16 
 feet at 1 foot, and 11 feet to 14 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. A splendid walnut growing near the house has a girth 
 of 14 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. 
 
 Old Muckersie Church is an interesting object on the 
 banks of the May. It is situated upon a prominent eminence
 
 152 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 about one mile from the mansion-house, and a short distance 
 above Muckersie Falls. This is the church of the old parish of 
 Muckersie, before it was united to Forteviot, and is now the 
 burial vault of the Belshes, the small piece of surrounding 
 ground being the last restiug-place of many of their servants 
 and retainers. The church and burying-ground are completely 
 encircled with fine Scots firs of about 150 years' standing, a 
 few old yews being also in the neighbourhood of the building. 
 The church is a very plain structure of moderate dimensions. 
 Muckersie Falls, to which we have alluded, are the finest on 
 the river. When the river is full, the fall is 30 feet wide, the 
 water falling in a great body over a rocky precipice of about 
 the same depth. The " Humble-Bumble " is the most romantic 
 of the waterfalls, its name being derived from the peculiar 
 gurgling sound of the rushing water. The scene here bears a 
 close resemblance to some parts of the Braan, at the Bumbling 
 Bridge, but on a smaller scale. The Eiver flows through a deep 
 gully scooped out of the solid rock, which in some parts rises to 
 a height of GO or 80 feet from the surface of the water. A few 
 birch trees grow on the upper lands in this neighbourhood, but 
 at some distance from the banks of the river. The predominat- 
 ing trees are ash and elm, which cling to the crevices in the rock, 
 and have but a scanty footing. The visitor can here descend 
 almost to the water's edge by a series of winding stairs, and from 
 a small rustic bridge look down upon the surging torrent. The 
 trees and banks are overgrown with moss, and ferns grow pro- 
 fusely at inaccessible places, and impart to the scene a most 
 fairy-like aspect. The gully through which the river here passes 
 is about a quarter of a mile in length, and in some parts no more 
 than 3 or 4 feet in width ; while the rocks on both sides rise to 
 a height of 80 feet, almost making one giddy to gaze upon their 
 precipitous and mossy sides. Trees have taken possession of 
 the crevices wherever they could obtain a hold, — the prevailing 
 varieties being oak, ash, elm, and sycamore, — lending an un- 
 speakable grandeur to the scene. 
 
 Although the plantations are not very extensive, they contain 
 some very fine timber. The Boe Glen Wood consists of 150 
 acres, principally larch and spruce of 70 years' growth, and being
 
 INVERMAY. 153 
 
 fully ripe, is being cut clown. At Hog's Wood there are 40 
 acres of ash, Scots fir, and larch of about the same age. There 
 are about 100 acres of policy woods, which, chiefly consist of 
 hardwood trees. At Hawkhill Wood there are 24 acres of 
 timber, 18 acres being a mixture of various kinds, the remaining 
 6 acres being entirely of Scots fir of 150 years' growth, and 
 known as the Crow Wood, from the extensive rookery which 
 has been established in its midst. In addition to these planta- 
 tions there are numerous strips and clumps planted for orna- 
 ment or shelter. About 70 acres have been planted within the 
 last eight years, principally spruce, larch, and Scots fir, with a 
 sprinkling of hardwood trees, all of which are thriving very well. 
 Only a few of the newer conifers have been planted, and 
 these chiefly along the east approach, to take the place of blown- 
 down beeches. The westerly wind blows along this approach 
 with great fury, and these trees, consisting chiefly of Picea 
 Frazerii, have not thriven very well. A few specimens of 
 Wellingtonia gigantea have also been planted, but neither have 
 they succeeded, owing to the exposed situation. The situation 
 is back-lying, and the soil rests on a stiff, tilly bottom. All the 
 hardwood trees, however, and especially the oaks, thrive 
 exceedingly well, and the beeches are remarkable for the clean- 
 ness of their stems.
 
 XIII.— FREELAND. 
 
 The Original Design of the Policies — The Village of Forgandenny— The 
 Main Approach— The Old Home of the Rutkvens— The Den- 
 Remarkable Trees— The Mansion-House— The Most Remarkable 
 Elder Tree in Perthshire— The Woods— Natural-Sown Silver Firs— 
 A Venerable Ash — Trees with an Unknown History. 
 
 The Estate of Freeland, once the property of a branch of 
 the historic family of Ruthven, and now in the possession of 
 Mr Colling wood Lindsay Wood, presents one of the best 
 illustrations we have met with of the great changes which have 
 taken place in the surroundings of noble ancestral dwellings 
 within the past century or so. We do not allude so much to 
 the improvements which have everywhere been effected in 
 accordance with modern tastes and the increase of knowledge, 
 as to the altered appearance of the country generally, — the 
 changes wrought by the hand of Time, as well as by the hand 
 of man, — the removal of old landmarks and the substitution of 
 new ones, and many other things which at one time may have 
 been considered, like the laws of the Medes and Persians, 
 incapable of change. By whichever way we approach Freeland, 
 we can hardly avoid being impressed with this fact. At first, 
 the main approach to the mansion was not, as at present, from 
 the Dunning Road, but straight through the village of Forgan- 
 denny, with its picturesque cottages and trim garden plots. The 
 whole of the village of Forgandenny is on the Freeland Estate, 
 and is snugly embosomed amid tall and stately trees. Indeed, 
 when the woods are in full foliage, and the gardens gay with 
 flowers, it would be difficult to find a sweeter spot. Although 
 the main approach to the mansion-house was diverted many 
 years ago, the village has in no way suffered in consequence ; 
 and since Mr C. L. Wood became the proprietor, the appearance 
 of the pleasant little hamlet has been greatly improved. New
 
 FREELAND. 155 
 
 cottages have been built, and old ones have been completely- 
 renovated. It may here be mentioned that while workmen were 
 making excavations for the foundation of two new cottages, 
 they came upon an earthen jar about 18 inches underground, 
 containing a large number of old silver coins of the reign of 
 James VI. Some of the houses in the village are very old. 
 The old schoolhouse, which was built in 1748, is still inhabited. 
 It consists of a modest "but and ben," and contrasts strangely 
 with the commodious and beautiful houses erected by School 
 Boards in our own day. In front of this interesting building 
 stand two splendid specimens of the common yew, supposed to 
 be the same age as the house they now so completely over- 
 shadow. Another house in the village bears the date 1737. On 
 either side of the avenue leading to the Parish Church there is 
 a fine row of Cedrus Deodara, planted in 1853 by the Dowager 
 Lady Ruthven, widow of James, the sixth Baron. They were 
 reared in Freeland Garden from seed brought from India by the 
 Hon. William Melville, brother of the late Earl of Leven. 
 The church is a long narrow, old-fashioned building, and is 
 supposed to be very old. Part of the east wall is older than 
 the other portions, and is believed to be the remains of a former 
 chapel. The churchyard contains some curious tombstones, 
 the most interesting, perhaps, being that known as the " Cove- 
 nanter's Stone," which bears this inscription : — ■ 
 
 " Here lies Andrew Brodie, wriglit in Forgandenny, who at tbe break of a 
 meeting, Oct. 1678, was shot by a party of Highlandinen commanded by 
 Ballechin, at a cave's mouth, flying thither for his life, and that for his 
 adherence to the Word of God and Scotland's Covenanted Work of Reforma- 
 tion." 
 
 On the left hand side of the door leading to Preeland Gallery, 
 there is another curious stone bearing the date 1369, with this 
 verse : — 
 
 "All men think on zovr dying day 
 Zit joy to die to live for ay." 
 
 In 1774, another stone was placed on the right hand side bearing 
 the same lines, with the spelling modernised as follows: — 
 
 " All men think on your dying day, 
 Tis joy to die, to live for ay." 
 
 Both the church and surrounding burial-ground occupy a very
 
 156 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 romantic situation. Ecclesiastical events constitute an important 
 part of the history of Forganclenny. Mr John Orme, we are 
 told, one of the ministers of Forgandenny, was deposed shortly 
 after the accession of Charles II. for refusing to conform 
 to Episcopacy. Local tradition says that the Lord Euthven of 
 that day huilt a place of worship for the ejected minister within 
 the policies of Freeland. There are persons still living who 
 distinctly remember of a chapel, all properly fitted with pews, 
 standing at the west end of the lawn in front of Freeland House. 
 It was taken down about fifty years ago. There is little doubt 
 but that must have been the building in which Mr Orme 
 preached after his deposition. The report of such a church is 
 further confirmed by Wodrow, who states that in 1662 Lord 
 Euthven was fined £4800 for attending conventicles and 
 harbouring outed ministers. 
 
 The present approach from the Dunning Eoad has itself 
 witnessed a good deal of change. From an old plan in the posses- 
 sion of the present proprietor, bearing no date, we learn that the 
 ample space between the two rows of lime trees was originally laid 
 out as a flower garden in the elaborate Dutch style, — a circum- 
 stance which fully accounts for the extraordinary width of the 
 avenue. This avenue was planted directly in a line south of the 
 old house, so that the Dutch garden would be seen from the 
 windows. The whole of the policies, indeed, were at one time 
 laid out in accordance with the Dutch system so much in favour 
 in the beginning of last century, and of which Dupplin was the 
 best example in Ferthshire, so far, at least, as the remains of 
 the design can be traced. At Freeland, however, we are in a 
 better position to comprehend the original design, as a plan, 
 dated 1783, and also preserved by Mr C. L. Wood, shows the 
 scheme in its entirety. The design is at once simple and 
 beautiful. The whole of the policies are, first of all, laid out in 
 one large square, the square being enclosed on all sides by an 
 avenue of trees. The outer square is then subdivided into 
 twelve smaller squares of about 12 acres each, the boundaries 
 being likewise avenues of trees. At all the points of intersec- 
 tion, the avenues are made to form roundels, which at once give 
 character and variety to the design. The centre avenue, running
 
 FREELAND. 157 
 
 from north to south, is very much wider than the others, and 
 has three rows of trees on either side, — the points of intersection 
 forming magnificent roundels. This avenue generally goes "by 
 the name of the Broad Avenue, but in the old plan to which we 
 refer it is designated the Great Cross Avenue. Without the aid 
 of this plan, it would now be impossible to trace the remains of 
 the original design; but, with its assistance, we can easily follow 
 the line of the numerous avenues which at one time intersected 
 the policies, and can recognise the position of the roundels at 
 various points from some huge solitary tree, the last of a once 
 perfect circle, growing off the direct line of the avenue. 
 
 On entering the policies by the main approach from the 
 Dunning Road, our attention is at once diverted from the great 
 lime trees, to the unusual width of the avenue. It is exactly 
 85 feet in width, and 1G5 yards in length. The trees are all 
 close upon 100 feet in height, — one which we tested with a 
 dendrometer being 97 feet high. The heaviest of these trees is 
 of the American variety. The girth above the swell of the 
 roots, being 2 feet from the ground, is 1 2 feet ; and at 5 feet 
 from the ground the girth is 11 feet 1 inch, the bole being 12 
 feet. It was the centre of this avenue that was formerly laid 
 out as a Dutch flower garden, — the kitchen garden being at this 
 period intended to be on the east side of the avenue, as shown 
 by the original plan. At the end of the avenue Ave obtain 
 access to the original kitchen garden and orchard (shown on the 
 original plan as an orchard only) through an arch of Portugal 
 laurel ; and on the south side of this floral opening there is a 
 fine specimen of Robinia pseud-acacia, and a very large tree to 
 be grown in Scotland, the stem girthing 4 feet 5 inches. It is 
 about 50 feet high, but it* inclines considerably towards the 
 east, owing to its having been overborne by the surrounding 
 shrubbery. On the opposite side of the avenue from this tree 
 is a particularly handsome variegated sycamore. In exploring 
 this portion of the policies, we came upon the beautifully laid- 
 out family burying-ground, the sacred spot being overshadowed 
 by luxuriant shrubbery and tall trees, the most noteworthy of 
 the latter being a beautiful shining-leaved Spanish chestnut 
 (Castanea vesca glabra).
 
 Ia8 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE, 
 
 Leaving the hallowed spot which reminds us of our common 
 end, we have only to proceed a few yards to meet with the 
 picturesque ruins of the old home of the Ruthvens. The 
 Ruthvens were a very ancient family, and, although they have 
 now no property in Perthshire, they at one time held a very 
 large tract of land in different parts of the county. Their 
 origin is traceahle to Thor, a person of Saxon or Danish "blood, 
 who settled in Scotland under David I., and whose descendant 
 was the Hon. Alex. Ruthven of Freeland, younger son of William, 
 second Lord Ruthven, ancestor of the Earls of Gowrie. Ho 
 died in 1599, and was succeeded hy his eldest son, William 
 Ruthven of Freeland, who married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of 
 Sir William Moncrciffe of Moncreiffe. He succumbed to tho 
 plague of 1608, and was succeeded by his only son, Sir Thomas 
 Ruthven of Freeland, who was elevated to the Peerage in 1651, 
 under the title of Lord Ruthven of Freeland. His Lordship 
 married Isabella, daughter of Lord Balfour of Burleigh, hy whom 
 he left a son and three daughters. The son, David, who was a 
 Lord of the Treasury, died without issue in 1701, when the 
 barony devolved upon his niece, the Hon. Isabella Ruthven, as 
 first Baroness. The barony has since devolved upon several of 
 the female members of the family, the last Baroness dying in 
 1864, and was succeeded hy her grandson, Walter James, the 
 eighth and present Baron Ruthven, from whom the property was 
 purchased by Mr C. L. Wood. The widow of the sixth Baron 
 is still living at Winton Castle, parish of Pencaitland, East 
 Lothian, to which she removed after her husband's death in 
 July 1853. The ruins of the old home of the Ruthvens, which 
 lie at the north end of the lime avenue Ave have already 
 described, show that the building must have been a most 
 substantial one. It was burned on the 15th March 1750, and 
 along with it was consumed the patent containing the precise 
 specification of the honours of the house of Ruthven. There 
 does not appear to be any record to show how the house came 
 to be destroyed by fire, whether its destruction was accidental 
 or the result of a raid. The building has evidently been a 
 stronghold, and erected at this spot probably on account of the 
 proximity of a splendid spring, known as the Lady's Well, and
 
 FREELAND. 159 
 
 which may have originally been enclosed within the north < i I 
 corner of the house. The water from the Lady's Well was, in 
 olden times, supposed to cure certain diseases, but we have not 
 heard what these diseases were, and people used to come long 
 distances to drink and carry away the health-giving water. A 
 bright little stream also flows along the northern side of the old 
 house, and passes through a den of great beauty. All that 
 remains of the upper part of the building is the front entrance, 
 which consists of two upright pillars of polished ashlar, and a 
 massive but comparatively plain lintel. The main portion of 
 the building appears to have been of rubble, the walls being of 
 great thickness. At the door, the wall measures 3 feet 9 inches 
 thick, the width of the doorway being 3 feet 6 inches, and the 
 height, 7 feet 3 inches. On the eastern side of the ruin, a 
 portion of the entrance into a dismal-looking dungeon is still 
 open, the lower part being filled up with loose earth. On pro- 
 ceeding through this uninviting aperture, we can see that the 
 house has been built on strong arches, and must have been well- 
 suited to the troublous period at which it was built. On the 
 east side of the main entrance, — the only one, indeed, which. 
 now remains, — and within the very portals of the door, grows a 
 large elm tree, richly clothed with ivy from base to summit. 
 This tree must have sprung into existence shortly after the 
 destruction of the house, as it has every appearance of 
 being about 130 years old. Including the ivy, the girth at 5 
 feet from the ground is 5 feet 9 inches, the bare bole under the 
 ivy being exactly 5 feet. 
 
 Leaving the beautiful ruins of the old house, we proceed down 
 the Den, and are soon lost in admiration of the many fine trees 
 which line its sides. The stream which flows through the 
 little dale is of inconsiderable size, but the water, bright and 
 clear as from a spring, leaps from stone to stone, and produces 
 the most harmonious music as it rushes along to swell the 
 volume of the Earn. On our left hand, and immediately 
 opposite the stables, is a beautifully-furnished specimen of Abies 
 Canadensis, 40 feet in height. On each side of the Den are 
 several varieties of fine old timber. The first to attract atten- 
 tion is a venerable elm in the last stage of decay, firmly held in
 
 160 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the fond embrace of the ever-verdant ivy. Including its 
 epiphytic parasite, which adds considerably to the magnificence 
 of the ruin, the girth of this tree is 1 1 feet 6 inches at 5 feet 
 from the ground. Immediately opposite this elm, on the east 
 side of the burn, is a grand silver fir, girthing 13 feet above the 
 swell of the roots, and 1 1 feet 7 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. Continuing our walk towards the north, we pass 
 several fine old yews, whose branches meet overhead and form 
 a Gothic-like arch across the path. Beautiful rustic bridges 
 span the burn at intervals, and add much to the charm, as well 
 as convenience, of the Den. At the north end of the Den 
 there is a fine avenue of beech trees, every tree being about 100 
 feet in height. One of those round which we tried the tape-line 
 girths 12 feet 6 inches above the swell of the roots, and 10 
 feet 7 inches at 5 feet from the ground, — the bole being fully 
 30 feet. Below the icehouse in this avenue, and just within 
 the borders of a thriving young plantation, stands a beech which 
 girths 16 feet 6 inches above the swell of the roots, and 14 feet 
 6 inches at 5 feet from the ground. The height of the bole is 
 33 feet, the total height of the tree 100 feet, and the spread of 
 branches 88 feet. An ash in this neighbourhood girths 1 1 feet 
 10 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 10 feet 4 inches at 5 
 feet, — the height of the tree being fully 100 feet. Immediately 
 to the north of the house is a grand beech, girthing 15 feet 1 
 inch at the narrowest part of the bole, which is altogether about 
 12 feet. Above the part at which this measurement was taken, 
 the bole swells very considerably, and the tree afterwards breaks 
 out into eight great branches. The entire height is about 100 
 feet, and the spread of branches 106 feet. A few yards from 
 this tree is a rather remarkable Spanish chestnut, no less than 
 six trunks springing from the main stem, which at one time had 
 been cut above the root. The girth of the whole is 25 feet 2 
 inches, the largest of the six stems girthing 7 feet at 5 feet from 
 the ground. A little farther in the direction of the mansion is 
 a handsome larch, and a few yards behind the house is a 
 variegated English oak (Que reus sessiliflora variegata) of great 
 size. Above the spring of the roots, about 2 feet from the 
 ground, the girth is 11 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet from the
 
 FREELAND. 
 
 161 
 
 ground, the girth is 10 feet 6 inches, the spread of branches 
 being 88 feet and the height 84 feet. 
 
 The mansion-house of Freeland, which we have now reached, 
 
 is 
 
 ance 
 
 partly old and partly new, and presents a magnificent appear- 
 Tbe older portion appears to have been erected shortly
 
 1G2 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 after the destruction of the former house by fire, and is a plain, 
 substantial structure. Since the original portion was erected, it 
 has received no less than four additions, — the first about fifty 
 years ago, — all of them being made to harmonise with each 
 other. At one time the front of the old portion was of white- 
 washed rubble, but some years ago it was completely modern- 
 ised by the erection of a polished ashlar facing. Several 
 important additions have been made since Mr Wood came into 
 possession of the property, the most extensive of these being the 
 erection of a large and handsome wing at the west end, to be 
 used as a hall or chapel. The mansion-house stands 160 feet 
 above the level of the sea. The highest point upon the estate 
 — " Castle Law," the site of a Pictish fort — is 900 feet above 
 sea-level, and from here a magnificent view can be obtained, 
 stretching from the sea below Dundee on the one side to Ben 
 Lomond and Ben Venue on the other. 
 
 A splendid beech avenue, 25 feet wide, starts at the new 
 western wing of the mansion, and proceeds northwards for 70 
 yards. All the trees range from 110 feet to 120 feet high, and 
 the girth of the largest specimen is 13 feet at 1 foot from the 
 ground, and 1 1 feet 3 inches at 5 feet. Another girths 1 2 feet 
 above the swell of the roots, and 10 feet at 5 feet above the 
 ground. A third girths 10 feet 9 inches above the swell of the 
 roots, and 9 feet 4 inches at 5 feet from the ground. Near the 
 north end of the avenue there is a very beautiful beech girthing 
 9 feet 9 inches above the swell of the roots, and 8 feet 10 inches 
 at 5 feet from the ground, with a clean, straight stem of 33 feet 
 in height. To the south of this avenue there are three very 
 fine specimens of hornbeam; and at the end of the avenue are 
 two fine old spruce trees about 110 feet high, the girth of the 
 largest being 10 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from the ground. The 
 limbs grow horizontally for several feet, and then suddenly take 
 a direct upward tendency, and have become miniature trees. 
 About 120 yards north of Freeland House there is a very 
 curious oak, having a conical excrescence thrown out from the 
 base of the trunk, the periphery of which is perfectly circular 
 from the level of the ground. At the ground level it girths 14 
 feet 2 inches; at 1 foot up, 12 feet 8 inehes ; at 2 feet, 10 feet
 
 FREELAND. 163 
 
 1 inch; at 3 feet, 7 feet 9 inches; at 5 feet, 5 feet 7 inches; 
 and at 6 feet, 5 feet 4 inches, after which it takes two spiral 
 turns, from west to east, against the course of the sun, and then 
 assumes the normal form, the total height being 63 feet. This 
 tree at once draws the observer's attention by its grotesque 
 appearance, and is well seen on the left-hand side of the back 
 road going to Freeland House from the west. What is no doubt 
 the most remarkable elder tree in Perthshire is to be found at 
 Freeland, growing within a few yards from the house of Mr 
 Duff, the land-steward, and within the sight of passers along the 
 Perth and Dunning Road. The growth is characterised by a 
 peculiar spiral twist, exactly the same as may be seen in a gun 
 barrel. At 2 feet from the ground the girth is 5 feet, and at 5 
 feet the girth is 5 feet 3 inches. It has a bole of 7 feet, after 
 which the tree branches into two limbs. The limbs were 
 partially broken many years ago, and although the tree is com- 
 pletely denuded of bark, sprigs still continue to sprout from the 
 extremities. One of the branches girths 3 feet. Its age must 
 be exceedingly great, and in its younger days it may have 
 yielded many quarts of that delicacy which the old song tells us 
 Mrs Jean was making when the Laird o' Cockpen presented 
 himself on his matrimonial mission. 
 
 A very short walk takes us from the policies to the heart of 
 the woods. The total extent of the estate is 3000 acres, and of 
 this about 270 acres are planted with wood. The plantations are 
 full of magnificent specimens of all the common varieties. In 
 Kinnaird "Wood, on the south side of Dunning Road, some 
 natural-sown silver fir seedlings were found four years ago, the 
 first we have heard of in Perthshire. There is a large quantity 
 of splendid Scots fir in this wood. The following are amongst 
 the largest specimens: — 10 feet above the SAvell of the roots, and 
 8 feet 1 1 inches at 5 feet from the ground, with a clear stem of 
 26 feet, and a total height of 83 feet ; 9 feet 7 inches above 
 the swell of the roots, and 9 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground, with a clear stem of 40 feet 6 inches, and a total height 
 of 75 feet; 9 feet 9 inches at 2 feet, and 9 feet at 5 feet from 
 the ground, with a bole of 30 feet; and another 9 feet 3 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 8 feet 8 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 50 feet.
 
 164 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 At the old kennels at Kinnaird there is a venerahle ash, quite 
 hollow in the centre. It is rather curious that the sites of old 
 mansions and homesteads are more frequently marked hy aged 
 ash trees than hy any other variety. The ash is said to have 
 "been the first "barren, or non-fruit-bearing, tree planted hy our 
 ancestors round their dwellings, and in many cases these 
 venerable specimens are the only indications that the spot was 
 once occupied by a happy homestead or a lordly mansion. 
 Sometimes, however, the oak is found to take the place of the 
 ash; and the ohservant eye of Perthshire's greatest poet, and 
 Scotland's second Burns, Eobert Nicoll, has noted this circum- 
 stance in oneof his most homely pieces : — 
 
 " Ae auld aik tree, or maybe twa, 
 Amon* the wavin' corn, 
 Is a' the mark that time has left. 
 0' the toun where I was born." 
 
 The shell of the old ash at Kinnaird girths 13 feet 6 inches 
 at the narrowest part, the bole being 25 feet. The Law, in 
 front of Freeland House, contains several grand silver firs. 
 One of these girths 15 feet 3 inches ahove the swell of the 
 roots, and 1 2 feet 5 inches at 5 feet from the ground. There is 
 a bole of 74 feet, and a considerable portion of the top has been 
 broken oft'. Another of the same species girths 14 feet 6 inches 
 ahove the swell of the roots, and 12 feet at 5 feet from the 
 ground, with a hole of about 100 feet, and an entire height of 
 110 feet. A very fine larch also grows here, directly in front of 
 the mansion. Clear of the swell of the roots, the girth is 13 
 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet from the ground the girth is 1 1 feet, 
 — the bole being 21 feet, and the entire height of the tree 92 
 feet. Like one of the spruce trees previously noticed, the'limbs 
 grow horizontally for a few feet and then turn upwards, giving 
 the tree an unique appearance. Near this place there is a very 
 ancient arbour, evidently constructed in connection with the 
 original mansion. The walls are of extraordinary thickness, and 
 the arch is beautifully formed. Passing along the east approach 
 we come to Leslie Hill Wood, where there is a quantity of fine 
 larch, Scots fir, and spruce in a thriving condition. On the
 
 FREELAND. 165 
 
 way from Leslie Hill to the river side we pass through an avenue 
 chiefly of oak. One of the oaks at the end of the avenue 
 girths 13 feet 6 inches at 2 feet from the ground, and 10 feet 6 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground, with 18 feet of hole — an entire 
 height of 50 feet, and a fine umbrageous head. This tree was 
 probably one of a roundel. On the south side of a strip of plan- 
 tation near Boatmiln Farm, called, " The Ass Park," there was 
 once a row of oak trees of large size, a few of which are still 
 standing. The tree nearest to the Station Eoad girths 13 feet 
 above the swell, and 11 feet at 5 feet from the ground, with a 
 spread of branches of 86 feet, a clean stem of 13 feet, and a 
 total height of 83 feet. A few others reach almost the same 
 dimensions. In this strip there are also several large Spanish 
 and horse chestnuts, one of the Spanish variety girthing 12 
 feet 6 inches above the swell of the roots, and 10 feet 3 
 inches at 5 feet, with a total height of 64 feet. The Crow Wood 
 has recently been planted with spruce, larch, and silver firs, but 
 there is also some fine old timber intermixed. A Scots fir girths 
 11 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from 
 the ground, with a bole of about 16 feet, from which spring 
 three large branches — a fourth having been broken off by a 
 storm some years ago. It has a peculiarly twisted and gnarled 
 growth, and its general outline closely resembles a huge 
 umbrella. It is, however, a noble specimen of the true Scots 
 fir. Proceeding westwards, we pass a quantity of large silver 
 firs, with stems ranging from 50 to 70 feet, as well as many fine 
 specimens of oak, sycamore, and beech trees. Our way now lies 
 through several avenues, including the Broad or Great Cross 
 Avenue already referred to, all of which contain grand trees. 
 The Great Cross Avenue principally consists of oaks, all of which 
 are of large size. One of these, opposite Boatmiln Eoad, girths 
 1 1 feet 9 inches above the swell of the roots, and 9 feet 9 inches 
 at 5 feet from the ground, with a clean bole of 15 feet, a spread 
 of branches of 80 feet, and a total height of 75 feet. A few 
 very good Scots firs also grow here, one on the east side of the 
 avenue girthing 9 feet 6 inches above the swell of the roots, and 
 8 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from the ground, with a height of 64 
 feet. Another Scots fir on the west side of the avenue girths
 
 166 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 8 feet 8 inches above the swell of the roots, and 8 feet at 5 feet, 
 the total height also being 64 feet. In the avenue leading to 
 Gallow Muir, and at a short distance from the Kennels, we pass 
 two sycamores, regarding which it requires no great stretch of 
 the imagination to fancy that they must have an interesting 
 history if it were known. They are the only trees of this kind 
 in the neighbourhood, and are placed exactly opposite each other 
 on the roadside, and were, in all likelihood, planted as a memorial 
 of some important event, probably a marriage, in the Ruthven 
 family, many years ago. 
 
 Since Mr Wood came into possession of the property in 1873, 
 he has planted many acres of wood, principally in small patches, 
 for shelter and ornament. Some time ago he laid out a very 
 nice nursery to supply the woods and policies. The stock 
 comprises all the common varieties, as well as many of the 
 newer introductions from California, Japan, &c, which have 
 successfully withstood our rigorous climate. Under the super- 
 intendence of Mr Duff, who procured the bulk of the plants at 
 the Perth Nursery, the young trees have come through the 
 recent severe winters in wonderful condition, and are in every 
 way most promising. Amongst the other improvements effected 
 by Mr C. L. Wood is a new kitchen garden. This indispens- 
 able adjunct to a country house is situated some distance to the 
 west of the mansion, and has a splendid southern exposure. 
 The new garden is 1 \ acres in extent, is surrounded by a high 
 brick wall, and is furnished with all the latest improvements in 
 vineries, conservatories, and forcing-houses, all of which are 
 turned to good account by Mr Routledge, the head gardener. 
 The old garden, which still exists, consists of 3 \ acres. A fine 
 beech avenue leads from the new to the old garden, the avenue 
 being a quarter of a mile long and 16 feet wide, and the trees 
 are of similar dimensions to those in the avenue to the west of 
 Freeland House. 
 
 The present proprietor of Freeland, we have much pleasure in 
 adding, is a most enthusiastic admirer of the woods, and takes a 
 lively interest in their management. While he is doing much 
 to extend their area by planting judiciously, he has a special 
 place in his heart for the fine old trees which stud the property
 
 FKEELAND. 167 
 
 in all directions, and immeasurably enhance its beauty and its 
 value. Many of these trees are not only large in size, but 
 perfect in form, and no one can see them without a glow of 
 admiration, and a feeling of gratitude that they are the pro- 
 perty of one who appreciates their value, and understands the 
 importance of preserving them so long as their beauty and 
 their usefulness endure.
 
 XIV.— EOSSIE. 
 
 The Oliphants — The Founder of Rossie— The Mansion-House— The Policies 
 — Large Silver Firs — The- Dovecot Park — Cedar of Lebanon — Syca- 
 more Trees — A Royal Souvenir — An Old Marriage Record. 
 
 Kossie, situated in the parish of Forgandenny, and quite close 
 to the village, is the seat of one of the branches of the ancient 
 and historic family of Oliphant, the present proprietor being 
 Mr Thomas T. Oliphant. The Oliphants occupied a conspicuous 
 place in the history of Scotland from a very early period, the 
 first of the name who appears authentically in the annals of the 
 country being David de Olifard or Oliphant. He was a godson 
 of David I., and saved that King's life after the memorable 
 siege of Winchester in 1141. For this service the King gave 
 him a grant of lands in Koxburghshire, and a few generations 
 afterwards the family also became possessed, by marriage and 
 royal favour, of extensive properties in Perthshire and Fifeshire. 
 There were many distinguished men of the name ; but the one 
 best known in history is Sir William Oliphant (fifth in descent 
 from David Oliphant), who, with Sir William Wallace and Sir 
 Simon Fraser, were the only Scottish nobles who refused to 
 swear allegiance to Edward I. at the Parliament held by that 
 King at St Andrews in 1304. Later in the same year Sir 
 William Oliphant defended Stirling Castle against the English 
 army, and only yielded after many months of desperate fighting, 
 when starvation and overwhelming numbers compelled a sur- 
 render. He died in 1329, and his tomb is still to be seen in 
 the Parish Church of Aberdalgie. His son, Sir Walter Oliphant, 
 was, as Craufurd says in his Peerage, " so gallant and brave a 
 man that his merit preferred him to a marriage with the Lady 
 Elizabeth Bruce, daughter of Eobert I. and sister of David II., 
 Kings of Scotland." From him descended many men of note, and 
 eventually in 1458 Sir Laurence Oliphant (eleventh in descent
 
 EOSSIE. 169 
 
 from David above mentioned) was created Lord Oliphant. To 
 him succeeded John, second Lord, both of whose sons — Colin, 
 Master of Oliphant, and Laurence, Abbot of Incheffray — were 
 among the " flowers of the forest " slain at Flodden on the 9th 
 of September 1513. Colin left two sons — Laurence, afterwards 
 third Lord, and William Oliphant of Newtoun and Thrumster. 
 The main line of the family continued until 1751, when William, 
 eleventh Lord, died without issue, declaring Laurence Oliphant 
 of Gask to be his heir-male and successor to the title. He, how- 
 ever, and also his son, Laurence, were at that time abroad, 
 having been attainted for the share which they had taken in the 
 '45 ; and the title was never claimed by the family until 1839, 
 when James Blair Oliphant of Gask, was served heir. The 
 claim does not appear to have been prosecuted further, and a 
 few years afterwards he died without issue, thus ending in the 
 direct male line the senior branch of this ancient family ; but it 
 is still ably represented by Mr Kington-Oliphant of Gask, who 
 succeeded through his mother, a sister of the late laird. The 
 claim of the Gask family to the title was through the William 
 Oliphant of Newtoun and Thrumster already mentioned. He, as 
 is shown above, was the second son of Colin, Master of Oliphant, 
 who was killed at Flodden. William Oliphant had five sons, 
 the eldest of whom was the direct ancestor of the Gask family. 
 Of the second, fourth, and fifth sons nothing further is known 
 than that they were alive in 1585, 1588, and 1587 respectively ; 
 but the third son, Alexander, was the father of Laurence 
 Oliphant of Newtoun, whose three sons — Laurence, Thomas, 
 and James — were the direct ancestors of the Oliphants of 
 Condie, Kossie, and Kinnedar respectively. It is seldom that 
 a direct male descent of twenty-three or twenty-four generations 
 can be shown, but we believe it is possessed by the present 
 representatives of these three branches of a family, which for 
 centuries held a high position in this country. 
 
 The property of Eossie Hill, or Eossie Ochil, as it is now 
 called, was purchased in 1583 by William Oliphant of Newtoun 
 from Andrew Blair, who married a daughter of James Eollo of 
 Duncrub. William Oliphant's grandson, Laurence, being in 
 some way displeased with his eldest son (Laurence, ancestor of
 
 170 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the Oliphants of Conclie), partially disinherited him, and left 
 the lands of Eossie Ochil to his second son, Thomas, from 
 whom they have passed hy direct descent, through seven genera- 
 tions, to the present proprietor, also, as we have stated, a Thomas 
 Oliphant. For two generations the family lived at Eossie 
 Ochil, which lies amongst the hills about three miles due south 
 of Eossie House; hut in 1727, Eohert Oliphant, the then laird, 
 bought part of the charterslands of Forgandenny from Fother- 
 ingham of Powrie, and had it, along with the other land 
 belonging to him in the parish, re-erected into the barony of 
 Eossie Ochil. The total extent of the property is 1660 acres, 
 Eossie Ochil, the original estate, being 1200 acres ; Low Eossie, 
 on which are the mansion-house and garden, 400 acres ; and the 
 plantations, 60 acres. 
 
 Previous to this time the house was called Forgandenny, or 
 Forgan House, and was considerably smaller than at present, 
 having been altered and enlarged to its present form by the 
 next laird about the beginning of last century. It is a plain 
 oblong block, "harled" on the outside, and containing three 
 handsome and lofty public rooms, and a sufficiency of bedroom 
 accommodation. The stables and other offices are ample, and 
 there is a good old-fashioned garden, almost larger than the 
 requirements of the house, being more than two acres within the 
 walls, and having vineries, peach-house, and conservatory. The 
 house is well situated, facing the south, and having lovely peeps 
 of the Ochils to the south-east and south-west through the 
 surrounding trees. Of these there are many fine specimens in 
 the policies. Immediately upon entering by the north lodge, 
 we came across a magnificent silver fir at the top of the west 
 bank of the den of Eossie. At 2 feet from the ground the girth 
 is twelve feet 8 inches, and at 5 feet it is 10 feet 9| inches. 
 This is only the first of a series of great silver firs to be met 
 with on almost every side. The nearest one to the above girths 
 14 feet above the swell of the roots, and at 5 feet from the 
 ground the girth is 11 feet 10 inches. After a bole of 34 feet, 
 the tree breaks into two forks, and reaches a total height of 87 
 feet, A rustic bridge close by leads directly into the village of 
 Forgandenny, and by the side of it grows a very nice oak, not
 
 EOSSIE. 171 
 
 very remarkable for its size, but having a beautifully clean bole 
 of 27 feet, — the girth at 2 feet from the ground being 11 feet, 
 and at 5 feet, 9 feet 3 inches, — the entire height being 100 feet. 
 To return to the silver firs, however, the largest of these grows 
 at the west side of the house, the girth at 1 foot from the 
 ground being 13 feet 8 inches, and 12 feet 8 inches at 5 feet. 
 Immediately below the part at which this measurement is 
 taken a large branch issues from the stem, taking an 
 upright direction, and afterwards intertwining with another 
 large limb which springs from the tree about 15 feet above 
 the ground. At the height of 17 feet another large branch 
 is thrown out from the trunk, taking a horizontal direction 
 for about 10 feet, after which it assumes an upright habit. 
 Another silver fir, a few yards from this, and within the 
 flower garden to the west of the house, girths 12 feet 9 inches 
 at one foot from the ground, and 1 1 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, with 
 a bole of 17 feet. Both trees, which are about 86 feet high, are 
 showing symptoms of decay. To the west of these there is 
 another very fine silver fir, in a healthier state, but probably 
 about the same age, with the branches feathering beautifully 
 down to the ground. From this point we saw in the centre of 
 a large park, also to the west of the house, a highly ornamental 
 octagonal tower, built upon an artificial mound, intended as one 
 of those dovecots, at one time so much in vogue as an adjunct 
 of a mansion-house. This park is known as the Dovecot Park ; 
 and to the west of it are the remains of a once grand row of 
 silver firs, which here lined the public road to Dunning, when it 
 ran, about a century ago, through the policies of Freeland, Eossie, 
 and Invermay. On the east side of the south approach, and 
 close to the house, there is a very handsome and shapely cedar 
 of Lebanon, girthing 12 feet at the narrowest part of the bole, 
 being about 4 feet from the ground. The bole is about 12 feet, 
 but it branches out at 6 feet, and the entire height of the tree is 
 64 feet. The beauty of the tree is to a considerable extent 
 marred by a Portugal laurel, also a very old tree, the reason 
 doubtless of its preservation. There are also a number of very 
 good scyamore trees, between 200 and 300 years old. The 
 largest of these girths 12 feet 10 inches clear of the swell of the
 
 172 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 roots and numerous sprouting branches, and 1 1 feet 6 inches at 
 5 feet from the ground. There is a bole of 15 feet, at the top 
 of which the tree divides itself into two large limbs, and reaches 
 a total height of 80 feet. Another scyamore girths 1 1 feet 7 
 inches above the swell of the roots, and 10 feet at 5 feet from 
 the ground. 
 
 A short distance from the house there are three oaks with an 
 interesting history, one being on the west and two on the east 
 side of the lawn. According to the tradition of the family, these 
 trees were grown from acorns which George III. had played 
 with when a boy. The acorns were given to the present laird's 
 great-grandfather, Robert Oliphant, by John, third Earl of Bute, 
 who was tutor to Prince George (George TIL), and became Prime 
 Minister in 1762. The present laird's grandfather, Stuart 
 Oliphant, was Lord Bute's godson, and named Stuart after him. 
 In these circumstances, the oaks are regarded with some little 
 veneration, and give promise of surviving in healthy vigour for 
 many years to come. The largest of the three girths 1 1 feet 1 
 inch at 1 foot from the ground, and 10 feet 5 inches at 4 feet 
 from the ground, — there being a good bole for about 20 feet, and 
 an entire height of 78 feet. One of the others has a very fine 
 clean stem of 30 feet, the girth at the narrowest part being 9 
 feet. Another object of some interest is a curious old stone set 
 into the wall at the back of the stables, and recording the 
 marriage of William Oliphant to Jean Drummond in 1659, but 
 the stone must have been at some time brought from the older 
 family residence in the Ochils. 
 
 Besides the larger trees we have mentioned, a number of 
 specimens of the newer coniferce have been recently planted, 
 principally Wellingtonia gigantea and Cedrus Deodara. Having 
 made the circuit of the property, we left by the south approach, 
 where there is a lodge, and an ornamental gate hung on 
 massive pillars of hewn freestone, surmounted by ornamental 
 vases. The boundary leading up to the gate consists of a strong 
 whinstone dyke, 6 feet high, the whole presenting a neat and 
 substantial appearance.
 
 XV.— CONDIE. 
 
 Situation of the Property — Destruction of the Mansion-House by Fire — 
 Scenery of the District — Battle of Culteuchar — The Policies — Re- 
 markable Trees — The Plantations. 
 
 The property of Condie has, for nearly three centuries, been in 
 the possession of another branch of the once powerful family of 
 Oliphant, whose career was sketched in our former paper, the 
 present representative of the family being Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Laurence James Oliphant. Only a small portion of this property 
 now belongs to Colonel Oliphant. In 1881, the entire property 
 was exposed to sale, when portions were bought by various 
 neighbouring proprietors. The Earl of Kinnoull bought that 
 part known as the Newtoun of Condie, which includes the site 
 of the mansion-house ; Mr C. L. Wood of Freehand bought the 
 Culteuchar part ; Lord Clinton bought Benzian, which adjoins 
 the estate of Invermay ; and Mr Calder of Ardargie bought 
 Auchtenny and Middlerigg. The remaining portions, including 
 High Condie, and other farms, amounting to about 1500 acres, 
 are still the property of Colonel Oliphant. The property lies in 
 the parishes of Forgandenny, Forteviot, and Dunning, and, as 
 originally constituted, comprised four distinct estates, Newton 
 of Condie, Culteuchar, Benzian, and Upper Condie, Auchtenny 
 and Middlerigg, stretching from the River Earn, about one mile 
 west of Forgandenny Station, to the top of the Ochils, about 
 four miles distant from Kinross, — being situated partly on the 
 slopes of the Ochils and partly in the vale of Strathearn. The 
 house stands, or rather stood, less than one mile west from the 
 village of Forgandenny, and within a short distance of the 
 Earn. It dates from the sixteenth century, and was consider- 
 ably enlarged about fifty years ago, but it was burned down 
 upon the 13th March 1866, and has never since been rebuilt. 
 It faces the north, looking across the river on the beautiful
 
 174 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 woods surrounding Dupplin Castle, and the village of Aber- 
 dalgie, in the Parish Church of which still lie, under a well- 
 preserved tomb of black marble, the remains of Sir William 
 Oliphant, the gallant defender of Stirling Castle against tbe 
 English in 1304. The walls of the house are still standing, and 
 niioht be partly utilised for its reconstruction on the same site, 
 which had been carefully selected, being situated on a nice piece 
 of risino- ground, overlooking a wide stretch of most pleasant 
 country. The scenery in the immediate neighbourhood is 
 exceedingly charming, some of the finest bits of Perthshire being 
 on the one side ; while Loch Leven, the Rumbling Bridge, and 
 the Devon Valley are within easy reach on the other. Prom 
 Culteuchar, Clow, and Middlerigg Hills, magnificent views can 
 be had of the valleys of Upper Strathearn, the Pow, the 
 Strathmore and Grampian Hills on the west, north, and east ; 
 the Carse of Cowrie on the east ; and the Lomonds and Cleish 
 Hills, near Kinross, on the south. It was on Culteuchar Hill 
 that the well-known " battle " of Culteuchar was fought. This 
 took place in 1678, when a party of "wild Highlanders" 
 suddenly made an attack upon a conventicle, killing Andrew 
 Brodie, Wright, whose memory is perpetuated by a tombstone 
 in the churchyard of Porgandenny, as mentioned in our 
 description of Freeland. 
 
 The ruined mansion-house is surrounded by finely-timbered 
 policies of oak, beech, and sycamore, and is approached from the 
 main road, leading to Dunning, by a nice carriage drive bordered 
 with shrubs and trees. There are two entrances to the approach 
 from the Dunning Road, — one curving from the west and the 
 other from the east, — the intervening space being occupied by a 
 small [plantation of mixed wood of 40 or 50 years' growth. 
 Each side of the approach is planted with bay laurel, with a few 
 hollies of different varieties interspersed. From the point of 
 junction we proceed northwards along the approach, having on 
 the west side a strip of mixed plantation, and on the east a row 
 of oaks. Continuing along the approach, we reach a line of 
 very handsome ornamental trees of the newer varieties, including 
 several tall and shapely specimens of Wellingtonia gigantea, 
 Cedrus Deodara, Araucaria, &c, all apparently about 25 years
 
 COXDIE. 1 75 
 
 of age. One of the araucarias is an exceptionally good tree, the 
 branches being complete and well formed, and the tree in luxu- 
 riant health. The height is 25 feet, and the stem at 3 feet 
 from the ground girths 2 feet 6 inches. Another araucaria, in 
 the immediate vicinity of the house, is 27 feet high, and 2 feet 
 8 inches in girth. The other ornamental trees are also in good 
 health, and making fair progress. There are a number of fine 
 silver firs about 80 feet high, the girths of those we measured 
 being 12 feet 2 inches above the swell of the roots, and 10 feet 
 at 5 feet from the ground ; 10 feet 3 inches above the swell and 
 8 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. The hardwood trees are both 
 numerous and of fairly large size. One of the lime trees girths 
 
 10 feet 3 inches at the narrowest part of a bole of 18 feet, the 
 entire height being 70 feet. There are several sycamore trees 
 worthy of notice. A very fine row lines the road leading to 
 the home-farm from the east side of the garden, the best 
 specimen girthing 1 1 feet 9 inches at 2 feet from the ground, 
 and 10 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 22 feet, and an 
 entire height of 80 feet. Another sycamore at the south end of 
 the line girths 15 feet above the swell of the roots, and 13 feet 
 4 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 8 feet, and an entire height of 
 GO feet. It is a much older tree than the others in the line, 
 but it is still in vigorous health. A fine beech near the house 
 girths 12 feet 6 inches above the swell of the roots, and 11 feet 
 at 5 feet from the ground, with a bole of about 8 feet, an entire 
 height of 80 feet, and a grand spread of branches of 88 feet. 
 An ash a little to the north-west of the house girths 1 2 feet 4 
 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 10 feet 8 inches at 5 feet, 
 with a bole — slightly curving to the north-west — of 20 feet, and 
 an entire height of 90 feet. An oak in the same neighbourhood 
 girths 1 3 feet 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 1 1 feet 6 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground, with a bole of 22 feet, a height 
 of 70 feet, and a spread of branches of 80 feet. Another girths 
 
 1 1 feet 8 inches at 1 foot and 10 feet at 5 feet from the ground, 
 and about the same height as the other. But the old giant, — 
 the pride of the family, — a magnificent oak, where in days 
 gone by the stirrup-cup was quaffed by the parting guest, 
 was destroyed, a few years before the house was burned.
 
 176 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 There are several large plain-leaf hollies and old yews immedi- 
 ately adjacent to the east end of the house. The hollies are 44 
 feet high, and the girth of the one we measured as a fair sample 
 is 6 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 6 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from 
 the ground. There are four yews altogether, and they are 
 apparently about 150 or 200 years of age. Two of them run 
 east and west at right angles to the walls of the house, the 
 other two running north and south parallel with the walls, 
 evidently in accordance with some old plan. 
 
 The entire estate, before it was broken up, consisted of over 
 3900 acres, of which 336 were woodlands. The timber in the 
 plantations consists principally of oak and oak coppice, larch, 
 and Scots fir, while there are also a number of hardwood trees 
 in the hedgerows and parks, adding considerably to the amenity 
 of the property. The young plantations present a vigorous and 
 thriving growth, showing a suitability of soil and climate for 
 the growth of timber. The garden extends to nearly 2 acres, 
 and is enclosed by a stone wall, but has no glass. It is, 
 however, well stocked with fruit trees, — both wall and standard, 
 — and is not only very productive, but is specially famous for 
 its strawberries.
 
 XVI.— DUNCRUB. 
 
 History of the Rollo Family— The Old Thorn Tree at Dunning— The New 
 Mansion-House— The Policies — The Pinetuni — Memorials of a Royal 
 Marriage — Remarkable Trees — The Old Castle of Kelty — Notable 
 Trees at the Castle — The Plantations — The Village of Dunning. 
 
 In endeavouring to trace the history of the property of Dun- 
 crub, we are carried hack to a very remote period. The nohle 
 family of Eollo — of which the Eight Hon. John Eogerson Eollo, 
 Lord Eollo in the Peerage of Scotland, and Baron Punning of 
 Dunning and Pitcairns in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, 
 is the present representative — traces its lineage to Eric Eollo the 
 Dane, who had obtained a settlement in Normandy as early as 
 the eighth century, and from whom were descended the Dukes of 
 Normandy, in whose line, passing over several generations, we 
 come to William the Conqueror, who became King of England 
 in 1066. Eric de Eollo, a scion of the same stock, accompanied 
 the Conqueror to England in the capacity of Secretary. A por- 
 trait of him taken in his 98th year is still in the possession of the 
 family. A descendant of Eric de Eollo came to Scotland in the 
 time of David I., about the year 1130, and obtained from that 
 monarch a grant of houses and land in the Lothians. From him 
 descended John de Eollo, who settled in Perthshire, and founded 
 the family of Duncrub, on obtaining a grant of the lands from 
 Eobert Stuart, Earl of Strathearn, afterwards Eobert II. He 
 act I'd as Private Secretary to Eobert III., and died in the 
 beginning of the reign of James I. In 1466 Eobert Eollo 
 obtained a grant of the lands of Petty from James HI. ; and on 
 25th August 1511, his successor, William Rollo, obtained a 
 charter, uniting the lands of Laidcaithy and Duncrub into a free 
 barony, from James IV., just two years before the untimely death 
 of that gallant Prince at the fatal field of Flodden, Avhere Robert 
 Rollo, the son and successor of William, also fell. We next find 
 
 M
 
 178 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the members of the family spelling their names with a final " k," 
 for what reason does not appear, but the practice was continued 
 during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, — the celebrated 
 Kobert Rollok, the first Principal of the University of Edinburgh 
 with whose name the infancy of that famous seat of learning is 
 intimately associated, being a cadet of the family. The next 
 notable scion of the house of Rollo was Andrew Rollok, who 
 took a prominent part in the politics and proceedings of the 
 reign of James VI., by whom he was knighted on 26th June 
 1621. He received a commission from the ill-fated Charles I., as 
 Sheriff-Principal of the county of Perth, dated Holyrood Palace, 
 25th September 1633. He obtained a charter of the lands of 
 Kippen, dated 5th February 1639 ; and on the 10th January 
 1651, Charles II. raised him to the Peerage by the title of 
 Baron Rollo of Duncrub, the patent of nobility bearing that the 
 honour was conferred "in consideration of the antiquity of his 
 family and the constant fidelity of his ancestors to the Crown." 
 His adherence to the Royal cause brought the wrath of Crom- 
 well upon his head, and by the Act of Grace in 1654 he was 
 fined in the large sum, for that period, of £1000. The first 
 Lord Rollo married Catherine Drumniond, daughter of the 
 first Lord Maderty, the ancestor of the Lords Strathallan, and 
 by her he had five sons and four daughters. The youngest 
 son, Sir William, said to have been " a young man of excellent 
 parts and unblemished reputation," joined Montrose, and having 
 been captured when his chief was surprised and defeated at 
 Philiphaugh, he was publicly executed at the Market Cross of 
 Edinburgh on the 28th October 1645. The first Lord Rollo 
 died at Duncrub, and was buried in the church of Dunning on 
 the 12th June 1659, being succeeded by his eldest son, James. 
 Previous to his succeeding to the property as the second Lord 
 Rollo, James had received the honour of knighthood from 
 Charles I., in 1642. He is described as being " remarkable for 
 his matrimonial alliances, having successively married the 
 sisters of the two great rivals and most illustrious Scotsmen of 
 their, time,- — James, Marquis of Montrose, and Archibald, 
 Marquis of Argyle, — both of whom fell victims to the bigotry 
 and misguided zeal of the opposite factions in that distracted
 
 DUNCRUB. 179 
 
 period of our country's history." Andrew, the third Baron, suc- 
 ceeded in 1669, and married, in the following year, Margaret 
 Balfour, daughter of the third Lord Burleigh, their initials and 
 shield being still visible on the east gable of the church of 
 Dunning above the doorway. His lot was cast in evil times, 
 the most tragic affair in this period of the family history being 
 the murder of his eldest son, the Master of Rollo, by Patrick 
 Graham, younger of Inchbrakie. The tragedy arose out of the 
 stormy character of the times. In 1690, the year following the 
 Battle of Killiecrankie, a band of Highland robbers plundered 
 the lands of Duncrub, and this led to a feud between the young 
 lairds of Duncrub and Inchbrakie, who, if he did not take an 
 active part in the foray, was suspected of countenancing and be- 
 friending the main actors. The young lairds met at Invermay, 
 on 20th May, 1691. There were also present, James Edmon- 
 ston of Newton, one of whose tenants was found in possession 
 of one of the stolen cattle, and who also bore a grudge towards 
 the Master of Bollo, and a number of others. A quarrel arose, 
 and, at the instigation of Edmonston, who handed Inchbrakie 
 his sword, the Master of Rollo was murdered on the way home 
 on horseback, after supper. Inchbrakie and Newton contrived 
 to detach the Master from the rest of the company, who, on 
 hearing the clash of arms, turned round to find the Master fallen 
 on his knees, with Inchbrakie standing over him. One of the 
 company cried out — " Such a bloody murder was never seen." 
 "I think not so," rejoined Edmonston, " I think it was fairly 
 done," and he assisted Graham to make his escape. The laird 
 of Newton was apprehended, tried as an accessory, and was 
 sentenced to banishment for life, although it is said that he after- 
 wards carried the Royal Standard at the Battle of Sheriffmuir ; 
 and even after that lived many years on his own estate in 
 Strathearn. Graham succeeded in getting out of the country, 
 and was outlawed, but returned to Scotland in 1720 on procur- 
 ing a remission. In consequence of the murder of the Master of 
 Bollo, the second son, Robert, succeeded, and became, in 1700, 
 the fourth Baron Rollo. Like many of his neighbouring pro- 
 prietors, the fourth Lord Rollo took an active part in the rising 
 of 1715, and was amongst the first who hastened to the unfurl-
 
 180 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 ing of " The Standard on the Braes o' Mar." He was appointed 
 Colonel of the Perthshire Regiment of Horse, — his friend and 
 neighbour, Laurence Oliphant, younger of Gask, being one of his 
 lieutenants. At Sheriffmuir, this squadron was stationed on 
 the extreme left of the Highland army, and had to bear the 
 brunt of the attack, being opposed to the best cavalry of the 
 Royal army, led by Argyle himself. Lord Eollo and his 
 troopers fought with great stubbornness, but had the misfortune 
 to belong to the defeated wing, by which Mar was forced to fall 
 back upon Perth. 
 
 Here, we come across an incident of arboreal interest. During 
 the retreat, Blackford, Auchterarder, Muthill, Crieff, and 
 Dunning were burned by the Highlanders, lest they should 
 afford food or shelter for the pursuing forces. This is the most 
 memorable event in the history of Dunning, and it was com- 
 memorated by the planting of a thorn tree in the centre of the 
 village. The tree, which is protected by a strong circular wall, 
 has now braved the tempests of more than a century and a half, 
 and, although the symptoms of decay are not awanting, it is 
 wonderfully fresh and green, and, if properly cared for, may 
 nourish for many generations to come. The history of this 
 ancient thorn has been committed to verse by Mr John Philip, 
 a respected parishioner, who died only a few years ago : — 
 
 "So they three hundred Highlanders did bring 
 To put in force the edict of the King. 
 From Braco, Crieff, and Comrie they came, 
 And other parts, to set the town on flame. 
 Then Aberuthven, Muthill, and Blackford also, 
 In fire and smoke up in the air did go. 
 Dunning and Auchterarder shared their fate. 
 
 A thorn tree from Pitcairns Den 
 
 For a memorial was planted then, 
 
 And that no evil might the tree befal. 
 
 It was protected by a circular wall ; 
 
 And every year the night before the Fair, 
 
 The Baron's workmen do with skilful care 
 
 Trim and preserve its bowl-inverted form 
 
 And single stem, which long has stood the storm. 
 
 Long may it live to tell to future clays 
 
 What Dunning suffered from the Rebel ways."
 
 DUNCRUB. 181 
 
 Tlie Avail surrounding the mound is 3 feet 8 inches in height, 
 but an old residenter remembers when it was not so high, 
 and it is probable that there was originally no wall or mound 
 whatever. The tree is about 16 or 17 feet in height from the 
 top of the mound. The bole is 3 feet 3 inches, — the girth at 
 the bottom of the bole being 5 feet 3 inches, and at the top 5 
 feet 2 inches. The tree is fantastically trimmed, and has rather 
 a striking appearance. 
 
 To return to the history of the family, the fourth Baron sub- 
 mitted to the Government in the year following the battle which 
 led to the burning of Dunning and other places on the route of 
 the Highland retreat, and obtained the benefit of the Act of 
 Grace. He survived till 1758, but does not appear to have 
 joined in the rebellion of 1745. He was succeeded by his 
 eldest son, Andrew, who, having adopted the profession of arms, 
 greatly distinguished himself at the Battle of Dettingen, in 
 1743, and was promoted for his bravery. He became Major of 
 the 22nd Foot in 1750 ; Lieutenant-Colonel in 1756 ; and com- 
 manded the regiment at the Battle of Louisberg in 1758. He 
 was despatched to the assistance of General Murray in reducing 
 Canada in 1760; took St Domingo on 6th June 1761; and at 
 the taking of Martinique, in January following, the despatch 
 bears that " Lord Bollo, and all the officers, deserve the highest 
 approbation for their animated and soldier-like conduct." He 
 died in 1762, and was buried at Leicester, where a splendid 
 marble tomb, with warlike trophies, commemorates his victories. 
 He married, first, Catherine Murray, a grand-daughter of the 
 Marquis of Athole ; and, second, Elizabeth Moray of Abercairny. 
 By his first wife, he had a son, John, who was Major of Brigade 
 in his father's regiment, and who died at Martinique on the 
 24th January 1762, a few months before his father, who 
 returned to England broken in health. The fifth Baron was 
 succeeded by his brother, John, whose only son became seventh 
 Baron in 1783. Ho served in the Marines at Pondicherry and 
 Manilla, and died at Duncrub on 14th April 1784, the year 
 after his succession. Before he succeeded he had married a 
 Fifeshire lady, a daughter of John Aytoun, Inchdairnie, who 
 long survived him, dying in April 1817, and leaving a numerous
 
 182 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 family. John, the eighth Baron, served with the Foot Guards 
 in the campaigns of 1793-4-5, and died 24th December 1846. 
 He was succeeded by his son, "William, who married, 21st 
 Otcober 1834, Elizabeth, only daughter of Dr Eogerson of 
 Warn ph ray and Duncrieff, and died 8th October 1852, leaving 
 an only son, the present laird, John Rogerson Rollo, who is, con- 
 sequently, the tenth Baron. He married, in 1857, Agnes Bruce, 
 daughter of Lieut. -Colonel and the Hon. Mrs Trotter of 
 Ballindean, by whom he has a large family, the Master of Rollo 
 being the Hon. "William Charles Wordsworth. 
 
 From the sketch we have given of the noble family occupying 
 the property of Duncrub for so many generations, it will be seen 
 that the Rollos have maintained a prominent position in the 
 history of the country, being invariably in the heart of the 
 stirring events in which the circumstances of the times called 
 upon them to take part. But " peace hath her victories no less 
 renowned than war," and we hope to be able to show that the 
 present upholder of the family name has done, and is still doing, 
 much to make his reign memorable as an improver of the family 
 estates. 
 
 Amongst the first of the improvements to which the present 
 Lord Rollo directed his attention was the erection of a new 
 mansion-house. The old house was of great age, the date of its 
 erection being lost in the mists of antiquity ; and it was not 
 only a most inconvenient structure, but was out of harmony 
 with the beautiful grounds by which it was surrounded. Pre- 
 vious to the demolition of the old pile, Lord Rollo, in 1858, 
 commissioned the eminent ecclesiastical architects, Messrs 
 Habershon & Pite, of London, to design a little Episcopal 
 Chapel near the mansion. The chaj)el is a very handsome 
 structure, capable of seating 50 persons. All the windows are 
 of stained glass, and a genuine "dim religious light" pervades 
 the interior. The style of architecture is Early English, and 
 the design displays great taste and accuracy. It was shortly 
 after the chapel was opened that his lordship resolved to pull 
 down the old House of Duncrub, and erect one more in con- 
 sonance with the times. The designing of the new mansion 
 was entrusted to the same architects who planned the chapel,
 
 PUNCRTJB. 183 
 
 and it is built only a little distance from the site of the old 
 house, in a magnificent park containing some very fine trees. 
 It is approached by two avenues — one from the road leading 
 from Dunning Station to the village, and the other from 
 the Auchterarder Road, to the south of the mansion. The 
 latter is the principal approach, and the one from which the 
 Castle is best seen on entering, but they are both of great 
 beauty. Around the house extensive lawns spread in all 
 directions, and many pleasing views are obtained from the 
 windows. The principal front of the house faces the south, 
 but the western elevation is quite as beautiful ; and seen 
 from a spot taking in both these points, the house presents 
 a most majestic appearance, and equals anything to be 
 found in the county. The style of the architecture is Tudor 
 Gothic richly ornamented, and the stone used is from a quarry 
 on his Lordship's estate — the windows, doors, &c, being 
 finished with the beautiful white stone of Dunmore. The 
 exterior is lofty and imposing — in some parts three storeys high 
 and in other places two storeys ; while the kitchen entrance, 
 offices, &c., are carried down to a single storey, forming a very 
 appropriate flank to the main body of the building. The 
 gables are stepped, and the skyline generally is very effective 
 from the different elevations of the various parts of the house. 
 The main entrance is through a magnificent porch, 30 feet in 
 height, and richly carved throughout. Two huge lamps are 
 borne outside the porch on heavy buttresses of stone ; and on 
 the front of the porch are medallion busts of Lord and Lady 
 Rollo cut in stone, both being excellent likenesses. The porch 
 terminates in four tall pinnacles surmounted by griffins carrying 
 gilt flags, having the letter "R" cut in them. Over every window 
 of the house on the ground floor is a baron's coronet, with 
 tracery carved in stone ; while above the dining-room window 
 the full coat-of-arms of the Rollo family is carved in the most 
 exquisite manner. Indeed, every window and door of the 
 house has been taken advantage of for enrichments in carved 
 work. The total length of the principal front is 272 feet, and 
 of the west front 160 feet, including the chapel, which forms a 
 most graceful termination. On this side one of the bay windows
 
 18-4 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 has a handsome flight of steps by which the lawn is reached. 
 There are four fine towers, the principal one over the entrance 
 bearing a lofty flagstaff. Both the exterior and interior of the 
 house are finished in the most expensive and elaborate manner, 
 — no material but the very best having been used, and every 
 salient point richly ornamented with carving. The interior is 
 quite as striking as the exterior. On entering through the 
 porch we have described, attention is first attracted to animals 
 in stone on each side of the doorway, — the one on the right 
 bearing the word " Welcome," and the one on the left the word 
 "Farewell." The main doorway leads into a vestibule about 13 
 feet square, paved with encaustic tiles, and richly ornamented 
 with carved columns in Dunmore stone. Passing through the 
 vestibule, a Gothic traceried door opens into the grand corridor, 
 the most noticeable feature of the interior, being not only 
 exceptionally spacious but of a unique design. It is 95 feet 
 long by 1 5 feet 6 inches broad, and no less than 50 feet high to 
 the roof. It is lighted all along the roof by stained glass 
 windows, and otherwise. Two spacious galleries run entirely 
 round it, one above the other, giving the corridor an exceedingly 
 noble appearance. Entering the corridor, a serving passage runs 
 off to the right, entered through an arched Gothic doorway of 
 stained glass. Further on, on the same side, two doors give 
 entrance to the dining-room; and a little further on is the 
 entrance to the grand staircase. The corridor is terminated by 
 a traceried door leading into the chancel, thence into the chapel. 
 On the left side of the corridor are the doors leading into the 
 drawing-rooms, library, &c. The grand staircase is reached from 
 the corridor through two very richly-carved Gothic arches. The 
 stair is about 6 feet broad, with bronze balustrade, and runs 
 round three sides of the hall, which is lighted by a very large 
 traceried window, which can be filled with stained glass. From 
 the centre of the ceiling, which is of richly-carved wood, hangs 
 a very handsome brass corona, lighted by some thirty jets 
 of gas, and having, when lit, a gorgeous appearance. The 
 grand staircase gives access to the first gallery, which runs all 
 along the corridor, at a height of 17 feet from the floor, and is 
 supported by carved stone corbels. The gallery is of wood,
 
 DUNCEUB. 1S5 
 
 richly carved. It is 4 feet 9 inches in breadth ; and the railing 
 — which is of bronze, with highly-polished oak handrail — is 3 
 feet high. A beautiful feature of this gallery is a large bay 
 window, semi-circular in shape, fitted with a low and comfortable 
 seat all round. Extensive suites of bedrooms are entered from 
 this gallery, which also communicates with the upper gallery, 
 which is 30 feet from the ground, and resembles the lower in 
 every particular, save that it is a little narrower. Both galleries 
 are richly covered with carved work, and are very beautiful 
 indeed. "We have said that access to the drawing-room is got 
 from the left side of the corridor. The drawing-room itself is a 
 most spacious apartment, over 33 feet long by 22 feet broad. 
 The ceiling is a very rich one. There are four large windows, and 
 the walls are decorated with an ornamental skirting of carved 
 wood. The drawing-room is one of a suite of rooms which com- 
 municate and extend 105 feet in length, the suite comprising 
 the drawing-room, library, second library, and Lady Hollo's 
 boudoir. The library is a fine room, 30 feet by 20, the book- 
 cases constructed in the wall being of carved wood. It is lighted 
 by a large bay window, and over the fireplace is an immense 
 mirror in a setting of rich carving. The second library is 25 
 feet by 21, lighted by a bay window, and a traceried one filled 
 in with stained glass, — the roof being ornamented, and the walls 
 lined with carved woodwork. Off this room is Lady Eollo's 
 boudoir, 26 feet by 15, also lighted by a large bay window. 
 On the opposite side of the corridor, there is a handsomely-fitted 
 business-room, and the dining-room, a large and lofty apartment, 
 36 feet by 20. It is lined with carved woodwork, and has one 
 large bay window, with five lights, and two other windows, with 
 two lights each, and transom lights above. On the ground floors 
 there is extensive accommodation of every sort, and in the upper 
 storeys about 50 spacious bedrooms. 
 
 The policies which surround this magnificent mansion, although 
 they do not contain much old timber, are of great beauty. 
 About thirty years ago a double avenue, half a mile in length, 
 was planted along the north approach, — the one from the station 
 road, — right up to the house, and the trees have iioav attained 
 such dimensions as to be both graceful and useful. The outside
 
 1S6 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIEE. 
 
 row consists of oaks and the inside of horse chestnuts, the com- 
 bination producing a very pretty effect. A short distance south 
 of the house there is a well-stocked pinetum, containing some 
 noteworthy specimens. Amongst these is a splendid Douglasii 
 seedling of 1836, but which has, unfortunately, lost its leader. 
 The girth at 1 foot from the ground is 12 feet 6 inches, and at 
 5 feet, 1 feet 6 inches. A nice Wellingtonia gigantea girths 5 
 feet 9 inches at 1 foot from the ground. The largest silver fir 
 girths 11 feet 4 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 9 feet 10 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground, — the entire height being 80 
 feet. A short distance from this tree there is an early specimen of 
 the handiwork of Laurence Macdonald, the eminent Perthshire 
 sculptor. The figure, which was executed while Macdonald was 
 working as a journeyman at Gask, is representative of the deity 
 whom Milton alludes to as 
 
 " Universal Pan, 
 Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance, 
 Led on the eternal spring." 
 
 His connection with the "Hours" is illustrated by a sun-dial 
 which he bears upon his head. Pan is not only the personifica- 
 tion of deity as displayed in Creation, and especially of flocks 
 and herds, but also the god of woods ; so that the presence of the 
 figure here, apart from its great local interest, has a certain appro- 
 priateness. The figure is rude, but displays a considerable ad- 
 vance upon some of Macdonald's other earlier productions 
 extant in Perthshire, and gives indications of the genius for 
 which he was afterwards distinguished. A number of newer 
 coniferous trees of different varieties were planted up and down 
 the pinetum upon the 10th March 1870, by the various 
 members of the Polio family, in commemoration of the marriage 
 of the Marquis of Lome and the Princess Louise. The trees thus 
 planted are as follows : — Cupressus Nutkaensis, planted by the 
 Hon. the Master of Rollo ; Cupressus Lawsoniana, by the Hon. 
 Agnes C. Rollo ; Cupresstis Laicsoniana, by the Hon. Eric N. 
 Eollo ; Thuja gigantea, by the Hon. Constance Agnes ; Abies 
 orientalis, by the Hon. Herbert Evelyn ; and Thujopsis dolobrata 
 by the Hon. Bernard Francis. All of these trees are thriving well,
 
 DUNCRUB. 187 
 
 and are furnished with a plate bearing the name of the variety, by 
 whom the tree was planted, and the event they commemorate. 
 
 Proceeding through the policies generally, we meet with many 
 
 fine trees that are worthy of notice. At the corner of the wood 
 
 directly opposite Kirklands there are several black poplars of 
 
 considerable size. The largest one girths 13 feet 1 inch at 1 
 
 foot from the ground, and 1 1 feet 7 inches at 5 feet from the 
 
 ground ; another girths 1 1 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 1 
 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground ■ and a third girths 1 1 feet 6 
 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground, — each of the trees having 
 
 grand boles of about 20 feet. The largest sycamore grows at 
 
 the top of the North Avenue, the girth at 1 foot from the 
 
 ground being 12 feet 3 inches, and at 5 feet, 10 feet 7 inches, — 
 
 the bole being a splendid one of about 35 feet. Another 
 
 sycamore, opposite the peach-house, girths 10 feet 2 inches at 
 
 the narrowest part of the bole ; after which it swells out very 
 
 considerably, and makes a beautiful park tree. An aged yew 
 
 tree girths 11 feet at the narrowest part of the bole, being 
 
 about 5 feet from the ground. The largest of the oaks girths 
 
 10 feet 4 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 8 feet 4 inches 
 
 at 5 feet from the ground. The largest ash tree is at the corner 
 
 of Whitehill Park, in a strip near the home-farm, — the girth at 
 
 1 foot from the ground being 10 feet 9 inches, and at 5 feet, 9 
 
 feet 4 inches. The policies are laid out with great taste, all the 
 
 trees being planted with due regard to effect, without the view 
 
 from the mansion being in any way obstructed. 
 
 There are many objects of interest beyond the policies. The 
 interesting old Castle of Kelty, at the mouth of Kelty Glen, for 
 instance, is a really beautiful spot, loaded with various kinds of 
 timber, including a few trees of more than ordinary size. The 
 castle is a very old building, and has not been regularly occupied 
 for about eighty years. In the beginning of the seventeenth 
 century — and, it is said, for at least two hundred years before 
 that — Kelty belonged to a family of the name of Bonar, which 
 then held Forgandenny, Invermay, Kilgraston, and other terri- 
 torial possessions in Perthshire, and whose representative is 
 now Dr Horatius Bonar, Edinburgh. In 1692 the estate was 
 purchased by John Drummond, the progenitor of whose family
 
 188 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEETHSHIEE. 
 
 was William Drummond, first laird of Crieffvecliter, the fifth in 
 succession from Sir Malcolm Drummond of Stobhall, by his son 
 James of Coldoch. William flourished about 1600, and left a 
 son, James, father to the Eev. John Drummond, minister of 
 Monzie, who had two sons, one of whom was Mr Drummond, 
 who succeeded his father as minister of Monzie, and, dying 
 without issue, left his fortune to his nephew, John Drummond, 
 who purchased the estate of Kelty, which then became the 
 family seat. John Drummond built the present castle, one of 
 the lintels bearing his initials and those of his lady, with the 
 date of the erection of the building, 1712. The building is a 
 very substantial structure, and seems to have at one time been 
 capable of defence. Like all ancient strongholds, many curious 
 stories hover round this venerable pile. One of the most popular 
 of these is to the effect that the lovely daughter of one of the 
 lairds, having the misfortune to contract an affection for a man 
 reckoned by her father as below her rank, was imprisoned in the 
 castle dungeon till she died. Whether this story be true or 
 not, there can be no doubt about the existence of the dungeon, 
 which is as horrible a hole as could well be conceived. Beside 
 the dungeon is a cell, with one small window, about 6 inches 
 square, and which has evidently been the prison of the castle, 
 the dungeon we speak of being right below. The walls of the 
 castle are about 9 feet thick, and the whole interior presents a 
 gloomy and forbidding aspect. Kelty continued in the possession 
 of the Drummonds until it passed into the Airlie family by the 
 marriage of David, the eighth Earl, in 1812, to Clementina, only 
 child and heiress of Gavin, third son of James Drummond of 
 Kelty. Her ladyship died in 1835, after which the late Lord 
 Kollo acquired the estate by purchase. 
 
 The best of the trees in this part of the estate are all in the 
 neighbourhood of the Castle. The most noteworthy of these is 
 a very fine ash growing close to the bridge leading across Kelty 
 Burn to the Castle. It has a girth of 10 feet 3 inches at 1 foot 
 from the ground, and 8 feet 11 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground, with a magnificent head. The most of the other large 
 trees here are sycamores, but none of them reach the dimensions 
 of those we have described as growing in the policies at Dun-
 
 DUNCRUB. 189 
 
 crub. There are also three very fine specimens of Pseud-Acacia, 
 or American locust tree, the seed . of which is believed to have 
 been brought by a member of the family who was for some time 
 in America. There is a very beautiful walk through the glen, 
 which is both romantic and picturesque, — the dark, moss- 
 covered rocks, and the pretty, thickly-planted copse, presenting 
 a fine contrast, while the lively, limpid stream underneath gives 
 zest to the picture. 
 
 The plantations upon the property are pretty extensive, the 
 most of them having been laid down in comparatively recent 
 years. The total extent underwood is about 525 acres. These 
 consist almost entirely of larch, spruce, and Scots fir, each 
 variety having been planted with due regard to the suitability 
 of the site. The wood is in a clean, healthy state, and has been 
 so laid out as to enhance the beauty of the landscape. 
 
 The whole of the village of Dunning is upon the Duncrub 
 property, and, apart from the commemorative thorn tree already 
 referred to, there are several circumstances connected with it 
 which impart interest to the town. When first heard of in 
 authentic history, it formed part of the ancient Stewartry of 
 Strathearn, and it figures in ecclesiastical records from a very 
 early period. It is believed that the present Parish Church was 
 built between the years 1200 and 1219. The style of archi- 
 tecture corresponds exactly with the style then prevailing, and 
 is known as Early English. The patron saint of the parish was 
 St Serf, a famous man of the fifth century. He gets the credit 
 of having killed "a dreadful dragon, which devoured both men 
 and cattle," and kept the district of Dunning in continual 
 terror. The scene of this heroic deed is called the " Dragon's 
 Den " until this day. Another account gives the matter-of-fact 
 explanation, that this is merely a corruption of " dregging-den," 
 and refers to " the practice of the milk cows of the district being 
 brought together in the glen for the purpose of being 
 dregged — that is drawn or milked." The church has undergone 
 many alterations since it was erected, but much of the ancient 
 building still remains in its original form, the most conspicuous 
 object being its massive square tower. The village is neat and 
 tidy, although not particularly picturesque, and, owing to the
 
 190 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 collapse of the handloom weaving, is not now so prosperous as it 
 once was. A new and plentiful supply of water was introduced 
 in 1872 ; and a magnificent fountain, the gift of a successful native 
 ahroad, has been erected in the village square. Lord Eollo 
 takes a lively interest in everything that contributes to the wel- 
 fare of the inhabitants; and the people have frequently, along 
 with the agricultural tenantry, taken occasion to reciprocate the 
 goodwill of his Lordship. 
 
 In addition to the improvements which we have referred to, 
 the present Lord Eollo has also done much to improve the 
 agricultural portion of his property. Several new steadings have 
 been erected, and others put in proper repair. Fencing and 
 draining have been carried out very extensively. Everything, 
 indeed, appears to be done to encourage good husbandry, and to 
 make the tenant, his servants, and his stock comfortable.
 
 XVIL— GAEVOCK. 
 
 Situation — The Graemes of Garvock — How the Property was Acquired — 
 The Mansion — Rose- Bush Planted by Prince Charlie — An Enormous 
 Walnut Tree —Other Notable Trees — An Ancient Camp — The Planta- 
 tions. 
 
 Garvock, although not a very extensive property, is a most 
 interesting one on various accounts. Situated at the foot of the 
 Ochils, and wedged in between Duncrub and Invermay, it 
 possesses many of the features which lend so much attraction to 
 these places — a commanding prospect over the length and 
 breadth of Lower Strathearn, with a screen of giant mountains 
 in the distant west and north ; a large tract of fertile land 
 lying pleasantly towards the sun ; a wealth of umbrageous 
 clothing ; and many charming little nooks and corners to break 
 the monotony of the great expanse of cultivated fields and 
 waving plantations, which are spread out in the valley beneath. 
 In Garvock we have a property which has had its owners in the 
 same family for many centuries, the Graemes of Garvock tracing 
 their descent in regular succession from a famous Celtic chief, 
 Graemus, who flourished in the early part of the fifth century, 
 and who fought at Carron Water against the Romans under 
 Victorius. " He it was," says Lord Strathallan in his Genealogy 
 of the House of Drummond, "who broke through the old ram- 
 part called Severus' Wall, built from Abercorn to Kilpatrick at 
 the mouth of the Clyde, about thirty miles in length, and 
 beat the Roman garrisons from thence, for which notable action 
 it got the name of Graemes-dyke, which it retains to this day. 
 This was soon after the 400th year of Christ." A subsequent 
 Gr«me, along with Dunbar, the Earl of March, did great service 
 in preventing Scotland from falling into the hands of the Danes. 
 The same authority says that the Graemes came first to Strath- 
 earn by the marriage of Sir John Graeme of DundaUhiuire to a
 
 192 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 daughter of Malise, fourth Earl of Strathearn, with whom Sir 
 Jolm got the lauds of Aberuthven, about the year 1242. 
 Fifty years later we find three Graemes — Patrick de Graeme, 
 David de Graenie, and Nichol de Graeme — included in the list of 
 those appointed to consider the claims of Bruce and Baliol 
 at Berwick. After them came the illustrious patriot, Sir 
 John de Graeme, the companion-in-arms and greatest confidant 
 of Wallace, and to whom Buchanan attributes this high cha- 
 racter, " Scotorum longe fortissimus habitus," and of whom 
 Blind Harry sings as being " right noble in war." He followed 
 the Scottish hero through many perilous enterprises, and ulti- 
 mately fell on the field of Falkirk in 1298. The next notable 
 Grseme of which we read is " Willielnius Dominus de Graeme 
 de Kincardine," Avho was one of the commissioners appointed 
 to treat with the English in 1406, after the disastrous defeat at 
 Homildon Hill. Six years afterwards he was sent into England 
 to treat for the ransom of James I. He married, first, a sister 
 of Kobert, Duke of Albany, at that time Eegent ; and, second, 
 the Lady Mary Stuart, second daughter of Eobert III., by whom 
 he had three sons, one of whom, "William Graeme of Garvock, 
 was the ancestor in the direct line of the present proprietor of 
 the estate, Robert Graeme. He was a distinguished soldier, and 
 the lands and barony of Garvock were granted to him by his 
 uncle, James I., as a reward for his faithful and zealous services. 
 From him, the property has been handed down in regular lineal 
 descent from father to son, without any interruption, to the 
 present time, — a circumstance which is very rarely met with in 
 family history. Several of the succeeding lairds of Garvock 
 have taken a prominent part in the making of our Scottish his- 
 tory. The third laird, Archibald Graeme, fell fighting bravely on 
 the disastrous field of Flodden. One of the sons of the fourth 
 laird was the ancestor of the Grahams of Balgowan and Lord 
 Lynedoch, the conqueror of Vittoria. The seventh laird, James 
 Graeme, acquired a considerable addition to the family property, 
 by being served heir to John Graham of Balgowan, who had 
 shortly before purchased the estate of Ivippen. The ninth laird 
 of Garvock, Robert Graeme, great-great-grandfather of the present 
 proprietor, was a devoted Jacobite, and having been "out" in the
 
 GARVOCK. 193 
 
 '45, was deeply involved in the consequences of that unfortunate 
 affair. After the collapse at Culloden he lurked about the 
 country for some time, but subsequently returned to Garvock 
 in the hope that he would be permitted to live at peace, but on 
 this coming to the knowledge of the Government, a, party of 
 troopers were sent to apprehend him. On the approach of the 
 troopers being observed, orders were given to shut the gates, 
 and, at the urgent request of his friends, he assumed the dress 
 of a female servant, with the view of endeavouring to escape. 
 Being of a stalwart frame, he felt that he " did not look the 
 character," as theatrical people Avould say, and rather than be 
 captured in such an unmanly disguise he threw aside his female 
 attire, sat down in his arm-chair, and gave orders to admit the 
 troopers. He was accordingly apprehended, and conveyed to 
 Perth, where he was confined for upwards of a year, untd a 
 friendly official, with the connivance of the authorities, as is 
 believed, permitted the prisoner to escape. He succeeded in 
 finding his way to France, where he served in the army with 
 distinction, but lived to come home and spend the evening of 
 his days at Garvock. Eobert Graeme, the present proprietor, is 
 the fourteenth laird, and succeeded in 1859. 
 
 With a family so devoted to the Jacobite cause as the Graemes, 
 it would have been strange had Prince Charlie not been a guest 
 at Garvock, and left behind him some memorials of his visit. 
 The Pretender is believed to have been a frequent visitor, and 
 to have slept under the roof of old Garvock House, part of which 
 is still in use. It is not known when this old portion was 
 built, but, judging from the architecture, it must have been at 
 a very early period. The principal wings of the mansion, how- 
 ever, were built in 1825 and 1827, and are thoroughly modern. 
 Above the kitchen window is placed the family coat-of-arms, one 
 of the first efforts of thefamous Perthshire sculptor, Laurence 
 Macdonald. Unfortunately, the arms have been cut upon soft 
 freestone, off its natural bed, and the weather has told upon the 
 work so much that it is almost entirely effaced. Close to the 
 south-east of the oldest portion of the mansion is a rose-bush 
 believed to have been planted by Prince Charlie during one of 
 his visits to Garvock. At one time a wing of the mansion 
 
 N
 
 194 WOODS, FOEESTS, AXD ESTATES OF PErvTHSHIKE. 
 
 reached close up to this interesting memorial, and it is "believed 
 that it was planted right underneath the august visitor's hedroom 
 -window. The bush is of the variety known as the White 
 Provence or Jacobite rose/and stands upon a small mound, caused 
 by the surrounding ground having been levelled. It still 
 flowers very freely, and has every appearance of being a long 
 liver. The greatest care is taken to preserve it, by cutting away 
 any dead wood which might injure its growth, and encouraging 
 the young shoots to come forward. The oldest people about 
 the place can recognise no difference upon the bush since they 
 first saw it. A sword presented by Prince Charlie to the great- 
 great-grandfather of the present laird is carefully preserved at 
 Garvock House, along with his commission as an officer in the 
 rebel army. The most notable object at Garvock, from an 
 arborist's point of view, is an enormous walnut tree, one of the 
 largest in Scotland. It is situated in the garden quite close to 
 the mansion, and its massive and shapely proportions at once 
 arrest attention. At 1 foot from the ground it girths 16 feet 
 3 inches, and at 5' feet, it girths li feet 4 inches. There is a 
 clean bole of about 20 feet, after which the tree breaks into 
 three great main branches. The entire height of the tree is 
 about 80 feet, with a corresponding spread of branches. It is 
 altogether a very fine specimen, and one of which the laird is 
 justly proud. There are none of the other trees which reach to 
 anything like this size, but there are a large number of trees of 
 fair dimensions as ordinary timber trees. There is a very fine 
 sycamore with a girth of 10 feet 2 inches at 1 foot from the 
 ground, and 9 feet 3 inches at 5' feet. There are many larch 
 trees of a good size, one of the best of which girths 9 feet 7 
 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 8 feet 3 inches at 5 feet. 
 It is fully 80 feet high, perfectly straight to the top, and in a 
 most healthy condition. A very beautiful elm, close to the 
 house, girths 11 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 9 feet 9 
 inches at 5 feet. It is also a nice clean tree. Opposite the 
 kitchen door, there is a remarkably fine fern-leaf beech tree. 
 It is in luxuriant health, well shaped, and has exceedingly 
 pretty foliage. The best oak tree upon the property stands in 
 the park on the edge of the Broad Wood. It has a girth of 1 2
 
 GARVOCK. 195 
 
 feet at 1 foot and 9 feet 7 inches at 5 feet from the ground, 
 with a nice hole of 15 feet. Another oak, almost equally good, 
 stands in an angle close hy, at the side of Garvock Burn, and 
 regarding which an interesting story is told. The particular 
 piece of ground upon which the oak stands was added to 
 Garvock as the result of an excamhion with Mr Belshes, the 
 laird of Invermay. The value placed upon the tree hy Mr 
 Belshes was £5, and he remarked that the laird of Garvock 
 could either take it or want it. The latter, however, had little 
 hesitation in including such a promising oak in his bargain. At 
 a short distance from this spot are the remains of a Pictish 
 camp, in a good state of preservation. 
 
 Garvock is considered to have been well-wooded from an 
 early period, and at present all the available ground is well 
 stocked with excellent timber. The Broad Wood is the oldest 
 of the plantations, and consists of about 30 acres of standard 
 oaks about 100 years old, intermixed with birch and oak coppice. 
 All the standard trees are of good size, and several are of 
 superior growth. In the Shaw Wood, which consists of about 
 24 acres, there are many fine oak, larch, and Scots fir trees of 
 about 60 years of age. In Garvock Hill Wood there is a very 
 thriving plantation of 40 acres, chiefly larch, about 30 years old. 
 Nether Garvock Wood has about 30 acres of young Scots fir 
 and larch, the latter being about one-third of the whole. A 
 portion of this wood is about 25 years old, and the remainder 
 about 12 years old, the whole of the timber being in a thriving 
 condition. Alongside the Perth Eoad, there is a nice little 
 plantation of 4 acres, known as the Birch Wood of Wellhill, 
 and consisting of a mixture of oak and birch. There are, in 
 addition, several smaller woods, and numerous clumps of thriving 
 trees, and as the greatest care has been taken to plant these only 
 in places where they are appropriate or useful, they contribute 
 very largely to the beauty and value of the property.
 
 XVIII.— GASK 
 
 Attractions of Gask — Roman Remains — Gask Woods a Hiding-Place of 
 Wallace — Visit of Prince Charles — Jacobite Relicts — The "Auld 
 House" — The "Auld Pear Tree" — The New Mansion— Chequered 
 History of the Property — Destruction of the Woods during the 
 Rebellion— An Exiled Laird and his Woods— The Policies — Notable 
 Beech Trees — A Magnificent Walnut — Other Remarkable Trees — 
 The Garden — Lawrence Macdonald the Sculptor — The Plantations. 
 
 Gask has achieved for itself enduring fame in several widely 
 different spheres. It is famous in history, famous in song, 
 famous in art, and famous as a favourite of Nature. The 
 Komans traversed its trackless forests — the great Scottish 
 patriot sought shelter within its almost impenetrahle woods — 
 "Bonnie Prince Charlie " enjoyed the hospitality of its " auld 
 laird," one of the most devoted of his subjects — the Baroness 
 Nairne, and her niece, Caroline Oliphant, " The Flower of 
 Strathearn," inaugurated the Jacohite minstrelsy of Scotland, 
 and sung the heauties of their much-loved home ; in Laurence 
 Macdonald, Gask has placed a son in a prominent niche in the 
 Temple of Art ; and it has heen favoured hy Nature with the 
 most gorgeous surroundings, and some of the noblest trees in 
 Scotland. In the remote past Agricola's legions made Gask one 
 of their stations, and have left memorials of their residence in the 
 old Roman Road, hy which the mansion is still approached from 
 the north, and in two small camps on either side of the road- 
 way. Coming down the stream of Time, we read of "Wallace, 
 pursued hy relentless and treacherous foes, finding a safe 
 hiding-place within its dark, untrodden woods. In visiting 
 Perth in 1290, in the disguise of a priest, he was just on the 
 point of heing captured when he received timely warning, and 
 ran, with a few followers, to the dense woods of Gask, whither 
 the sleuth-hounds were sent in vain to track him, their progress
 
 GASK. 197 
 
 "being stopped by the dead body of the traitor Fawdown. 
 "Wallace, with thirteen adherents, took shelter in the deserted 
 Gascon Ha', as Gask House was then called, and which is sup- 
 posed to have stood in the centre of one of the largest of the 
 present plantations. Here they passed a terrible night. While 
 the party were soundly sleeping, Wallace was aroused by the 
 blowing of horns, mingled with frightful yells, proceeding 
 apparently from a piece of rising ground in the immediate 
 neighbourhood. Scouts were sent out in all directions, until, 
 failing to return, the patriot was left alone. He wandered about 
 till morning, killing two Englishmen he encountered in the 
 interval, and afterwards directed his course to Torwood, near to 
 his uncle's at Dunipace. The most memorable affair, however, 
 in the history of Gask was the visit of Prince Charles in 1745. 
 Laurence Oliphant, the laird, and the whole family, were 
 enthusiastic Jacobites, and the honour of a visit from their 
 "rightfu' lawfu' King" sent all of them and their friends into 
 ecstasies. A large number of Jacobite relics are still in existence 
 within the mansion. These include the table at which the 
 Prince took his breakfast ; the chair upon which the Prince 
 sat, and which was never allowed to be profaned by meaner 
 occupants for scores of years afterwards ; the Koyal brogues ; 
 Kibbon of the Garter ; a piece of the cloak of Charles I., cut up 
 by Bishop Juxon for distribution ; Prince Charlie's bonnet, 
 spurs, cockade, crucifix, &c. One of the most cherished of these 
 relics is the lock which the laird's good lady — "the leddy, too, 
 sae genty " — clipped " wi' her ain hand," from the "lang yellow 
 hair" of " Scotland's heir," — the lady being Amelia, a daughter 
 of the second Lord ISTairne. Lady Nairne has exercised the 
 poetic licence in her metrical account of how the lock of the 
 Prince's hair came to Gask. She tells the true story in prose 
 as follows : — 
 
 " Charlie's hairs were given to my grandmother Strowan, the day they were 
 cut, hy the man who cut them, one John Stewart, an attendant of the Prince. 
 This is marked on the paper in her own handwriting. I have often heard her 
 mention this John Stewart, who dressed the Prince's hair." 
 
 The ruins of "the Auld House," immortalised by the 
 Baroness Nairne's exquisitely tender and beautiful song, are
 
 198 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 still to be seen. They nestle on the top of a gentle eminence, 
 shrouded with wide-spreading trees, overhung with ivy, while 
 
 " The wild rose and the jessamine 
 Still hang upon the wa'," 
 
 The " wild rose " is simply the ordinary Scotch rose, the 
 "jessamine " being the beautiful white clematis. They are both 
 almost completely smothered up with the ivy, and can barely 
 be traced. It cannot, however, now be said that there is 
 
 " Still flourishing the auld pear tree 
 The bairnies liked to see ; — 
 And o' how often did they speir 
 When ripe they a' would be !" 
 
 Although not now "flourishing," the trunk of the tree, a pretty 
 large one, is still to be seen nailed to the wall as in the days 
 when the bairnies looked forward to the ripened fruit with so 
 much glee. Tbe tree is thought to be amongst the first, if not 
 the very first, jargonelle pear tree introduced into Scotland. 
 The branches have been nailed to the wall in the way in which 
 gardeners are still accustomed to fasten wall trees, although the 
 swelling limbs have occasionally burst their bands. The house, 
 like most of the buildings of the period, was very irregularly 
 built, having been added to from time to time as circumstances 
 would permit, or as the exigencies of the family rendered 
 necessary. The prevailing characteristics are said to have been 
 angles, crow-steps, pinnacled staircases, and long chimneys. 
 The exposure was southern, and it looked down upon the fine 
 champaign country which distinguishes the lower course of the 
 Earn, until the view is interrupted by the serrated crest of the 
 Ochils. Even in Prince Charlie's time, " the Auld House " 
 could not have been very commodious, as is apparent from the 
 opening verse of the song : — 
 
 " Oh, the auld house, the auld house, 
 What tho' the rooms were wee ? 
 Oh, kind hearts were dwelling there, 
 And bairnies fu' o' glee. " 
 
 It is elsewhere described as a true " Honour's Broadstone," and 
 it must have been with a pang of regret that the family left it 
 at the beginning of the present century. The house which has
 
 GASK. 199 
 
 taken its place is one of the most commodious and elegant 
 country seats in Perthshire. Mr T. L. Kington Oliphant, the 
 present laird, states in his work on the " Jacobite Lairds of 
 Gask," that the new house was begun in 1801, " and was built 
 far larger than the wants of the family required, owing to the 
 promises made to the laird by a rich kinsman ; promises never 
 fulfilled. The war prices (the Peace of Amiens was but short) 
 made the cost of building enormous, although the quarries 
 were close at hand — quarries which the Earl of Strathearn had 
 allowed the monks of Iuchaffray to work so early as 1266." 
 
 The history of the property of Gask has been more than 
 ordinarily chequered, on account of the lairds taking a pro- 
 minent part in the Jacobite troubles. The Oliphants, as we 
 have shown in a former chapter, are a most ancient family, coming 
 to Scotland as far back as the twelfth century, when they at 
 once rose into prominence. The lands of Gasknes, as the pro- 
 perty was then called, were bestowed by King Eobert the Bruce 
 upon his trusty follower, Sir "William Oliphant, about 1310. 
 He then became the Lord of Gasknes and Aberdalgie, and from 
 him sprang every Oliphant who made any figure in history after 
 1312. He is buried at Aberdalgie, the three crescents, the arms 
 of his house, being still traceable on his tombstone. In 1458, 
 Laurence Oliphant received a Peerage from King James II., and 
 became the first and greatest of ten Lords Oliphant. It was he 
 who founded the Greyfriars House at Perth. His son had two 
 children killed at Flodden — Colin, the Master of Oliphant, and 
 Laurence, the Abbot of Inchaffray, the great monastic house of 
 Strathearn. The master of Oliphant, however, still left two 
 sons — Laurence, the third Lord Oliphant, and William the 
 forefather of the Gask line. When we come to the fifth Lord 
 we are forced to exclaim, with Hamlet, " What a falling-off was 
 there," he being described in the Gask papers of his age as " ane 
 base and unworthy man." He sold his great estates in many 
 different shires soon after the year 1600. Gask was alone saved 
 from the wreck, and was made over to his cousin, Dupplin 
 and Aberdalgie coming into the hands of the first Earl of 
 Kinnoull. The sixth Lord received a new Peerage from 
 Charles I. in 1633, and, having married a Crichtoun, obtained
 
 200 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 lands on the Deveron in Banffshire. The Gask branch of 
 the family sprung from William, the brother of the third 
 Lord Oliphant. "William's grandson, Laurence Oliphant, 
 bought Gask from the spendthrift Lord in 1625. The 
 great-grandson of the ancestor of the Gask line, Laurence 
 Oliphant, was a zealous Cavalier,— having been made to do 
 penance by the Covenanters for his zeal on behalf of Charles I., 
 — and received the honour of knighthood from Charles II., 
 when that monarch was in Perth with the Covenanters in 1650. 
 He added to his possessions by purchasing the lands of William- 
 stoun from Sir AVilliam Blair of Ivinfauns, "and paid for them 
 thirty years' purchase, when money was at ten per cent, interest." 
 James Oliphant, born in 1660, is described as one who "deserves 
 to rank with his great grandfather as a thrifty guardian of the 
 Gask heritage." He was one of the four Perthshire lairds who 
 on 9th October 1690 applied to the Scottish Parliament for an 
 Act to compel all the heritors to drain and ditch the Pow of 
 Inchaffray, which had been flooding the neighbouring lands. 
 This is the only instance on record of a great agricultural 
 improvement being effected under the authority of the Scottish 
 Parliament. It is worthy of note, however, that part of this 
 marsh, now amongst the most fertile land in Perthshire, was 
 reclaimed by the monks of Inchaffray as early as the year 1218. 
 The Jacobite risings proved most disastrous to the House of 
 Gask. The Laird of Gask and his son, both Laurences, were on 
 the field of Culloden, — the former with his regiment, and the 
 latter as aide-de-camp to Prince Charles. After that disastrous 
 battle they roamed about under assumed names — the father 
 passing as Mr Whytt, and the son as Mr Brown. " The Auld 
 House" was plundered by Cumberland's soldiers, although the 
 officer who ordered it was afterwards tried by court-martial and 
 deprived of his commission. The woods upon the property 
 suffered very much at this period from the military depredations, 
 large numbers of trees being cut down and sold. The laird and 
 his son ultimately made their escape to France, and the property 
 of Gask, like many more, was forfeited. A scheme, however, 
 was matured, by which the estate was publicly purchased in 
 1753 by staunch friends, and the laird and his son, on the
 
 GASK. 201 
 
 expiry of their period of exile— seventeen years — returned 
 once more to Gask, the angry passions of the rebellion having 
 cooled down. A letter in the family papers shows that the 
 laird took a considerable interest in the management of the 
 property while he was in exile. In the course of one of his 
 letters to his wife, signed " John Whytt," he shows that the 
 woods had a special interest for him : — 
 
 "I recommend that you'd cause look about your small plantations, and that 
 you'll recommend to Simon [the laird of Condie] and Lawson, that they would 
 be severe to all that shall cutt trees- or brake down any branches for firing." 
 
 The age of many of the existing trees indicates that this laird 
 and his son were the planters. The father died in 1767 at the 
 age of 75, a year after his granddaughter, the poetess, first saw 
 the light, she having been born at Gask, on 16th August 1766. 
 His reinstatement at Gask made no difference in the political 
 views of Laurence, but the times were more orderly and 
 tolerant. He lived till 1792, and Mr Kington Oliphant, in the 
 work already quoted, gives a faithful and, on the whole, a 
 flattering picture of his character. Although he had his faults, 
 — largely due to the age in which he lived and the circum- 
 stances by which he was surrounded, — yet, taking him all in all, 
 he seems to have been " chivalry embodied in the shape of 
 man." " In him was found a man's thoroughness, a woman's 
 softness, a child's simplicity." He appears to have been an 
 ardent arboriculturist. " This laird had none of his father's 
 learning. Trees he understood better than books; many of the 
 Gask woods were planted by him, and named after his 
 daughters." The poetess has herself given us a very beautiful 
 picture of her father — the succeeding laird : — 
 
 "The auld laird, the auld laird, 
 Sae canty, kind, and crouse ; 
 How many did he welcome to 
 His ain wee dear auld house ! " 
 
 After the death of the grandfather of the poetess, the 
 Oliphants softened down their politics considerably, — the next 
 laird, the Baroness Nairne's father, also a Laurence, enlisting 
 under the banner of George III. He built the new house of 
 Ga.sk, and effected other improvements upon the property, lie
 
 202 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 pulled down the " Auld Kirk " as well as the " Auld House," 
 taking care, however, to preserve the monument of his fore- 
 father who bought Gask in 1625. "The new kirk," writes the 
 present laird, "was built a mile from the house; the villagers, 
 not liking the change of the burial-ground, used to force their 
 way to the old kirkyard, that they might bury their dead near 
 their own kin ; and this went on for at least twenty years." He 
 died at Paris in 1819, and lies buried in Pere la Chaise. The 
 new laird, who bore his father's name, was only twenty-one 
 when he succeeded. He died at the end of 1824, unmarried, 
 and was succeeded by his only brother, James Oliphant, who 
 was one of those who escorted Queen Victoria on her first visit 
 to Edinburgh. He died in 1847, and was the eighteenth in 
 unbroken male succession from the William Oliphant upon 
 whom King Robert the Bruce bestowed the lands of Gasknes, 
 and who, in 1296, was taken prisoner by Edward I. at Dun- 
 bar, and sent into England with many other Scottish cap- 
 tives. James Oliphant was succeeded by his nephew, in the 
 female line, Thomas Lawrence Kington Oliphant, the present 
 laird. 
 
 The new mansion — which, as we have said, was built in 1801 
 — is a substantial and elegant square house, with a massive and 
 beautiful portico, and has quite a modern appearance. It stands 
 within a short distance from the " Auld House," and occupies 
 a commanding situation. It is so embowered amidst over- 
 shadowing trees, however, that its presence is not apparent until 
 the visitor is close upon it. It is now inhabited by the widow 
 of the late proprietor, the present laird occupying Charlesfield 
 House for some part of the year, a large and beautiful residence, 
 erected in 1873 upon the southern slope of the Braes of Gask, a 
 little to the north of Dalreoch Bridge, and a short distance from 
 the mansion-house. It commands a most extensive and charm- 
 ing view, the greater part of the rich valley of the Earn, with 
 some fine stretches of the river, and a wide range of the Ochils, 
 forming part of the landscape. The residence of the laird, 
 although occupying an open situation, is surrounded by thriving 
 young timber, which is already affording abundant shelter. 
 The policies at the mansion-house are richly ornamented with
 
 GASK. 203 
 
 hardwood trees, evidently planted with a liberal hand during 
 the lifetime of the historic " auld laird" and his father. 
 Although the great hulk of the timber is somewhere about 100 
 years of age, there are a good many more venerable trees, the 
 survivors of the military depredations to which the woods of 
 Gask were subjected during the Jacobite troubles. Immediately 
 on entering one of the approaches from the north, leading off 
 the old Kornan Eoad, — now the ordinary Perth Eoad, — we 
 come across a row of splendid beech trees, under which, it is 
 said, the soldiers of Prince Charles were regaled by the laird of 
 Gask in 1745, while their chief was enjoying the hospitality of 
 the " Auld House." The largest of these trees, the one nearest 
 the road, girths 15 feet 4 inches at the narrowest part of the 
 bole, which is immediately above the swell of the roots. The 
 tree afterwards swells out considerably, and at 5 feet from the 
 ground the girth is 18 feet. There is just 6 feet of a bole, the 
 tree then breaking into three great limbs. The other trees in 
 the row have boles of much greater size, but they are not so 
 large in the girth, although more valuable timber trees. The 
 largest of them girths 14 feet 1 inch at 1 foot from the ground, 
 and 12 feet 7 inches at 5 feet; 14 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 
 12 feet at 5 feet ; 14 feet 3 inches above the swell, and 12 feet 
 5 inches at 5 feet ; and another girths 11 feet 8 inches at 
 the narrowest part of the bole. The largest tree in the policies 
 is a magnificent old walnut, growing in a walnut grove, a little 
 to the west of the " Auld House." At 1 foot from the ground 
 the girth is exactly 19 feet, and at 5 feet from the ground the 
 girth is 17 feet 5 inches. The trunk then gradually swells 
 until a girth of 21 feet is attained, — the tree at 8 feet from the 
 ground breaking into a number of gigantic limbs. It is 
 altogether a notable tree, and is still very healthy. There is 
 another grand walnut a little to the north of the chapel, near 
 the "Avdd Kirkyard," and known under the sobriquet of 
 " Lord Oliphant," whether on account of some family association, 
 or because of its lordly proportions, we cannot tell. At 1 foot 
 from the ground the girth is 17 feet 2 inches, and at 5 feet the 
 girth is 13 feet 8 inches. There are about 25 feet of a bole, the 
 entire height of the tree being about 100 feet. There are
 
 204 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 several ash trees of more than ordinary dimensions. The largest 
 of these girths 16 feet 5 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 14 
 feet 4 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 10 feet, from which spring 
 four gigantic limbs, held together by a strong chain. The tree 
 is now in the " sere and yellow leaf," and is beginning to decay. 
 Another ash, a beautifully clean tree, girths 14 feet 6 inches at 
 
 I foot from the ground, and 12 feet 8 inches at 5 feet. There 
 is a fine bole of 10 feet ; after which the tree divides into 
 two large limbs. The scyamores are both numerous and of con- 
 siderable size. The largest of these has a magnificent bole of 
 35 feet, with a girth at 1 foot from the ground of 13 feet 4 
 inches, and 1 1 feet 7 inches at 5 feet from the ground. Another, 
 a more valuable timber tree, has a bole of 20 feet, and a girth 
 at 1 foot from the ground of 11 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet of 
 9 feet 9 inches ; and another, with a bole of 10 feet, has a girth 
 at 1 foot from the ground of 13 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet of 
 
 II feet. There are a great many oaks, the largest girthing 15 
 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 1 1 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, 
 with a bole of 20 feet; the next largest girthing 11 feet 
 7 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 10 feet four inches 
 at 5 feet. A cedar of Lebanon may also be included in the 
 list of the larger trees, the girth at 1 foot from the ground 
 being 10 feet 2 inches, and 7 feet 4 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. 
 
 The garden is almost equally as interesting as the policies. 
 One of the principal features of the garden is the gorgeous dis- 
 play of rhododendrons, which in the early summer present a 
 perfect blaze of the most brilliant colours. Not the least 
 interesting object in the garden is a marble life-size statue of 
 Apollo by Lawrence Macdonald. The statue, which was 
 originally at Orchill, has suffered a little from exposure, but it 
 is a capital specimen of the better class of the sculptor's early 
 work. The figure holds a lyre, and the expressive, listening 
 attitude of the Greek god of music and poetry is exceedingly 
 good. Lawrence Macdonald was born at Gask in 1798, in one 
 of a group of comfortable-looking cottages bearing the appro- 
 priate name of " Bonnie View," and situated about half a mile 
 west from the mansion-house. His father was exceedingly poor,
 
 GASK. 205 
 
 earning his living by violin-playing, assisted by his wife, who 
 acted as occasional nurse to the families in the neighbourhood. 
 Macdonald served his apprenticeship as a mason with Mr 
 Thomas Gibson, the builder of Murray's Eoyal Asylum, Perth, 
 and, as he spent a great deal of his spare time in the winter 
 months in modelling heads, he soon attained an uncommon 
 degree of proficiency, as is testified by the juvenile productions 
 which now adorn the gardens at Moncreitfe and Duncrub. 
 After doing some really good local work in the shape of coats-of- 
 arms, &c, he proceeded to Edinburgh, where he gained a con- 
 siderable reputation. Under the patronage of the Oliphants of 
 Gask, he proceeded to Eorne in 1822, and was speedily acknow- 
 ledged as the leading British sculptor in Italy, all the noble 
 Scottish and English visitors to Eome patronising his studio. 
 He did not forget his early patrons in the days of his pro- 
 sperity, and some of his finest works were gifted to the family, 
 and are now carefully placed in Gask House. He died in 1879, 
 but his fame is still being maintained in the Eternal City by his 
 son, Mr Alexander Macdonald, who had, in 1872, the honour 
 of executing a commission for the Prince and Princess of "Wales. 
 The figure of Apollo in the garden at Gask stands at the end of 
 a broad grass walk, and is a very prominent and beautifid object. 
 The only noteworthy trees in the garden are four very fine 
 araucarias in the flower garden in front of the ruins of the old 
 house. Two of these are particularly large, one of them being 
 about 35 feet high, and finely shaped. 
 
 The plantations are pretty extensive. Several of them are 
 loaded with fine old wood, principally Scots fir, larch, and 
 spruce. The Wood of Cowgask contains about 100 acres of 
 timber, chiefly Scots fir, about a century old! About 15 acres 
 of this wood were replanted 14 years ago. At Witchknowe 
 15 acres of Scots fir were planted about 12 years ago, the wood 
 being intermixed with a few young natural beeches. At Drum- 
 harvie about 50 acres of Scots fir, larch, and spruce were laid 
 down about 20 years ago ; and at Westmuir 50 acres of the 
 same varieties of timber were planted five years ago. In almost 
 all these plantations the trees are doing very well ; and at 
 "Westmuir, where the ground is a little damp, the spruce are in
 
 206 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 an exceptionally thriving state. In all of these newer planta- 
 tions the ground was carefully prepared before being planted, 
 and thoroughly drained wherever that was necessary. Most of 
 the available land upon the property is now completely clothed 
 with mature or thriving young timber ; and some idea of what 
 has been done in recent years will be gathered from the fact, 
 that during the past two decades no less than 100,000 trees 
 have been planted at Gask,
 
 XIX.— DUPPLIN. 
 
 The Interest Attaching to Dupplin— The Battle of Dupplin— Its 
 Antiquities — The Kinnoull Family— Dupplin Castle — The Policies — 
 The Queen's Visit to Dupplin — The Original Design of the Policies — 
 The Pinetum — The Octagon — Remarkable Trees — A Mysterious 
 Wcllingtonia — Kinnoull Hill — The Plantations. 
 
 Dupplin is one of the most interesting, as well as one of the 
 most beautiful, of the places we have to describe in connection 
 with the woods, forests, and estates of Perthshire. The interest 
 attaching to it is not limited to its magnificent castle, its 
 gorgeous surroundings, or its flourishing woods and remarkable 
 trees, but extends to its connection with the stirring events of 
 the past, and its relics of antiquity. The most notable historical 
 event with which it is associated is the Battle of Dupplin, 
 which was fought within a short distance from the site of the 
 present castle. This battle Was fought in August 1332, and 
 arose out of the generally disorganised state of the country at 
 that period. The " disinherited barons," who combined to 
 recover the crown from the Bruce family, had gathered round 
 Edward Baliol, and, putting him at their head as King, resolved 
 to try their fortunes in Scotland. The English Government 
 being at peace with this country at the time, the barons and 
 their leader found it impossible to cross the Border, but availed 
 themselves of the open seaboard, landing on the shores of Eife, 
 at the date mentioned, to the number, as is said, of 500 mounted 
 men and 3000 foot. The place of landing was so unfavourable 
 for the disembarking of cavalry that a small force, under a 
 competent commander, would have put an end to the daring 
 enterprise atone blow. The Earl of Mar,, the new Begent of 
 Scotland, was then at the head of a Scottish army ten times 
 stronger than the invaders, but he lost his opportunity; whilst 
 Alexander Seton, with a handful of soldiers, were cut to pieces
 
 208 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 in their attempts to drive the English from the Scottish soil. 
 Baliol lost no time in advancing to Dunfermline, and, as he 
 gained more confidence, he commanded his fleet to sail round 
 the coast and anchor at the mouth of the Tay, while he himself 
 pushed on in the direction of Perth. He proceeded as far as 
 Forteviot, where he encamped on " Millar's Acre," with his front 
 defended by the Eiver Earn. The Earl of Mar was in the im- 
 mediate neighbourhood with the view of intercepting the usurper. 
 His army numbered about 30,000 men, was excellently equipped, 
 and was commanded by the principal nobility of Scotland. 
 The Earl of March, too, was at Auchterarder with an army 
 nearly as numerous, threatening the English in flank. The 
 Earl of Mar posted his army on those fine slopes which dip 
 down from Dupplin Castle to the Earn, and which now command 
 the attention of railway travellers from their rich garment of 
 umbrageous trees, which present a most refreshing contrast to 
 the somewhat dull scenery which prevails for several miles 
 farther south. The situation seemed most perilous for the 
 English, especially as their commander had not the reputation of 
 being the most consummate general. But the enemy had trusted 
 friends in the Scottish camp. Several of the nobility whose 
 relatives had suffered in the Black Parliament, secretly favoured 
 the " disinherited barons," and by their treachery, the English 
 General was enabled to inflict an overwhelming defeat 
 upon the army of Mar at the moment when his own 
 destruction appeared inevitable. The Earl of Mar appears 
 to have been too confident of his strength, as, notwithstanding 
 his knowledge of the immediate presence of the enemy in 
 front, no watch was kept, and the soldiers, in violation of all 
 military discipline, were permitted to abandon themselves to 
 riot and intemperance. It has been asserted by an English 
 historian, on the authority of an ancient manuscript chronicle, 
 that the Eegent had entered into a secret correspondence with 
 Baliol, but it is stated, on the authority of Barnes (History of 
 Edward III.), that the conduct of Mar was rather the result of 
 weakness and presumption than of treachery. The English 
 were conducted to a ford in the Earn by Andrew Murray of 
 Tullibardine, who served in the army of March, and who guided
 
 DUPPLIN. 209 
 
 the English to the spot by driving a large stake into the channel 
 of the river. Baliol crossed the river in the silence of midnight, 
 and, marching by Gask and Dupplin, broke into the Scottish 
 camp, and commenced a dreadful slaughter — Mar's soldiers 
 being for the most part drunken, and heavy with sleep. An 
 effort was made to check the first onset ; and it is believed 
 this would have been successful but for the incapacity of the 
 Regent, who failed to improve an opportunity which occurred. 
 The immense mass of warriors — spearmen, bowmen, horsemen, 
 and infantry — became huddled and pressed together, multitudes 
 of the Scottish soldiers being suffocated and trampled upon by 
 their comrades ; while the English preserved their discipline so 
 well that within a few hours the whole of this grand Scottish 
 army was slain, dispersed, or taken prisoners — the English loss 
 being inconsiderable. At one part of the ground the mass of the 
 slain was a spear's length in depth. This was a most fatal day 
 for Scotland. There does not, indeed, occur in the whole of our 
 Scottish annals a more disastrous defeat than took place on 
 those beautiful slopes which have now such an artistic effect 
 upon the landscape. It is some consolation to know that 
 Murray of Tullibardine was speedily overtaken by the avenging 
 Nemesis, having been made a prisoner at Perth, tried, condemned, 
 and executed. An ancient stone cross, a little to the west of 
 the Castle, and almost due north from the ford by which Baliol 
 passed, marks the site of this bloody conflict. The cross has 
 been most elaborately carved, but the figures are now almost 
 obliterated by the destroying hand of time. Figures of horse- 
 men and bowmen, however, are traceable, the infantry being 
 represented in that peculiar processional order with which early 
 Egyptian sculpture makes us so familiar. About half a mile 
 north of the cross which marks the site of the Battle of Dupplin 
 a large tumulus or cairn was opened, and found to contain 
 .some coffins formed of rough flat stones containing fragments of 
 bones. About ninety years ago a stone was found near the 
 site of the castle, having two lambs carved upon it, ami was 
 taken possession of by the then Lord Ruthven. 
 
 The family of which the Earl of Kinnoull, the proprietor of 
 the Dupplin estates, is the representative, has a long and 
 

 
 210 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 honourable history. Tracing its descent to Sir John de Haya, 
 who lived in 1238, and was the ancestor of the Marquis of 
 Tweeddale, the first of this branch of the family we read of is 
 Peter Hay of Melginche, whose second son, Sir James Hay, 
 K.G., accompanied James VI. to England, and was created Lord 
 Hay, with precedence next to the Barons of the realm ; and 
 afterwards Viscount of Doncaster, and Earl of Carlisle. He 
 was entrusted with several important missions to foreign 
 countries. James, the second Earl of Carlisle, resided in the 
 island of Barbadoes. On his death, in 1660, his titles became 
 extinct, and the island of Barbadoes devolved upon the Earl of 
 Kinnoull, who sold it to the crown in 1661. Sir George Hay, 
 second son of Peter Hay of Melginche, was Gentleman of the Bed- 
 chamber to James VI., who granted him the Carthusian Priory 
 or Charter House of Perth, with a seat in Parliament. He was 
 High Chancellor of Scotland, was created Viscount of Dupplin 
 and Lord Hay of Kinfauns, in 1627, to the heirs male of his 
 body ; and created Earl of Kinnoull, Viscount of Dupplin and 
 Lord Hay of Kinfauns, May 1633, to his heirs male for ever. 
 Many of the succeeding members of the family have occupied 
 high positions in the Government of the country, and as pleni- 
 potentiaries to foreign courts. The ninth Earl assumed the 
 name and arms of Drummond, as heir of entail of his great- 
 grandfather, William, Viscount Strathallan, by whom the 
 estates of Cromlix and Innerpeffry were settled as a perpetual 
 provision for the second branch of the Kinnoull family in 1796. 
 The ninth Earl, with his eldest son, father of the present EarL 
 was appointed Lord Lyon King of Arms. The present Earl 
 succeeded his father in 1866. He married, in 1848, Lady 
 Emily Blanche Charlotte Somerset, daughter of Henry, seventh 
 Duke of Beauford, and by her he has five sons and two 
 daughters. Dupplin Castle, which occupies the site of an older 
 one accidentally destroyed by fire in 1827, is in the Elizabethan 
 style of architecture, and was erected at a cost of £30,000. It 
 occupies a beautiful site on the top of the slopes of which we 
 have been speaking, and its surroundings have been embellished 
 by all that art could suggest and wealth command. At the 
 south front of the Castle is a neat flower garden, with figures
 
 DUPPLIN. 211 
 
 artistically cut in the grass. The garden is further ornamented 
 by four very unique bronze vases of huge proportions. At the 
 south side of this garden there is a four-feet wall beautifully 
 clothed with ivy. To the right is a handsome balustrade stair 
 leading to the lower flower garden, with neat bronze vases 
 placed along the top at intervals. On the lower grounds the 
 walk curves gently to the left round the top of a deep den, 
 with a fine run of water, which has been diverted so as to form 
 a pretty waterfall opposite the Castle, thus heightening the 
 effect very considerably. The banks of the ravine have been 
 most tastefully planted with rhododendrons, ferns, roses, bays, 
 and yews, with here and there fine specimens of Cupressus 
 Lawsoniana and Cedrus Deodara growing luxuriantly 
 
 " Beneath the Castle'a sheltering lee." 
 
 To the east again, we have the Horse-shoe Den, forming a part 
 of the other, and planted very much in the same manner. Here 
 there are some of the finest specimens of Abies Albertiana in 
 Scotland. They are about thirty years of age, and are con- 
 sequently amongst the first planted in this country. They are at 
 least 30 feet in height, and are beautifully furnished. Fine views 
 of the glen are obtained from the windows of the Castle ; and 
 when the rhododendrons and other plants are in flower, the effect 
 is most charming. At the top of the den, and stretching away 
 to the south and east, there is another flower garden, with large 
 clumps of many-coloured rhododendrons, each figure consisting 
 wholly of one variety, edged with hardy mixed azaleas. These 
 plants have not as yet attained a very large size, and here and 
 there open spaces occur in the figures ; but advantage has been 
 taken of these to sow the single scarlet poppy, which, when in 
 flower, produces a very striking effect. Here there are also a few 
 very fine specimens of Swedish junipers, Irish yews, &c. ; and 
 in the centre of the garden is a small stream of water crossed by 
 a neat rustic bridge. The banks of the stream are planted with 
 large clumps of bays and common yews, all neatly and evenly cut 
 back to within two feet of the ground. There are also some fine 
 specimens of araucarias averaging about 30 feet in height ; and 
 several large figure beds of rhododendrons, each figure being 
 planted with one sort only, and bordered with azaleas. There
 
 212 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 are also some very fine trees of different varieties here and there, 
 of which we shall have more to say afterwards. This garden is 
 intersected by fine gravel walks, and is always kept in splendid 
 order. 
 
 Although the Castle appears, when viewed from the railway, 
 as if it were shut out from the surrounding landscape, this is not 
 really the case, as both from the windows, and from the policies 
 and gardens magnificent views are obtained, all obstructions 
 having been removed that were likely to detract from the 
 amenity, while the utmost care has been taken to conceal the 
 means by which the prospect is opened up. Straight at our 
 feet lies the whole of Lower Strathearn, with the river winding 
 its crooked way to join the Tay. Yonder is the busy iron 
 thoroughfare, along which travel, in rapid succession, the 
 vehicles of modern transit, the eye following the streaks of 
 snowy vapour until they are buried underneath the verdant 
 Hill of Moncreiffe. Westwards, we trace the whole range of 
 the Oehils. Eastwards, we look towards the thickly-wooded 
 rock which culminates in Moredun top, and gaze on the prettily- 
 situated village of Bridge of Earn, which nestles under its 
 shadow. All along the line in front are noble seats famed for 
 their beauty, and, in the case of some of them, celebrated in 
 song. Here we look upon the lordly Duncrub, there is Eree- 
 land, Condie, and Ardargie, and far away to the west are the 
 woods and mansions of Ardoch. Wherever the eye turns it rests 
 upon scenes of great natural grandeur, and we are irresistibly 
 compelled to halt in mute admiration. 
 
 " How oft upon yon eminence our pace 
 
 Has slackened to a pause, a nd we have borne 
 The ruffling wind, scarce Ciiscious that it blew, 
 While admiration feeding a the eye, 
 And still unsated, dwelt upon the scene." 
 
 The magnificent surroundings of Dupplin Castle did not fail 
 
 to attract the attention of Her Majesty when she paid her 
 
 memorable visit on 6th September 1842 — " the pretty view of 
 
 the hills on one side, and the small waterfall close in front of 
 
 the house," being specially mentioned in Leaves from the 
 
 Journal of our Life in the Highlands. This visit is one of the 
 
 notable events in the history of Dupplin. The royal party
 
 DUPPLIN. 213 
 
 entered the policies by the eastern gate, approaching the Castle 
 "by an avenue skirted by majestic trees, with glimpses at 
 intervals of park, landscape, and lawn, which coidd not fail to 
 catch the observant and admiring eye of the Queen. Her 
 Majesty was received by a most distinguished party, and the 
 Royal Standard, specially sent for the occasion by the Lords of 
 the Admiralty, floated from the turrets of the Castle, on which 
 were also displayed the colours of the Eoyal Perthshire Rifles, 
 of which the Earl of Kinnoull was Colonel. The royal party 
 were first conducted to the Baronial Hall, and were afterwards 
 ushered into the Library, where loyal addresses were presented 
 from the county, the address to the Queen being presented by 
 the Earl of Kinnoull, and the address to Prince Albert by Mr 
 Home Drummond, M.P. for the county. Addresses were also 
 presented to the Queen and Prince Albert on behalf of the city 
 of Perth, the Lord Provost (the late Mr Charles Graham Sidey) 
 having the honour of kissing her Majesty's hand. The royal 
 party then partook of the hospitality of the Castle in the great 
 dining-room, a large party of the nobility having the honour 
 of sitting at the table with Her Majesty and the Prince Consort. 
 The whole of the proceedings upon this memorable occasion 
 reflected the greatest credit upon all concerned, and the royal 
 visitors were exceedingly gratified at the enthusiasm which was 
 displayed. 
 
 After perambulating the policies of Dupplin, there is no 
 feature which will strike the visitor more than the systematic 
 plan upon which the grounds appear to have been originally laid 
 out. There is no record to show when the older trees were 
 planted, but from the geometrical character of the design, they 
 evidently belong to the period of the introduction of the Dutch 
 landscape system, and were, therefore, probably planted during 
 the reign of William and Mary (1689-1702). The design is 
 somewhat similar in character to the grounds at Hampton 
 Court, and several other equally well-known places in England. 
 Erom accidents and other causes, the original plan has been 
 very much disturbed, but enough still remains to show its 
 artistic character. At first sight, the rich timber which clothes 
 the slopes of the hill upon which the Castle is built appears as
 
 214 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 if it had been planted upon no particular system ; but a closer 
 examination brings out the fact, that those trees are all part of 
 a harmonious plan, which cannot now be described in its 
 entirety. The main feature in the design is the predominance 
 of avenues, roundels, and octagons — the evident intention 
 having been that the Castle should be in the centre of those 
 figures, as it probably was in earlier times. The design 
 is still tolerably complete, and it may be traced with some 
 little interest. Along the side of the road leading from 
 Forteviot Station there is a fine double oak avenue, ending 
 in a roundel at the South Lodge. A continuation of this 
 avenue extends from the South Lodge to the garden, all the 
 trees being of large dimensions. Above this oak avenue is 
 a double avenue of beech trees, all of large size, and some of 
 them amongst the finest in Scotland. One of these to which 
 we applied the tape measured 19 feet in girth at 1 foot from 
 the ground, and 15 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. Another in the 
 same avenue girths 1 8 feet at 1 foot, and 1 3 feet at 5 feet ; while 
 a third girths 14 feet at 1 foot, and 11 feet at 5 feet, with a 
 bole of 30 feet, and an entire height of about 120 feet. This 
 double avenue, with its two rows of grand trees on either side, 
 for about a quarter of a mile, is really one of the most magnifi- 
 cent walks of the kind in Scotland, and at one time it was pro- 
 posed to make the approach from Forteviot Station to the 
 Castle through its stately portals. Nearer the Castle is another 
 double avenue of beech trees, terminating in a roundel leading 
 to the Parsonage. Between these two beech avenues there is a 
 most thriving plantation of Abies Douglasii called " Oswald's 
 Strip," in honour of the planter, the late Mr James Oswald, 
 who was for thirty years gardener at Dupplin, and latterly 
 Superintendent of Wellshill Cemetery, Perth. They synchronise 
 with the Douglasii trees at Murtly, and their luxuriant growth 
 is accounted for by the very favourable soil, which is light and 
 -friable, with free drainage underneath. To the south of the 
 Castle is a fine lime avenue of great age, and, like the oak 
 avenue, leads to the South Lodge. There are several other 
 arboreal features in the same neighbourhood. At the south of 
 the Bowling Green we noticed a few of the finest specimens of
 
 DUPPLIN. 215 
 
 A. Douglasii glauca in Europe; and beside these is a magnifi- 
 cent specimen of Picea Cephalonica. Here, also, is one of the 
 finest, among the many fine silver firs in the policies. At 1 
 foot from the ground it girths 18 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet 
 the girth is 16 feet. It has a beautiful straight stem of 30 feet. 
 In this neighbourhood, also, there is a Norway spruce of a very 
 remarkable formation, having a numerous offspring attached to 
 it. The parent tree girths 6 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, but the 
 "parent" forms only a small part of the plant. The lower 
 branches have spread to a considerable extent, and taken root, 
 several of them having grown into pretty large trees. One of 
 these rooted branches girths 5 feet 2 inches at 5 feet up. 
 Another branch crawls, serpent-like, along the ground for 61 
 feet, but has not taken root, although one of its lateral branches 
 has set out on its own account. The length of this great 
 branch, and its peculiar creeping habit of growth, adds very 
 much to the picturesque appearance of the tree. There are 
 altogether eight thriving trees springing from the parent stem. 
 
 A nice walk leading to the Den is planted on either side with 
 Cupressus Lawsoniana of large dimensions, alternating with fine 
 specimens of old Scottish yews. At the foot of this walk a 
 neat rustic bridge crosses the burn, and from this point one of the 
 most magnificent views in the policies is obtained, embracing the 
 Castle, with the silvery waterfall in front, and the Den beneath. 
 
 Leaving the Den, the burn winds through the policies, passes 
 the old burying-ground of the Kinnoull family, and falls into 
 the Earn about a quarter of a mile below the Castle. On the 
 north side of the burn is another beautiful walk leading towards 
 the garden, on each side of which there is a magnificent avenue 
 of silver firs, which were specially brought under the notice of 
 Her Majesty and Prince Albert by the late Earl of Kinnoull 
 the royal party admiring them very much. To the north of the 
 Castle, again, are some of the largest silver firs in the country 
 and amongst the first planted in Scotland. One of these girths 
 rather more than the fir at the Den, being 20 feet at 1 foot, and 
 17 feet at 5 feet. It has a grand bole of 40 feet; after which it 
 breaks into two great branches, the entire height of the tree 
 being about 120 feet.
 
 216 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 The present Earl of Kinnoull is well known for his keen 
 arboreal tastes, and his lively personal interest in arboriculture 
 is shown in many ways. Several years ago his Lordship made 
 a beautiful avenue approach to the castle from the Perth and 
 Glasgow Eoad, through a very fine plantation, the trees in which 
 are thriving admirably. On the western side of this new 
 avenue, 10 acres of excellent land were laid out as a pinetum 
 about twelve years ago. This interesting portion of the policies 
 is finely sheltered, and intersected in all directions with grass 
 walks 20 feet in width. Amongst the more notable of the 
 conifers in the pinetum we may mention Pmus Cembra, Picea 
 Lowii, Abies Me?iziesii, Picea Nordmanniana, Picea nobilis, 
 Abies Hookerii, Pinus monticola, Picea grandis, Thujopsis 
 borealis, Abies Albertiana, Cupressus Lawsoniana, Pinus tuber- 
 culata, Juniperus Chinensis, many fine specimens of the glaucous 
 variety of the Douglasii; Taxodium sempervirens, Picea Cepha- 
 lonica, Thuja Warreana, Thuja Lobbii, Cedrus Deodara, 
 Wellingtonia gigantea, Cryptomeria Japonica, &c, &c. All 
 these varieties of the newer conifers are growing well, and some 
 of them are making exceptionally good progress. The largest of 
 the trees is Abies Douglasii, which is over 60 feet in height. 
 Taxodium sempervirens has reached over 50 feet in height. 
 Cedrus Deodara and Picea Cephalonica are each about 45 feet 
 high. These trees are all being reared under most favourable 
 circumstances, and an excellent opportunity is thus presented 
 for testing their value as forest trees. 
 
 Leaving the pinetum, and wending our way along the 
 numerous broad grass walks, and through the seemingly endless 
 avenues, we meet with many other objects of much interest both 
 to the ordinary visitor and to the arborist. After proceeding a 
 short distance along the road to Perth, we reach one of the great 
 features in the original design. The road is skirted on either 
 side with many magnificent specimens of the newer coniferous 
 plants and aged hardwood trees, and before we can distract our 
 attention from these we find ourselves in the centre of one of 
 those grand beech octagons, which form so prominent a feature 
 in the Dutch landscape style. This octagon is admirably 
 designed in accordance with the ideas of the time at which it was
 
 DUPFLIN. 
 
 2V 
 
 planted, and was evidently planned so as to open up what is 
 even yet a most charming prospect. Following this road, which 
 leads to the East Lodge, we pass, quite near the Castle, a fine 
 row of Araucaria imbricata, planted about twenty years ago, 
 and growing evenly and well, the average height being about 20 
 feet, or about one foot of growth for each year. Clumps of 
 rhododendrons have recently been planted in front of these to 
 
 THE DUPPL1N ARAUCARIA. 
 
 heighten the effect. The finest specimen of Araucaria imbri- 
 cata to be found in the policies — if not, indeed, in the whole 
 country — is situated in front of the conservatory. It was 
 planted about thirty years ago by the late Mr Oswald, and is 
 now 46| feet in height, its fine prickly branches growing close 
 
 to the ground. 
 
 The stem girths 5 feet 7 inches at 1 foot from
 
 218 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the ground, and the circumference of branches is 65 feet. It is 
 altogether a grand specimen, and secures the admiration of all 
 who see it. 
 
 Almost every variety of tree grown in this country has several 
 remarkable specimens at Dupplin. It would be tedious to 
 enumerate all of tbese, and we shall therefore only refer to a 
 few more of those which struck us as being most noteworthy, 
 and which may be taken as a type of many that are equally 
 good. Probably the best oak upon the property is one standing 
 near the north front of the Castle — 
 
 " Full in the midst of his own strength he stands, 
 Stretching his brawny arms, and leafy hands." 
 
 Immediately above the roots, being 2 feet from the ground, it 
 girths 16 \ feet, and 14 feet at 5 feet. It has a fairly good bole, 
 and a spread of branches of 80 feet. In the same neighbourhood 
 there is a very fine Spanish chestnut, girthing 23| feet at 1 
 foot, and 20 feet at 5 feet, with a very good bole, but rather 
 knotty. Another tree of the same variety girths 19 feet 9 
 inches at 1 foot, and 16 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a splendid 
 bole of 20 feet, supporting several arms of gigantic size. There 
 is another tree that is very largely represented in the policies, 
 the familiar tree of which Churchill sings — 
 
 " That pine of mountain race, 
 The fir, the Scots fir, never out of place." 
 
 One of the grandest specimens is to be found within sight of 
 the Castle, a veteran of about 200 years of age, and of huge 
 proportions. At 1 foot from the ground it girths 13 feet, and 
 at 5 feet the girth is 1 1 feet 6 inches. It has a clear bole of 
 15 feet, and an entire height of about 80 feet. Another is 
 slightly larger, and quite as good a specimen, the girth at 1 foot 
 being 13£ feet, and at 5 feet, 11 feet 6 inches, — exactly the 
 same as the other, the bole, however, being 20 feet, or 5 feet 
 larger than the one previously mentioned. Several larches of 
 large size and fine quality are to be met with all over the pro- 
 perty. One of these girths 1 2 feet 3 inches at 3 feet from the 
 ground. A spruce tree in the neighbourhood of this larch is
 
 DUPPLIN. 219 
 
 almost exactly the same size. In the latter portion of a beauti- 
 ful walk leading to the gardens there is an ancient avenue of 
 " sable yew," bearing numerous traces of having been made 
 serviceable in the making of bows in the barbaric days of yore, 
 before an advancing civilisation had discovered gunpowder. 
 One of these ancient yews girths 10 feet at 3 feet from the 
 ground, and another has a spread of 21 yards. 
 
 The newer coniferous trees are also largely represented 
 throughout the policies, as well as in the pinetum. Amongst 
 the more noteworthy of these is a very nice Taxodium semper- 
 virens, with a girth of 6 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and a height of 
 about 50 feet. Thujopsis borealis has been very largely planted. 
 The variety is exceedingly fine, and there is scarcely a bad plant 
 amongst them. To the east of the large araucaria is a fine 
 specimen of Cryptomeria Japonica. At the back of the garden 
 there are many beautiful specimens of Ctipressus Lawsoniana. 
 One of these, a very compact tree, finely feathered to the 
 ground, measures 33 feet round the branches. A Cedrus 
 Atlantica measures 15| feet at 3 feet from the ground; 
 another measures 13 feet at 3 feet. One of the most interesting 
 of the newer coniferous trees is a very good Wellingtonia 
 gigantea. This specimen made its appearance in Dupplin very 
 mysteriously — in fact, it is said to have, like Jack's famous 
 bean-stalk, grown up in a single night, at a time when a 
 Wellingtonia could not be got for love nor money. Its appear- 
 ance was first noticed on the 9th July 1859, after one of those 
 interested in Dupplin woods had returned from a midnight 
 visit to Murtly. It is said that the visitor did not find matters 
 at Murtly to proceed at first as satisfactorily as he could wish ; 
 but the " pocket pistol," which proved so potent at Dunkeld 
 when the larches were first introduced, had the effect of making 
 matters more pleasant all round. This was on the 8th July 
 1859, the day before the Wellingtonia made its mysterious 
 appearance at Dupplin. How it got there nobody can tell ; but 
 it is generally supposed that, like Topsy, it "grew," although a 
 ticket has now been attached, conveying the information that it 
 was "planted" on the day wo have mentioned. The tree now 
 girths 9 feet 9 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 7 feet 4
 
 220 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 inches at 5 feet. It has not adapted itself very well to the 
 confined locality in which it has taken root. Opposite this 
 Wellingtonia is a magnificent purple heech, — not so remarkable, 
 perhaps, for its size as for its beautiful form. 
 
 The plantations on the Dupplin property are quite as interest- 
 ing as the policies, although they do not, of course, present the 
 same variety of timber. The systematic planting of the estate 
 was commenced upwards of a century ago, as Pennant, in 
 describing his visit, mentions that Lord Kinnoull was at that 
 time (1769) engaged, with great spirit, in carrying out extensive 
 improvements both in planting and in agriculture generally. 
 The then proprietor planted, according to Pennant, " no fewer 
 than 80,000 trees, besides Scots firs," so as to provide " future 
 forests for the benefit of his successors and the embellishment 
 of his country." During the time of the late Earl, as well as 
 since the present one came into possession, due advantage has 
 been taken of the sites that were most suitable for extensive 
 planting. 
 
 In any reference to the plantations belonging to the Earl of 
 Kinnoull, the mind instinctively turns first to Kinnoull Hill, 
 of which Perth people are so justly proud. This eminence, 
 we need hardly stay to remark, is one of the greatest attractions 
 of the "Fair City"; and no visitor can say that he has seen 
 the real beauty of the situation of Perth until he has ascended 
 Kinnoull's " craig-encircled hill," and feasted his eyes upon the 
 gorgeous panorama spread out before him. Kinnoull Hill has 
 attracted the attention of travellers from a very early age, not 
 only on account of the magnificent prospect it affords of a 
 large extent of surrounding country and its fine woods, but 
 also on account of its geological formation. St Fond, in his 
 Travels through Scotland, states that a desire to examine 
 " the volcanic mountain of Kinnoull " determined him to 
 pass through the town of Perth. He was highly pleased 
 with his visit, and obtained such a collection of lava and agates 
 that he spent a whole night in sorting and ticketing the 
 specimens. The public are not only much indebted to the 
 Kinnoull family for free access to the hill every lawful day, but 
 for the construction to the summit of a pleasant walk or drive,
 
 DU1TLIN. 221 
 
 about one mile in length. The path winds through the grateful 
 shade of flourishing larch, spruce, and Scots fir trees, with 
 openings here and there through which glimpses are got of the 
 glorious scene which meets the eye when the summit is attained. 
 The highest peak is marked by a huge stone table, and from 
 this point the visitor looks down upon one of the grandest 
 scenes that can be imagined. Eight in front Moncreiffe Hill 
 raises its " piny height," and spreads out its fertile fields. 
 Through the valley at our feet flows the silvery Tay, broad 
 and deep, and all along its course the busy fishermen may be 
 seen capturing its finny treasures, while an occasional steamer 
 or a heavily-laden ship imparts to the scene an air of mercantile 
 activity. Away to the south-east we scan the Ochil Hills, the 
 Lomonds of Fife, the ancient Castle of Elcho,— memorable 
 from its association with Wallace,- — and the villages of New- 
 burgh and Abernethy in the foreground. About 200 yards 
 farther to the east of the stone table there is a ruinous tower, 
 from which an even more enchanting view can be had. The 
 view from Kinnoull Hill has exercised the muses of many local 
 poets, but none of them describe its glories in more glowing 
 terms than the Eev. Dr John Anderson, who, in his Pieasun-s 
 of Home, bursts out in pleasing verse — 
 
 " Here rise thy Gothic glories, proud Kinfauns ! 
 Amid umbrageous elms and swelling lawns. 
 There Elcho frowns as grimly as of yore, 
 When mail-clad Wallace swam from shore to shore ; 
 And yonder looms the lonely spectral tower, 
 Round which the clouds of grey tradition lower ; 
 While 'mid the vale, with Earn's wanderings bright 
 The camp-crowned Moredun lifts his piny height. 
 There Scone, half-buried 'mid the olden trees, 
 That speak of regal crowns to every breeze. 
 Lo! green Dunsinane rises o'er the plain, 
 For Shakespeare famous and the murderous Thane 
 Ami yonder Birnam stands, as then it stood, 
 When onward marched its dark, portentous "wood." 
 Lo! what a vision of the rolling Tay, 
 Leaving his mists and mountains far away ; 
 Like a bold chief, lie brings from Highland hills 
 His mingling myriads of resounding rills, 
 And ends his race beneath yon castled steep 
 That rears its hoary head above the restless deep.'
 
 222 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEETHSHIEE. 
 
 The natives of Perth have so long been accustomed to admire 
 the rich umbrageous covering of Kinnoull Hill, that it is a little 
 difficult to imagine that it was not always so beautifully clothed, 
 or that there was ever a time when the pine had no place upon 
 its delightful slopes. There was a time, however, when it 
 presented a very different aspect. In ancient times this hill, 
 like a great portion of central Scotland, was a dense forest. 
 The principal wood which then nourished upon Kinnoull Hill 
 was the British oak, and there is some slight evidence to show 
 that the trees must have been of considerable size — Mr Cant, 
 in his notes to his edition of Adamson's Muses Threnodie, 
 published in 1774, stating that it was the oak timber on 
 Kinnoull Hill " which produced the great beams in St John's 
 Kirk above four hundred years ago." The Hill of Kinnoull 
 proved no exception to the destructive tendencies of the ruthless 
 ages which brought about the disforesting of the greater part of 
 the country ; and this fine forest passed away so completely, 
 that in 1774 Mr Cant, in the note above quoted, mentions that 
 Kinnoull Hill " has been for many years no better than a barren 
 common." He mentions, however, with evident pleasure, that 
 the proprietors of the hill at that time were showing that they 
 were fully alive to the advantage and importance of maintaining 
 such a commanding eminence as something better than " a 
 barren common." He says : — 
 
 " The industry and improvements of Lord Gray towards the east, of the Earl 
 of Kinnoull in the middle, and of Doctor Threipland towards the western part, 
 will soon change this dreary desert into a beautiful plantation of fir, oak, and 
 other useful trees, and good arable land on the skirts. The planting on 
 Doctor Threipland's part of the hill is in good heart and forwardness, and is a 
 considerable ornament, not only to the estate, but also to the town of Perth, 
 from whence it is seen from the opposite side of the river which separates it 
 from the South Inch." 
 
 We are now, fortunately, in a position to enjoy the beauties of 
 the work which was commenced over a century ago, and can 
 most heartily endorse the opinion then expressed by Mr Cant, 
 that the planting is not only a considerable ornament to the 
 estate itself, but also to the town of Perth, as there is nothing 
 in the neighbourhood which strikes the visitor more forcibly
 
 DUFPLIN. 223 
 
 than the fine effect of the luxuriant timher on Kinnoull Hill, — 
 an effect which is not a little enhanced by the many handsome 
 villas which adorn its lower slopes. There are altogether about 
 100 acres of wood upon Kinnoull Hill. The other plantations 
 upon his Lordship's estate are much similar in character, and 
 extend in all to about 2250 acres, the wood being principally 
 larch and Scots fir.
 
 XX.— ABEECAIRNY. 
 
 History connected with the Property — Notable Proprietors — The Mansion 
 — Queen's Visit — The Old Mansion — A Venerable Ash — Design of 
 the Policies — Remarkable Trees surrounding the Policies — The 
 Nursery- — Remarkable Trees within the Policies — The Den of the 
 Muckle Burn — Lady Fanny's Grass Walk — The Shrubbery — Inch- 
 brakie — Historical Yew — The Village of Fowlis-Wester — The "Tree 
 of Fowlis " — The Araucaria in the Manse Garden — Druidical Remains 
 — The Plantations. 
 
 Both as regards the richness of its sylvan beauty, and its many 
 interesting associations, Abercairny, the seat of Charles Stirling 
 Home Drummond Moray, presents considerable attractions. It 
 is situated three miles east of Crieff, and is a place of great 
 antiquity, being mentioned in the Chronicles of Scotland as 
 existing contemporaneously with the Abbey of Inchaffray, 
 founded before the year 1200 by Gilbert, second Earl of Strath- 
 earn. This Abbey is situated in the parish of Maderty, and 
 was built on ground previously sacred to the founder and his 
 Countess, who had laid within it the dust of their first-born, and 
 selected it as a place of sepulchre for themselves. The Abbey, 
 with a few acres surrounding it, is now the property of the 
 Earl of Kinnoull, but nothing remains of the ancient building 
 but a ruined gable and a mass of fallen stones, pointing to the 
 mutability of all things earthly. The property of Abercairny 
 has been in the possession of the ancient and honourable family 
 of Moray, descendants of the Earls of Strathearn, for more 
 than five centuries. The place won distinction for itself at a 
 very early period. Prior to 1138, Abercairny was signally 
 ennobled in the person of Malise, the first earl, who took a con- 
 spicuous part in the Battle of the Standard, and the foundation 
 of whose castle is still traceable at a place called Castletown in 
 the neighbourhood. The Battle of the Standard was fought 
 between the Scots and the English on Cotton Moor, in the
 
 ABERCAIENY. 225 
 
 neighbourhood of Northallerton, in the year 1138, the object of 
 the Scots being to vindicate the right of Matilda, daughter of 
 Henry I. to her father's throne, against the usurper Stephen, 
 who had deposed her. King David I., who commanded the 
 Scots, proposed to begin the battle with an attack by the men- 
 at-arms and the archers, who were clothed in armour of steel. 
 The Galwegians claimed the honour of leading the attack, as 
 theirs by right of ancient custom ; but Malise interposed, and, 
 on remonstrating with the King, indignantly exclaimed — 
 " Whence arises this mighty confidence in these Normans 1 I 
 wear no armour, yet they who do shall not advance before me 
 this day." The Galwegians were called Normans because most 
 of them were English subjects of that race, who had taken 
 refuge at the court of the Scottish King, and joined his army. 
 To the proud words of the Earl, Alan de Percy retorted — " Rude 
 Earl, these are proud words, but, by your life, you shall not 
 make them good this day. " The King was compelled to yield to 
 the demands of the men of Galloway, but, notwithstanding their 
 armour of steel, the " Normans," as Malise tauntingly called the 
 vanguard, did not justify the confidence of the monarch, as the 
 battle ended so disastrously for the Scots that it is said they 
 lost 10,000 men, and Earl Malise had to be surrendered to 
 England as one of the hostages for the maintenance of the 
 Treaty of Peace which followed. In 1346 the title was 
 forfeited in the person of Malise, the seventh Earl, during the 
 minority of David Bruce, in consequence of the Earl's hostility 
 to Edward Baliol. Sir Maurice Moray, the son of Mary, sister 
 to the seventh Earl, who married Sir John Moray of Drumsar- 
 gard, the lineal heir of Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell, after- 
 wards had the title restored to him by King David II. ; but 
 Sir Maurice Moray having been slain at the Battle of Durham, 
 in 1346, and leaving no issue, the title was given to the King's 
 nephew, Robert, High Steward of Scotland, and was ultimately 
 annexed to the Crown by James II. in 1454. The Morays of 
 Abercairny are thus not only the lineal representatives of the; 
 ancient Earls of Strathearn, but of the Lords of Bothwell as 
 well. Two members of the family, Andrew Moray of Bothwell, 
 and his eldest son, George, fell at Flodden, while George's son 
 
 p
 
 226 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 was slain at the Battle of Pinkie. Another member of the 
 family, Sir David Moray of Gorthy, son of Sir Eobert Moray of 
 Abercairny, held the important office of Keeper of the Privy 
 Purse to Prince Henry, eldest son of James VI., and was 
 greatly distinguished for his scholarship and poetic genius. In 
 1G11 he published a volume of poems, entitled " The Tragicall 
 Death of Sophonisba ; Coelia, containing certain Sonets and 
 small Poems, and a Paraphrase of the civ. Psalme." The volume, 
 which was dedicated to Prince Henry, was reprinted by the 
 Bannatyne Club in 1823, it having become so scarce that a 
 copy realised thirty-two guineas at a public sale. His brother 
 John was minister of Leith, and an intimate friend of the 
 celebrated Andrew Melville. Being a staunch Presbyterian, he 
 suffered a good deal for his opposition to the prelatic schemes of 
 James VI., by whom he was imprisoned for publishing a discourse 
 containing some observations on the Bishops which offended his 
 Majesty. In the troubles of the seventeenth century, the 
 Morays of Abercairny attached themselves to the cause of the 
 Stuarts. An amusing story is related by Dean Ramsay of how 
 one of the lairds of Abercairny was prevented from joining the 
 Eebels. " One of the lairds of Abercairny," says the Dean, 
 " proposed to go out in '15 or '45. This was not with the will 
 of his old serving-man, who, when Abercairny was putting on 
 his boots, overturned a kettle of boiling water upon his legs, so 
 as to disable him from joining his friends — saying, 'Tak' that; 
 let them fecht wha like, stay ye at hame, and be laird o' Aber- 
 cairny.'" In modern times several of the lairds of Abercairny 
 have obtained distinction in the army. Charles Moray, who 
 married the eldest daughter and heiress of Sir William Stirling, 
 fourth baronet of Arrloch, attained the rank of Colonel; and 
 their second son, William, served ten years in India, and was 
 wounded at Waterloo. He rose to the rank of Major, and, on 
 succeeding to the property of Ardoch on the death of his 
 mother in 1820, assumed the additional name of Stirling. The 
 late Henry Home-Drummond of Blair-Drummond married 
 Christian, daughter of Colonel Moray, and their son, the present 
 laird, succeeded his mother at Abercairny in 1864, and his 
 brother at Blair-Drummond, &c, in 1876. He married, in
 
 ABERCAIRNY. 227 
 
 1 845, Lady Anne Georgina, youngest daughter of Charles, sixth 
 Marquis of Queensberry, and their eldest son, Colonel Henry 
 Edward Stirling Home-Drummond Moray, had the honour of 
 succeeding the distinguished Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, as 
 Member for the county of Perth — a position which he occupied 
 till the dissolution of Parliament in 1880. 
 
 The mansion of Abercairny is a spacious edifice, and was 
 built from designs by the late eminent architect, Mr Cricbton, 
 Edinburgh. It is in a most handsome style of florid Gothic, 
 and its elegant proportions and beautiful elevation harmonise 
 well with the delightful scenery by which it is surrounded. 
 The building was commenced in 1806 by the grandfather of the 
 present laird, Colonel Charles Moray. The house was not com- 
 pleted when Colonel Moray died in 1810. He was succeeded 
 by his eldest son, James, who, with much taste, had a great turn 
 for improvements, and during his occupancy the plans of the 
 house were frequently changed ; so much so, that when he died 
 in 1840 the house was not even then thoroughly finished. His 
 brother, Major William Moray-Stirling, who succeeded, had very 
 different tastes, and was most anxious to have the house com- 
 pleted, and the policies put in proper order. He built additions 
 to the west and east wings of the house, and effected several 
 important improvements upon the property generally. A very 
 effective addition was made by the present proprietor in 1869, 
 in the shape of a handsome tower, from the top of which the 
 beauty of the richly-diversified landscape is seen in all its glory. 
 The front view is to the south, and here a splendid prospect is 
 obtained of the beautiful vale of Strathearn, and, ten miles 
 distant, the Ochil range — some portion of which is the property 
 of the family — closes the view in this direction. To the west, 
 the eye rests upon the umbrageous splendour of the Knock of 
 Crieff and Turlum, the craggy magnificence of the Aberuchills, 
 and the rude peaks of the Grampians. To the east, the eye 
 wanders over another section of the rich and fertile Vale of 
 Strathearn ; and northwards, there are extensive plantations and 
 rising grounds, which strike the horizon in that direction. The 
 various alterations which have taken place in the building of 
 this handsome edifice have all been strictly in keeping with the
 
 228 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 original design, so that the house is as perfect in its outlines as 
 if its erection had suffered no interruption. The mansion stands 
 on an elevated terrace, looking over a heautiful artificial lake, to 
 which swans and other aquatic birds lend life and interest. 
 The Queen honoured Abercairny with a visit on the occasion of 
 her first tour through Scotland, and greatly admired its beauty, 
 and the loveliness of the policies and surroundings. The offices 
 — consisting of stabling, coach-houses, dairy, &c. — are detached 
 from the house some 300 or 400 yards, and are very complete, 
 the design being in thorough keeping with the mansion. 
 
 The old house of Abercairny was situated a little to the south- 
 east of the present building, and] on the south side of the lake, 
 which is such a prominent and beautiful feature in the policies. 
 The older part of this house was baronial in character, but 
 latterly, from the many additions and alterations which had been 
 made upon it, the design was considerably mixed. The last 
 portion of the old house was removed about forty years ago, its 
 latest occupants being several families engaged upon the work of 
 the estate. The site of the old house was, until October 1881, 
 when it fell, indicated by the trunk of an ancient ash which 
 grew a little to the west of the building. This tree would have 
 been removed long ago but for its kindly association with " the 
 auld house." Mr Drummond Moray had evidently a warm 
 feeling towards this old monarch of the woods, as he caused the 
 stem to be covered with ivy to preserve its outline from decay, 
 and make its form more picturesque. There was a little life in 
 it until lately, but before it fell the vital spark had been 
 extinguished. This interesting tree was reckoned to be about 
 300 years of age, and was situated in dry loamy soil, at an 
 altitude of about 200 feet, with a southern exposure. The 
 length of the trunk was 20 feet, the entire height of the tree 
 having been 90 feet. The girth of the trunk, at about 3 feet 
 from the ground, was 18 feet 8 inches. 
 
 The policies at Abercairny have, in the course of years, 
 undergone considerable change, but the original design has not 
 been altogether departed from. About the beginning of the 
 century, the grandfather of the present laird employed 
 Mr White, the landscape gardener, to lay out the grounds.
 
 ABERCAIRNY. 229 
 
 with the evident intention of building the present mansion. 
 
 The lake in front of the house, consisting of several acres, was 
 
 part of this plan, which appears to have been rather artistic. 
 
 This design, however, was partly altered by Major Moray, who 
 
 succeeded in 1840. During the ten years which he occupied the 
 
 property so many changes were made that it is now impossible 
 
 to conceive the exact character of the original design. The 
 
 flower garden, which is situated a little to the north of the 
 
 mansion upon gently sloping ground, was also laid out by the 
 
 grandfather of the present laird, although many improvements, 
 
 including a charming statue walk, have since been introduced, 
 
 tending to enhance the beauty of the grounds. The kitchen 
 
 garden is the same as was attached to the old house, but has also 
 
 undergone many alterations in accordance with advancing science, 
 
 and under the management of Mr Brown, the present head 
 
 gardener, has achieved no mean celebrity for all classes of fruits 
 
 and vegetables. During the existence of the old house the 
 
 policies were rather confined by the surrounding farms, — a 
 
 circumstance which may explain the absence, in any quantity, 
 
 of very old trees. These farms were gradually taken into the 
 
 policies as opportunity occurred, and the grounds remodelled. 
 
 In recent years some very desirable changes have been made 
 
 upon the policies. Formerly many of the most enchanting 
 
 views were shut out by trees which had nothing special to 
 
 recommend them. These have from time to time been removed 
 
 by Mr Drummond Moray, who has shown a most refined taste 
 
 in carrying out this work. By the removal of a single tree from 
 
 a particular place, views have occasionally been opened up 
 
 stretching over many miles of the fairest country, and adding a 
 
 a new charm to the grounds. Mr Moray has also introduced 
 
 another feature into the policies which will be even more marked 
 
 in after years than at present. Hitherto the parks have been 
 
 chiefly ornamented with deciduous trees, which, in winter, 
 
 presented a somewhat cold and cheerless aspect. This defect 
 
 has been remedied by the planting of clumps of fir trees, 
 
 including many of the newer conifers, at the most suitable points, 
 
 so that the scene is considerably brightened during the season 
 
 when the other trees are denuded of their leaves, while in
 
 230 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 summer a very pleasant contrast is presented. These fir trees 
 are still quite young, but they are sufficiently grown to show 
 how much they will heighten the general effect. 
 
 Although there are comparatively few very old trees, there are 
 several of considerable size both within the policies and in the 
 surrounding lands. The largest oak upon the property is not 
 within the policies, but on the farm of Kintocher, within a short 
 distance from the road leading from Abercairny Eailway Station. 
 It throws its " broad brawn arms " right across the Pow, and 
 reflects 
 
 " Its reverend image in the expanse below." 
 
 Its roots are planted upon a steep embankment, a single foot 
 from the ground on the one side being equal to 5 feet from the 
 ground on the other. Taking the trunk at 1 foot from the 
 ground on the upper side, the girth is 16 feet, the narrowest 
 girth being 14 feet 4 inches. Still measuring from the upper 
 side, we have a bole of about 8 feet, at the top of which the tree 
 breaks out into several large limbs, with a spread of branches of 
 about 80 feet. The tree appears to be one of a row originally 
 planted to embellish the banks of the Pow. In the same field 
 as this oak are two very large sycamores. In the first of these 
 the bole is short, but it is of respectable girth — the measure- 
 ment at 1 foot from the ground being 13 feet 3 inches, and 12 
 feet exactly at 5 feet from the ground. The entire height of the 
 tree is about 70 feet, and the spread of branches about 50 feet. 
 The other tree is much superior, both in size and symmetry. 
 Above the swell of the roots, about 2 feet from the ground, the 
 girth is 17 feet 2 inches, and at 5 feet up the girth is 14 feet 2 
 inches. There is a fine bole of 12 feet. The tree "then breaks 
 out into three main limbs, two of which are equal to the 
 dimensions of large-sized trees. The tree rises to a height of 
 about 70 feet, and there is a spread of branches of about 60 
 feet. 
 
 Before entering the policies we reach the house of the head 
 forester, Mr John Edward. Here a good nursery was laid out 
 about six years ago. There are about two acres altogether, with 
 a fine southern exposure, the nursery being effectually sheltered 
 from the winds of the north and west by thick plantations. It
 
 ABEECAIRNY. 231 
 
 is also well sheltered from tlie biting east wind by a strip of 
 rising ground and clumps of trees. The soil, however, is of a 
 poor character, being a stiff retentive till, but may gradually be 
 improved by working. The plants chiefly reared are larch, 
 Scots fir, and spruce, with a few silver firs, hard wood, and 
 ornamental trees. During the short time the nursery has been 
 in use, it has been found that the Scots firs thrive best. A 
 portion of these have been raised from seed by Mr Edward 
 himself, the remainder being obtained from the Perth and Crieff 
 Nurseries. The ornamental plants include Picea Nurd- 
 manniana, Pinus Cembra, Pinua Strobus, Picea nobilis, Picea 
 Pinsa-po, Cedr'us Deodara, Picea Gephalonica, Abies Douglasii, 
 Wellingtonia gigantea, Picea grandis, Picea bifida. Pinus 
 parviflora, Picea Webbiana, Abies Albertiana, and Araucaria 
 imbricata. The latter plants were obtained from Mr Whitton, 
 Methven Castle, and are said to have been raised from seed pro- 
 cured at Bicton, Devonshire, and believed to be the first 
 araucaria seed successfully raised in this country. There are 
 also a few specimens of Pinus excelsa, Pinus monticola, Pinus 
 aristata, and Pinus densiflora. There are two specimens of the 
 fern-leaf lime tree which Mr Drummond Moray had seen at Mon- 
 creiffe, and taken a fancy for. The hardwoods being trained 
 in the nursery include the variegated sycamore, purple-leaf 
 sycamore, ash-leaf maple, Corstorphine sycamore, purple flower- 
 ing laburnum, purple beech, tulip trees, as well as all the 
 commoner varieties. 
 
 Entering the policies by the Auchterarder approach, we pro- 
 ceed to note the more remarkable trees. Immediately on 
 entering the grounds, we meet with three large ash trees 
 crowning a small eminence, the largest of the three girthing 12 
 feet 3 inches at the narrowest part of the bole. There are 
 several oaks of considerable size scattered throughout the policies, 
 although none of them come up to the dimensions of the one 
 at Kintocher. One of the largest of the policy oaks was struck 
 with lightning about ten years ago, and now presents a rather 
 curious appearance. The top was completely knocked away, 
 the electric fluid passing down both sides of the tree, and 
 splitting it up, so that Ave can look through the opening. The
 
 232 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 bark, too, was almost peeled off, but tbere "was still sufficient 
 left to carry up the nourishment. The way in which the tree 
 has recovered from this accident is really marvellous. It has 
 formed a fine new head for itself, while the bark is gradually 
 closing up the wounds. After this accident the tree might 
 have been destroyed, but for the fact that it stands at a 
 sharp curve of the road, and is useful as a turning-point. The 
 largest oak in the policies girths 14 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, — 
 exactly the same as the Kintocher oak at the narrowest point, — 
 and 12 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. Although it is not so large in 
 girth as the Kintocher oak, it is a very much finer tree, having 
 a splendid bole of about 45 feet, and an entire height of about 
 80 feet. The largest of the walnut trees girths about 12 feet at 
 3 feet from the ground. It is a very old tree, but, although 
 the trunk is decaying, the top is fresh and vigorous. Mr 
 Drurnmond-Moray has long taken a deep interest in the more 
 remarkable trees both here and at Blair-Drummond, and, from 
 his careful observations and measurements, we are able to 
 contrast the growth of many of them since the year 1860. 
 This walnut, which stands near the approach to the old house, 
 is the first of those we are able to compare in this way. In 
 1860 the girth was 10 feet 6 inches at 3 feet from the ground ; 
 at present the girth, at 3 feet, is 12 feet, being an increase of 
 18 inches since 1860. In the same park as this tree there is 
 a hornbeam with a remarkably fine spread of branches. The 
 foliage is very dense ; and, as it affords the best shelter in the 
 park, it is the favourite resort of the cattle, the branches being 
 lifted about 6 or 7 feet from the ground by their regularly 
 congregating under its spreading boughs. The girth at the 
 narrowest part of the bole is 6 feet. We have already alluded 
 to the veteran ash which stood near the site of the old mansion, 
 but there are several other very good trees of the same species 
 in full vigour in various parts of the policies. There is a fine 
 one near the spot where the old farm-steading stood. At 1 foot 
 from the ground the girth is 14 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet 
 the girth is 12 feet 11 inches. Another ash in the same 
 neighbourhood girths 14 feet above the swell of the roots at 2 
 feet from the ground, and 11 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. Although
 
 ABERCAIRNY. 233 
 
 the latter is the smaller of the two, it is a far better tree, both 
 as regards quantity of timber and shapeliness. The largest 
 Spanish chestnut girths 14 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet 
 7 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of upwards of 20 feet. A horse 
 chestnut girths 9 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 8 feet 7 inches at 
 5 feet, and has a fine spread of branches. There are several 
 very good sycamore trees within the policies. The largest of 
 these grows about 200 yards south-east from the house, and 
 almost 60 yards south of the approach leading to the house from 
 that direction. At 1 foot it girths 21 feet, and at about 2 feet 
 from the ground it divides into two portions girthing 13 feet 5 
 inches and 13 feet 3 inches respectively; and, again, at 3 J feet 
 and 4 feet from the ground, these two parts divide each into 
 other two parts, girthing 9 feet 1 1 inches and 6 feet 1 1 inches, 
 and 8 feet 10 inches and 7 feet 7 inches. The tree is about 60 
 feet high, and has a beautifully-shaped top, with a spread of 
 branches of almost 65 feet. It is in every respect a magnificent 
 park tree, and, when in full leaf, has a rich, luxuriant appear- 
 ance. The two largest Scots firs girth 11 feet 10 inches and 9 
 feet 10 inches respectively at 3 feet from the ground. There 
 are four very fine Scots firs a little to the west of the house, the 
 largest of them girthing 10 feet 3 inches at 3 feet from the 
 ground. In 1860 this tree girthed 8 feet 7 inches at 3 feet, 
 being a growth of 1 foot 8 inches since that date. The 
 beech with the largest girth grows by the side of Wester Pond. 
 The trunk, which is very short, girths 12 feet at its narrowest 
 part. It has a spread of close, even branches of fully 80 feet. 
 
 Leaving the neighbourhood of the mansion, and proceeding 
 along the Crieff approach, we meet with many valuable products 
 of the forest. Here are the two best larch trees upon the 
 property, growing close by the side of the approach. The 
 larger of these is really a splendid tree, being fully 80 feet in 
 height, and having a girth above the swell of the roots, being 3 
 feet from the ground, of 13 feet 8 inches, and 11 feet 10 inches 
 at 5 feet. Availing ourselves of Mr Moray's former measure- 
 ments of this tree, we find that in 1860 it girthed 11 feet 5 
 inches at 3 feet, and in 1876 it girthed 12 feet 8 inches at 3 
 feet. There has thus been an increase in the girth of this tree
 
 234 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 since the year 1860 of 2 feet 3 inches, and during the past 
 seven years of about 12 inches. The smaller tree has a girth 
 of 11 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 11 inches at 5 feet, 
 being a corresponding increase upon the former measurements. 
 The largest elm upon the property also grows by the side 
 of this approach. At 3 feet up it girths 13 feet 6 inches, 
 and at the narrowest part of the bole, being 5 feet from 
 the ground, the girth is 12 feet 9 inches. The roots are 
 very irregular. In 1860 this tree girthed 11 feet 4 inches 
 at 3 feet, being an increase of 2 feet 2 inches since that date. 
 In another part of the policies there is an elm almost equally 
 large, the girth at 1 foot being 13 feet 8 inches, and at 5 feet 
 12 feet 3 inches. Continuing along the Crieff approach, we 
 next come to the largest lime tree upon the property. Above 
 the swell of the roots, being 2 feet from the ground, this 
 tree girths 10 feet 11 inches, and 8 feet 11 inches at 5 feet. 
 In the same neighbourhood, and chiefly at the west side of the 
 house, there are a number of very good silver firs. The largest 
 of these girths 16 feet 4 inches above the swell of the roots, 
 being 2 feet from the ground ; and at 5 feet the girth is 13 feet 
 11 inches. In 1860 the girth at 3 feet was 12 feet 4 inches. 
 The tree has a fine bole of 20 feet, after which it breaks into 
 two heavy branches, and reaches an entire height of 80 feet, 
 Close beside this fir, and growing by the edge of the approach, 
 is the prettiest spruce upon the estate. It is beautifully 
 feathered to the ground, and is very regularly tapered. At the 
 narrowest part of the bole, being 3 feet from the ground, the 
 o-irth is 10 feet 11 inches. It has a height of about 70 feet, 
 and is altogether a most symmetrical tree. It is not, however, 
 the largest spruce upon the property, as we met with another 
 having a girth of 11 feet 8 inches at 3 feet from the ground. 
 The largest "Weymouth pine, also in this neighbourhood, girths 
 8 feet 4 inches at 3 feet up, with a fine bole of 20 feet. Beside it 
 is the largest cedar of Lebanon, which girths 9 feet 5 inches at 
 1 foot, and 8 feet 3 inches at 5 feet,— the entire height being 
 about 65 feet. In 1860, when this tree was measured at 3 feet 
 from the ground, the girth was 6 feet 10 J inches. There are 
 also two very fine cedars of Lebanon growing in forced ground
 
 ABERCAIRNT. 235 
 
 in front of the mansion, and making unusually good progress, 
 owing to the richness of the soil. 
 
 As we draw nearer the lodge, the Crieff approach, which 
 originally led to the old mansion-house, increases in sylvan 
 beauty, the general effect being considerably enhanced by open- 
 ings here and there amongst the trees revealing the " Muckle 
 Burn," or the Cairny, rippling amidst moss-grown boulders, 
 and gurgling over miniature waterfalls. Ever and anon we 
 pause to listen to the enchanting music of the bubbling stream 
 fresh from the mountains, or to admire the fair proportions and 
 rich foliage of the trees and evergreens which line its banks. 
 At almost every step we may rest in one of those fairy-like spots 
 for which Hunt sighed so much — 
 
 " Oh ! for a seat in some poetic nook 
 Just hid with trees and sparkling with a brook ! " 
 
 Crossing the Crieff Road, we enter the North Glen of the 
 Muckle Burn, one of the most charming retreats in a neigh- 
 bourhood peculiarly rich in the most enticing forms of natural 
 scenery. The course of the burn is in some places very 
 rugged, the water having to leap over rocks of considerable 
 altitude, and on both sides the banks are picturesquely adorned 
 with forest vegetation. Neat walks have been cut along the 
 greater part of each side of the burn. The walk up to the first 
 waterfall has been in existence for a good many years, but 
 about twelve years ago Mr Moray continued the road to the 
 upper fall, — a distance of one mile and a half from the public 
 road, — and erected a number of rustic seats at the most desirable 
 points. The burn is crossed at various places by bridges, also 
 of rustic design, from which the visitor can look with safety 
 upon the violent passage of the torrent beneath, as it rushes 
 over the precipitous rocks to the deep pools which it has scooped 
 out for itself far down in the Glen. The lower part is enriched 
 by some splendid trees of various kinds. There are several fine 
 larches of about eighty years of age. One of the trees that 
 struck us as being amongst the most remarkable in the Glen is 
 a splendid ash rising to a height of fully 100 feet. It is situated 
 immediately below the first waterfall, so that there is always 
 plenty of sap about the roots, without the water ever becoming
 
 236 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIKE. 
 
 stagnant. There are many nice openings amongst the trees, 
 from which delightful peeps are got of the surrounding country. 
 The best view is met with almost half-way up, where the visitor 
 can rest upon an oak seat, and leisurely admire a magnificent 
 panoramic scene. The view embraces the romantic Castle of 
 the Drummonds and Drummond Park, studded with numerous 
 heavy trees, and surrounded by dark plantations of fir. South- 
 east of Drummond Park we see the blue smoke of Muthill 
 curling amidst embowering woods, the ground behind gradually 
 rising until it assumes the proportions of a considerable hill. The 
 Ochils are seen in the extreme south-east dipping into the plain 
 below Auchterarder. 
 
 Having admired the beauties of the " Muckle Burn," we re- 
 enter the Crieff approach, and proceed along 'the high walk 
 which overlooks it, and again find much that is interesting. 
 Xot the least of the attractions is the magnificent view which is 
 here to be had of Lady Fanny's Grass Walk, — three-quarters of a 
 mile in length and about 45 feet wide, — the entire walk being 
 lined with magnificent trees. The Cairny runs along the east 
 side of the Walk, and on the east side of the burn there is a 
 row of splendid limes. On the west side of the burn there is 
 another row of equally good lime trees, the burn flowing quietly 
 between the two rows of limes. On the west side of the 
 Walk there is a fine row of beech and oak trees, mixed, so 
 that there are altogether three rows of trees, one row being on 
 either side of the Walk, forming a close avenue, and the other 
 lining the outer side of the burn. This handsome walk is sup- 
 posed to have been constructed about 1750, by Lady Frances 
 Montgomery, sister of Lady Christian Moray, wife of James 
 Moray, the thirteenth laird of Abercairny, and great-grandfather 
 of the present proprietor. Lady Frances staj^ed at Abercairny 
 with her brother-in-law for some time after the death of her 
 sister, and took charge of the children. The avenue, as already 
 stated, has a straight course of three-quarters of a mile ; but this 
 is not the entire length of the Walk, as it afterwards takes a 
 sharp turn to the east, and continues for about a mile farther. 
 Proceeding along the high walk above the Creiff approach, we 
 come across the second largest of the silver firs upon the
 
 ABERCAIRNY. 237 
 
 property. At 1 foot from the ground the girth is 16 feet, and 
 at 5 feet the girth is 13 feet 4 inches. Beside it is a beech 
 girthing; 10 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 6 inches at 5 
 feet. A little farther on we corae to the shrubbery, which 
 contains a number of rare and beautiful plants. The shrubbery 
 covers a considerable space, and has been greatly enlarged by 
 the present laird. It is intersected by two grass walks of 30 
 feet wide. Amongst the most notable of the trees here is a 
 Wellingtonia gigantea, coming away nicely, and now about 35 
 feet high. In the middle of the shrubbery there is a clump of 
 silver firs of large size. There are also fine specimens of most 
 of the newer coniferous plants, including Picea nobilis, Picea 
 Nordmanniana, Abies Hooker ii, Pinus excelsa, Pinus rrtimticola, 
 Pinus Cembra, Taxodium senvpervirens, Abies Menziesii, Cupres- 
 sus Lawsoniana, &c. The largest Taxodium sempcrvirens, which 
 is situated in the flower garden, is 35 feet in height, and has a 
 girth of 5 feet 2 inches* at 1 foot, and 5 feet at 3 feet from the 
 ground. The largest Abies Menziesii is 42 feet in height, the girth 
 at 1 foot being 4 feet 3 inches, and at 3 feet 3 feet 10 inches. The 
 largest Cup'essus Lawsoniana reaches a height of about 35 feet, 
 and at 3 feet the girth is 3 feet 7 inches. On leaving the 
 shrubbery we find ourselves at the back of the mansion-house, 
 where the largest beech upon the property grows. At 1 foot 
 the girth is 1 2 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet 1 1 feet 9 inches. 
 There is a good bole of 8 feet, at the top of which the tree 
 breaks into three large limbs. The tree is most shapely in form, 
 and is exceedingly ornamental. 
 
 The estate of Inchbrackie, immediately adjoining Abercairny, 
 was purchased by Mr Drummond Moray in December 1882, the 
 property having previously belonged, for eleven generations, to 
 the Graemes, who are in direct male descent from William, first 
 Karl of Montrose, by his third Avife, Christian, daughter of 
 Thomas Wavan of Stevenson, and relict of Patrick, sixth Lord 
 Hallyburton. The first Earl of Montrose, as is well known, was 
 killed at the Battle of Flodden The remains of the ancient Castle 
 of Inchbrakie, which are surrounded bya moat, are in the vicinity 
 of ilx- present house. The Castle is understood to have been 
 destroyed by Cromwell, to punish the proprietor, Patrick Graeme,
 
 238 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEETHSHIEE. 
 
 an active officer in the army of his cousin, James, fifth Earl of 
 Montrose, who was created Marquis on 16th May 1644. A 
 large yew tree within the moat is said to have afforded conceal- 
 ment by its thick foliage to this celebrated Marquis of Montrose 
 during the troublous times of 1646. The girth of this tree at 
 
 I foot from the ground is 1 1 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet the 
 girth is 10 feet 7 inches. The length of bole is 7 feet, the entire 
 height of the tree about 35 feet, and the spread of branches 39 
 feet. The finest larch on this property grows on slightly rising 
 ground. It girths 12 feet 5 inches above the swell of the roots 
 and below any of its large curved branches, about 3 feet from the 
 ground. There is a very fine old ash tree in " Front Park," in a 
 group of old sycamore trees, the girth being 14 feet 9 inches 
 at 3 feet from the ground. There are also a number of handsome 
 oaks, limes, and beeches. One of the largest of the latter girths 
 
 I I feet 8 inches above the swell of the roots. Close to the 
 mansion there is a fine old avenue about 80 yards in length, known 
 as " The Beech Walk." The total amount of wood upon this 
 property is about 76 acres. 
 
 Little more than a mile beyond the park wall of Abercairny 
 lies the village of Fowlis-Wester, snugly notched into a natural 
 cleft in the hillside. One or two graceful and picturesque 
 sycamores stand here and there amongst its old-fashioned 
 thatched houses and straggling kailyards. Fowlis at one time 
 seems to have been filled with busy weavers, and to have been 
 surrounded by a good many smaller villages or clachans, each 
 of which held its looms, and had its acres or crofts. These 
 neighbouring clachans are now entirely swept away, and the 
 only trace of their former whereabouts is here and there a 
 group of old ash trees. The last to disappear of such villages 
 was Castleton, on the Fowlis-Wester estate of Sir Patrick 
 Murray, in the midst of which stands a huge grass-grown mound, 
 the ruins of the ancient castle of the Earls of Strathearn. 
 Fowhs is in an interesting transition state, passing from a 
 mouldering clachan into a pretty, tidy village. This is due to 
 the fostering care of the Laird of Abercairny, under whose 
 wise and thoughtful management, encouragement is given to 
 thrifty labourers to occupy well-built slated houses with trim
 
 ABEKCAIRNY. 239 
 
 surroundings, while fclie old thatched cabins are patched and 
 propped as well as may be for the sake of the poor old people, 
 who not only sit within tbem rent free, but tax the ingenuity 
 and generosity of their landlord to the utmost for means and 
 devices by which the weather may be kept out of their dwell- 
 ings. Among the modern structures of the village is a very 
 well-built and commodious schoolhouse. Near it is a school- 
 master's house, which serves also as Post Office, Registrar's 
 Office, and as the headquarters of parish business generally. A 
 good inn, with neat porch, and trimly kept flower borders, and 
 a bright sunny aspect, occupies a central position on one side of 
 what may be called the Village Square. In the centre of this 
 Square stands the most ancient relic certainly of former times. 
 It is a stone cross, about 10 feet high and 3 feet broad, similar 
 to those which are seen at Meigle, Glamis, and elsewhere. On 
 one side are figures of men and animals in relief ; on the other, 
 the carved tracery which follows the outlines of the cross is quite 
 distinct and very beautiful. This cross stands carefully sur- 
 rounded by an iron railing, and is in excellent preservation, and 
 well worthy of inspection. A picturesque gateway leads into 
 the churchyard. The arch is semi-circular, like a Roman arch ; 
 and a triangular stone above the centre peeps out from among 
 the ivy, with its boldly-relieved text from the old Scotch 
 version — 
 
 ' ' TAK HEID TO THY FOOT WHEN THOV ENTREST INTO THE 
 HOWS OF GOD. 1644." 
 
 Above this inscription hang three leaves, points downward, and 
 bound together at the top. Three brothers are said to have 
 come from France, — their cognisance the three leaves (Jeuilles), 
 — and to have settled, one here, another at Fowlis-Easter, near 
 Dundee (which, like the estate of Fowlis-Wester, belongs to the 
 Ochtertyre family), and the third at Fowlis, in Ross-shire. 
 According to this legend Fowlis is a corruption of Fcuilles. 
 The church is a long, low-roofed building. The walls are old, 
 and the slates rough and clumsy, but much has been done for 
 the inside, which is neat and comfortable, and it held when we 
 last had the pleasure to be there, a large and respectable con- 
 gregation. The kirkyard is neatly kept.
 
 240 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 In the middle of the older portion of the village (where the 
 old wives and the old thatch-roofs prevail) stands one of the 
 handsomest and most widely -spreading dark-leafed sycamores to 
 be seen anywhere. Its site is the summit of a knoll, on which 
 the converging ends of several kailyards belonging to the sur- 
 rounding houses meet, and it can be seen from all points and 
 from great distances. It is known as "The Tree of Fowlis." 
 The story has come down, and lives in the clachan, that it was 
 planted by a man of Fowlis on a Sabbath-day, and that it was 
 planted " wi' his thoom." In 1860, when this tree was measured 
 by Mr Drummond Moray, it girthed 1 2 feet 9 inches above the 
 swell of the roots, being about 3 feet from the ground. The 
 girth above the swell of the roots is now 17 feet, being a 
 growth of 4 feet 3 inches since the year 1860. At 5 feet 
 the girth is now 14 feet 3 inches. There is a fine bole of 
 15 feet, a spread of branches of 75 feet, and a total height 
 of about 70 feet. It is in every respect a most magnificent 
 tree, and is regarded by the people of Fowlis with becoming 
 veneration. On the lawn in front of the manse stands a very 
 fine specimen of Armiaaria imbricata, which has produced 
 a crop of cones. The tree is about 25 feet in height, and 
 remarkably graceful in its ramification. It was planted 
 by the Eev. Mr Hardy upwards of twenty years ago. The 
 soil in which it is rooted is very stony. It stands about 
 350 feet above sea-level, and is accordingly comparatively 
 safe from the influence of hoar-frost, from which other trees of 
 the species in the neighbourhood suffer much. Being planted 
 above a "ha ha" dyke, the moisture escapes readily from 
 around it. 
 
 The Druidical remains of Fowlis hardly belong to our 
 present line of inquiry, but they have exercised the ingenuity 
 of many learned archaeologists. The traces of the presence of 
 the Druids in this parish are so ample that there can be 
 no doubt the district must have been a favourite seat with this 
 ancient people. It is doubtful, however, whether everything 
 popularly attributed to the Druids really belonged to them, and 
 anyone who has spent a little while in examining the Cross, 
 and the church gateway, and the old schoolmaster's Latin
 
 ABERCAIKNY. 241 
 
 epitaph,* and the Tree of Fowlis, and the old higgins and the 
 modern cottages, and who has interviewed a few of the inhabit- 
 ants, will do well to finish off with a sceptical investigation of 
 a huge flat boulder, on the surface of which either art or nature 
 has carved deep trenches. The more devout affirm that the 
 Druids used this as a sacrificial altar. Those affected by modern 
 rationalism declare that the weather has washed out the softer 
 strata of the stone. A short climb to the top of the wooded 
 hill places the visitor before a genuine and indisputable 
 Druidical relic — a double circle of upright stones, one circle 
 within the other. 
 
 Leaving the interesting village of Fowlis, we proceed to 
 examine the extensive woods by which it is surrounded. The 
 plantations on the estate of Abercairny extend to more than 
 1500 acres, and are well distributed over the property. About 
 400 acres have been planted by the present proprietor, about 
 300 acres of which are on land where no trees grew before, — the 
 remainder being on land which had formerly produced a crop 
 of forest trees. The largest tract planted of late years is on 
 Pitlandy Hill, about a mile north of the village of Fowlis, and 
 on the east side of the road leading to Buchanty, where about 
 170 acres have been planted. Before this was planted, the 
 ground was thoroughly drained with surface drains 18 feet 
 apart, 2 feet Avide at mouth, and 18 inches deep, and fenced 
 with six wires on wood posts, 6 feet apart, with iron straining- 
 posts at convenient distances. The plants used were Scots fir, 
 larch, and spruce, with a few silver firs. A great part of it was 
 planted in the spring of 1877, which, it will be remembered, 
 was a very trying spring on newly-planted larch, and, in conse- 
 
 * Old Schoolmaster's Latin Epitaph.— The schoolmaster referred to died 
 in 1746, and his sons seem to have composed the elegy, which says of the old 
 dominie — 
 
 ' ' DE QVO QVOD SUPEREST 
 MONUMENTA APOD VIVOS MAJORE 
 FIDE EXHIBEBVNT QVAM 
 EPITAPHII ELOGIA SVSPECTA." 
 
 The stone records that the surviving mourners are his widow, " Eliz. Reid,"' and 
 his sons " pat. jo. gvl. et alexr.," and the closing line is 
 
 "a.m. omnes," 
 as to the precise meaning of which critics are said to be divided in opinion. 
 
 Q
 
 242 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 quence of the site being very much exposed, a good many 
 of the plants died. Those planted more recently have stood 
 out much better. The Scots fir and spruce are now coming 
 forward, but the Scots firs have been very much injured in 
 consequence of black game eating the buds. Near Connachan 
 Shooting Lodge, on the farms of Connachan and Fendoch, 
 upwards of 40 acres were planted about twelve years ago in 
 differently-shaped clumps, varying in size from half an acre 
 to 11 acres. Before being planted, the sites were all fenced 
 with four-barred fences on stobs driven 3 feet apart. The chief 
 objects the proprietor had in view were, we believe, to beautify 
 that part of the estate, and to afford shelter to the tenants' 
 flocks in inclement weather, and they already to a great extent 
 answer the purposes for which they were intended. They were 
 planted chiefly with Scots fir, larch, and spruce. The larch has 
 suffered very much of late years from the disease, but the other 
 kinds continue to progress satisfactorily. 
 
 The young plantations on the land, which has already pro- 
 duced a crop of forest trees, are in a fair thriving state. No 
 trace of the Hylobius ahietis has been found on the Scots firs. 
 The absence of this pest is no doubt partly due to the land 
 having lain merely as pasture land for several years before it was 
 replanted. The larch, however, has not done so well as could 
 be wished ; but on filling up the ground after the first planting 
 Scots firs were chiefly used, as they showed an inclination to 
 succeed best. The other plantations on the property consist 
 also for the most part of Scots fir, larch, and spruce^ with, in 
 many cases, a mixture of silver fir, sycamore, ash, and oak, 
 particularly round the margin of the woods and on the sides 
 of the public roads. The Scots firs predominate, and more 
 especially on the south side of the property, where they are 
 about 80 years of age, and are tall, clean-grown, and in a healthy 
 state. The wood containing the greatest number of larch trees 
 is the Low Moor "Wood, which is about 50 years of age, and 
 extends to about 230 acres. Numbers of the larch trees are 
 yearly being cut down for estate purposes. The soil varies very 
 much. Where it is thin, and on a gravelly and rocky subsoil, 
 they are showing symptoms of decay ; but where the soil is
 
 ABERCAIRNY. 243 
 
 loam, on a clay subsoil, they are still in a thriving state. The 
 Scots firs here, and in several of the other plantations, are 
 suffering very much from the borings of an insect. The injury 
 is chiefly on the stems of the trees, where the insects find their 
 way into the alburnum or sap wood, and perforate it in every 
 direction, thus interrupting the flow of the sap, and ultimately 
 killing the tree. In the policy woods, hardwood trees predom- 
 inate, and consist principally of oak, beech, elm, lime, sycamore, 
 ash, &c. There are, however, several very fine Scots fir, larch, 
 silver fir, and spruce trees, both by themselves and mixed up 
 with the hardwoods. There are also a number of acres of oak 
 coppice, which are still kept as such, more for the sake of variety 
 than for profit. All the plantations are regularly thinned, 
 and whatever is found to be dead, or in an unhealthy state, is 
 taken out. The principle is to thin often, and to thin sparingly. 
 The plantations are mostly all fenced. On the north side of the 
 property they are fenced with stone dykes, wire on wooden 
 posts, and stobs and rails ; and on the south side of the estate 
 they are principally fenced with stone dykes, wire on wood posts, 
 and hedges. With reference to hedges there are few estates in 
 Scotland, if any, where the hedges are kept in such admirable 
 order as at Abercairny. 
 
 Mr Drummond Moray has all his life taken a deep personal 
 interest in the woods and remarkable trees upon his extensive 
 property, not only at Abercairny, but, as we shall afterwards 
 show, at Elair-Drummond and elsewhere. This is not only seen 
 in the valuable comparative measurements we have been enabled 
 to give of the more notable trees, but also in the general manage- 
 ment of the plantations. Throughout the whole property the 
 utmost taste and skill are displayed in this important department 
 of estate work, due regard being paid to the beautifying of the 
 landscape and to the value of the timber.
 
 XXL— BLAIR-DRUMMOND. 
 
 History of the Property — The Moss of Kincardine — Discovery of Marine 
 Remains — An Ancient Forest — Roman Relics — The Reclamation of 
 the Moss — Lord Kames — The First Mansion-House— The New House 
 — The Policies — Remarkable Oak and Beech Trees — A Memorial of 
 Benjamin Franklin — Remarkable Spanish Chestnut, Sycamore, Lime, 
 and Birch Trees— Remarkable Fir and Larch Trees — Doune Castle— 
 The Silver Firs— Havoc caused by Great Storms — Progressive Growth 
 of Common Trees — Burnbank — The Plantations. 
 
 The estate now known as Blair-Drummond is composed prin- 
 cipally of what was formerly the Barony of Kincardine, and of 
 other smaller properties which have from time to time been 
 acquired by the different proprietors since the estate came into 
 the hands of the present family. The first proprietor of this 
 family was George Drummond of Blair, in the Stormont, 
 which property of Blair, and previously the property of Lecl- 
 crieffe, he and his ancestors had held in a direct line for eight 
 generations, commencing in I486 with Walter, the third son 
 of Sir Walter Drummond of Cargill. The present proprietor, 
 Charles Stirling Home Drummond Moray, is the ninth in 
 direct succession from George Drummond, the first proprietor of 
 Blair-Drummond. 
 
 Going back to an earlier period, the first proprietors we read 
 of are the Montefixes or Muschets, a very old family, said to 
 have sprung from the Earls of Montfort, who were the Dukes of 
 Bretagne, and to have come from France to England with 
 William the Conqueror, and from England to Scotland with 
 the Princess Margaret, who became the Queen of Malcolm 
 Canmore. The property passed to the Drummonds, in the 
 beginning of the fourteenth century, by the marriage of Sir 
 John Drummond, ancestor of the noble House of Perth, to Lady 
 Mary Muschet, eldest daughter of Sir William Muschet, Justiciar
 
 BLAIR-DRUMMOND. 245 
 
 of Scotland. In 1684, George Druminond of Blair acquired, 
 by purchase from the Earl of Perth, the lands of Drip, Cambus- 
 drennie, and others, in the parish of Kincardine, which were 
 erected into a free barony, and called Blair-Drummond, from 
 the name of the purchaser, and that of his paternal estate of 
 Blair, in the Stormont. It was not, however, until the year 
 1714 that he also purchased from the Earl of Perth the other 
 parts of the Barony of Kincardine, on which Blair-Drummond 
 House was afterwards built, and the park and pleasure-grounds 
 laid out and planted. At the time of the purchase there was 
 no mansion-house on the property. The old Castle of Kincar- 
 dine, the residence of the former owners, the Muschets, which 
 is believed to have stood in the vicinity of the old church at 
 the western extremity of the pleasure-grounds, had gone to 
 decay, and the land about it had been in a great measure 
 divested of trees, with the exception of the few which were 
 usually raised, according to the custom in earlier times, on the 
 turf dykes that surrounded the small corn-yards of the tenants. 
 Many of these trees are still to be seen at various parts of the 
 property standing in clumps, which, from their age, and the 
 care taken by the successive proprietors to protect them, form a 
 beautiful and effective feature in the landscape. 
 
 The property lies in the ancient Stewartry of Monteith, and 
 on the banks of the Rivers Forth and Teith, and is composed 
 partly of the rich and fertile carse land of the district, and 
 partly of dry field soil, in all its different qualities ; but a por- 
 tion of the land, called the Moss of Kincardine, to be after- 
 wards referred to, was covered with deep moss, and has been 
 rendered famous from the extraordinary measures taken to 
 reclaim it. It is generally supposed that the whole of the carse 
 lands here were at a not very remote period, geologically 
 speaking, a continuation of the Firth of Forth. Marine remains 
 of various kinds have been discovered at different times. Not 
 only do beds of oyster, mussel, cockle, and other marine shells 
 appear at various depths between the surface of the clay and 
 the channels of the rivers, but the remains of the more advanced 
 denizens of the ocean have frequently been found. Only a few 
 years ago a portion of the skeleton of a whale was found about
 
 246 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 a quarter of a mile from the manse, embedded in the clay, 
 which had formerly been covered with moss, and lying on 
 another stratum of moss below the clay. This interesting relic 
 of the prehistoric ages is deposited in the Edinburgh College 
 Museum. The writer of the New Statistical Account, in 
 recording this discovery, mentions another very curious circum- 
 stance, of which we have never seen any explanation. " It is 
 very remarkable," he says, " that a small piece of deer's horn, 
 with a hole bored in it, was found along with this skeleton, of 
 exactly the same description as a piece of horn which Mr Bald 
 mentions as found with the skeleton of the Airthrey whale, 
 now in the Edinburgh College Museum." In 1766, when 
 Henry Home, the celebrated Lord Karnes, became connected 
 with the property, his wife having succeeded her nephew as 
 heiress of entail, he immediately directed his attention to the 
 improvement of the Moss. The Moss of Kincardine consisted of 
 over 1800 Scotch acres, of which nearly 1500 were on the estate 
 of Blair-Drummond alone. The Moss was of considerable depth, 
 and rested on a subsoil of rich clay, consisting of strata of grey, 
 reddish, and blue colour, of the same quality as the Carse along the 
 Forth from Stirling to Falkirk. On the receding of the sea, and 
 the subsiding of the waters of the Forth, the Teith, and the 
 Goodie, by the formation of deeper channels, this rich flat 
 district was soon covered with oak, birch, alder, and hazel, as 
 well as a few firs. Some of the oaks, the remains of several of 
 which have been found, were of enormous size. In a paper read 
 before the Eoyal Society of Edinburgh in 1793, it is recorded 
 that " forty large oak trees were lately found lying by their roots, 
 and as close to one another as they can be supposed to have 
 grown." One of these oaks measured 50 feet in length, and more 
 than 3 feet in diameter, and 314 circles, or yearly growths, were 
 counted in one of the roots. In another part of the Moss an 
 oak was found that measured 4 feet in diameter. In the new 
 Statistical Account it is recorded that in 1823 an oak of the 
 following dimensions w r as found in Blair-Drummond Moss : — 
 Length of bole, 41 feet; circumference at the surface of the ground 
 16 feet, and at the top 9 feet. One branch, 18 feet in length, 
 girthed 5 feet 4 inches. The solid contents of this tree were
 
 BLAIR-DRUMMOND. 247 
 
 over 360 feet. The height of the original stem of this tree is 
 believed to have been about 60 feet. A large oak was also dug 
 out in 1826, and was converted into some beautiful pieces of 
 furniture, which now adorn Blair-Drummond House. From the 
 strength and consistency of the roots, and as they were cut about 
 2^ feet from the ground, the part where the tree is easiest felled, 
 it is not supposed that these monsters came to a natural end, or 
 were destroyed by gales. It is generally believed that they were 
 cut by the Romans, in their efforts to dislodge the hardy natives, 
 — a supposition which finds corroboration in the circumstance 
 that marks of the size of a Roman axe have been discovered on 
 some of them, where they had been haggled. It is well known 
 that the Romans cleared large tracts of the ancient forests, and 
 their presence in this district is testified by numerous remains, 
 several brass camp kettles, spear-heads, &c, having been found 
 in the Moss within the past century. It has been calculated 
 that the Moss of Kincardine must have been about 1760 years 
 old when it was removed. This computation has been made 
 from the fact, that it was about the year 81 of our era that the 
 Romans established a regular chain of posts in the direction of 
 Kincardine Moss, the Pass of Leny, and the station of Ardoch, 
 where the forests formerly stood ; and about fifty years thereafter 
 the "Wall of Antoninus was built nearly in the same line. Lord 
 Kames did not make very much progress with the clearing of 
 the Moss, owing to the want of sufficient water-power ; but he 
 succeeded in demonstrating the practicability of the plan of 
 floating which he had adopted. When his son, George Home 
 Drummond, succeeded him in 1783, he was specially encouraged 
 to carry on this work by the ingenuity and perseverance of 
 Mr George Meikle, of Alloa, the son of the inventor of the 
 thrashing-machine, who invented a water-wheel for raising a large 
 supply of water for floating the moss. The original model of 
 this wheel is amongst the most cherished relics at Blair-Drum- 
 mond House, and gives one a capital idea of the ingenious 
 method adopted. The wheel, which was lined with buckets 
 round the whole inner circumference, made about four revolutions 
 in a minute, and in that time raised from 40 to 60 hogsheads of 
 water. This it discharged into a trough connected with it, 17
 
 248 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 feet above the surface of the stream which supplied the water 
 and turned the wheel. From this trough the water flowed 
 partly in pipes and partly in an open aqueduct 1754 yards in 
 length into the reservoirs in the Moss. " The water-power 
 being thus procured, the floating by means of spade labour 
 became comparatively easy, and the Forth served as a recipient 
 for carrying the Moss into the Firth. By the end of October 
 1787, the wheel, pipes, and aqueduct, were all finished, and the 
 result realised the most sanguine expectation of all parties. The 
 total expense exceeded £1000. The tenants voluntarily engaged 
 to pay the interest of the money so expended, but the proprietor 
 generously relieved them from this engagement." The labours 
 of the great wheel commenced in 1787 and ended in 1839, and 
 the workmen necessary to carry out the operations were procured 
 chiefly from the parishes of Callander, Balquhidder, and Killin. 
 The advantage of this great undertaking was speedily appar- 
 ent, many of the settlers on the Moss afterwards becoming 
 farmers on a large scale. It is pleasant to learn from the New 
 Statistical Account of the parish that the exertions of the laird 
 of Blair-Drummond were heartily appreciated by his tenants. 
 
 While the reclamation was in progress, the operations attracted 
 a great deal of attention all over the country, and exhaustive 
 descriptions were published of the methods adopted for carrying 
 out the work, and the results which were achieved. All these 
 descriptions agree in attributing great credit to Lord Karnes, 
 and his son, George Home Drummond, for their public-spirited 
 enterprise, and the ability they brought to bear upon an 
 exceedingly difficult problem. 
 
 Lord Karnes was not only distinguished as a great land 
 improver. He also won for himself fame in the special sphere 
 to which he devoted his life. He was the son of George Home 
 of Karnes, in Berwickshire, and was born in the year 1696. He 
 studied for the Scottish Bar, to which he was called in 1724, 
 and his remarkable talents and perseverance soon procured his 
 advancement. He was raised to the Bench in 1752, his title 
 being taken from the place of his birth. In 1763 he was made 
 a Lord of Justiciary. He was a Commissioner of the Forfeited 
 Estates after the Rebellion of 1745, and was a member of the
 
 BLAIR-DRUMMOND. 249 
 
 Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of the Fisheries, Arts, 
 and Manufactures of Scotland. He was also a voluminous and 
 ahle writer on many important subjects, legal, philosophical, and 
 agricultural. Some idea of his character and disposition may be 
 gathered from the following quaint inscription on an obelisk 
 erected by himself on a prominent eminence to the south-west 
 of the house : — 
 
 " For his neighbours 
 As well as for himself 
 Was this obelisk erected by Henry Home." 
 
 "Graft Benevolence on Self-Love, 
 The fruit will be delicious." 
 
 This eminence bears evidence of having been used as a Roman 
 sentinel station, as the remains of a fosse are plainly visible. 
 The mound commands a complete view of the low country 
 around Blair-Drummond, and it would be almost impossible for 
 the Romans to have been taken unawares with such a splendid 
 outlook. Notwithstanding the light, sandy soil, magnificent 
 trees now surround this old military outpost. 
 
 The erection of the first mansion at Blair-Drummond w 7 as 
 commenced in the year 1715, but, shortly after it was started, 
 the operations had to be suspended for a year, owing to the 
 disturbed state of the country. This house, which occupied a 
 lower site than the present one, was a very plain structure, four 
 storeys high, with seven windows in each row, and wings for 
 the offices and servants' accommodation. After being occupied 
 for upwards of a century and a half, it was taken down in 1870 
 by the late proprietor, George Stirling Home Drummond, who 
 at the same time erected the new house, which is situated on a 
 beautifully-wooded piece of rising ground, commanding a most 
 extensive and varied view. The plans were designed by Mr 
 J. C. AValker, Edinburgh, and the style is Scottish Baronial, 
 without unnecessary ornamentation. In the east front, which 
 extends to 172 feet, there is a magnificent square tower rising 
 to a height of 85 feet. The principal entrance, which consists 
 of a plain, circular-headed doorway, with rope cable, is in the 
 basement of the tower. The doorway is surmounted by a panel
 
 250 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 with armorial bearings. In the third stage there is a large oriel 
 window, supported on corbels, and decorated with grotesque 
 heads, the whole being finished with a stone roof. The tower 
 is crowned with angle turrets, and a bold corbelled parapet. 
 Connected with the tower, from the basement floor, is a circular 
 stair tower rising to a height of 123, and finished with an 
 ornamental finial. The south front is nearly 140 feet in length 
 and contains drawing-room, dining-room, and library. These 
 are entered from a spacious corridor, extending to 100 feet, a 
 handsome balus traded stair leading into the flower garden at 
 the west end of the corridor. The south front is ornamented 
 by two circular towers, the one being finished by a gable and 
 ;he other with a pointed slate roof. These towers contain stairs 
 leading to a gallery. The library measures 50 feet long by 22 
 feet wide, and is lighted principally by a large oriel window in 
 che centre. Folding-doors lead to the drawing-room. The 
 entrance hall is 46| feet long by 20 feet wide. All the walls, 
 to the height of 10 feet, are elaborately panelled with wainscot. 
 The exterior walls are built of freestone from the celebrated 
 Plean Quarry, near Stirling, and are pointed with Portland 
 cement, the entire mansion being one of the most finished and 
 beautiful in Scotland. From the top of the square tower a 
 view is obtained which for extent, variety, and historic interest, 
 cannot be excelled. Towards the south-east the ancient Castle 
 of Stirling, the Abbey Craig, the field of Bannockburn, 
 and the Eock of Craigforth, all crowd in rich variety upon the 
 vision, and recall the stirring events with which they are 
 inseparably associated. On a clear day, Borrowstounness, 
 Arthur's Seat, and the hills around Edinburgh, are also visible. 
 Eastwards, we look upon the Ochil range, including Dumyat, 
 and mark the bloody field of Sheriffmuir. To the west and 
 north, the view embraces a large stretch of the Grampians, 
 including such snow-capped peaks as Ben Lomond, Ben Venue, 
 Ben Vorlich, Ben Ledi, Stuchachrone, Uamvar, Ben More, &c. 
 On the south the view is bounded by the Lennox Hills, which 
 run with little interruption from the Castle of Stirling to the 
 Castle of Dumbarton, — the greater part of this extensive range 
 being within sight.. The tortuous Forth, too, glides beneath
 
 BLAIR-DRUMMOND. 251 
 
 our feet, and may be followed as far as eye can reach till it 
 widens into the Firth. 
 
 Having satiated our minds and eyes with the more general 
 surroundings of Blair-Drunmiond, we now proceed through the 
 policies, under the kind conductorship of Mr Ballingall, the 
 factor, and take a nearer view of the beauties of the place. We 
 no not proceed very far before we learn that the great trees in 
 the parks do not belie their reputation. Everywhere we meet 
 with venerable giants ; and one wonders, indeed, how many of 
 those trees could have attained such a size, within so short a 
 period — 
 
 " Those hoary trees, they look so old, 
 In truth, you find it hard to say 
 How they could ever have been young, 
 They look so old and grey." 
 
 It is not only the size of the Blair-Drummond trees that renders 
 them remarkable. Their shapeliness is quite as noteworthy as 
 their size. This i3 partly accounted for by the fact, that no 
 cattle have ever been permitted to graze upon the parks. Sheep 
 alone are allowed to pasture, so that the trees have full scope to 
 spread their branches to the ground, and develop all their 
 natural beauty and characteristics. Splendid specimens of the 
 ordinary varieties of trees are to be found all round the mansion. 
 The first great tree to which we turn our attention is a magnifi- 
 cent oak situated about 150 yards east from the house. At 1 
 foot from the ground the girth is 18 feet 2 inches, and at 5 feet 
 the girth is 15 feet 8 inches. The bole is about 30 feet, and it 
 carries a grand head, the tree being altogether a fine specimen, 
 without blemish. "We are again indebted to Mr Drummond 
 Moray's care over the trees upon his property for the compara- 
 tive measurements we are able to give, showing the growth 
 of the more notable trees during the last twenty-three years. 
 In 1^60, the oak we have just referred to girthed 14 feet 9 
 inches at 3 feet from the ground. The girth at the same height 
 is now 16 feet 4 inches, being equal to a growth of 1 foot 7 
 inches during that period. This is the largest oak upon the 
 property, but there are a large number closely approaching it in 
 size. The girths of some of the others which w T e measured arc
 
 252 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 as follows:— At 1 foot, 17 feet 7 inches, and at the narrowest 
 part, being 3 feet from the ground, 14 feet 6 inches; one 
 standing near the spot where the gate of the old stable court 
 was situated girths 16 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet 4 
 inches at 5 feet ; a very picturesque oak in the haugh near the 
 Mill Lade girths 15 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet 10 
 inches at 5 feet; and another girths 15 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 12 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. These are merely samples of a 
 large number of oaks distributed all over the policies. 
 
 Although oaks are very numerous, the beech — which some 
 one has described as at once the Hercules and Adonis of our 
 Sylva, vying with the oak itself in magnificence and beauty — is 
 still more conspicuous. The finest of these are situated along 
 the side of the Teith, where there is a grand row fully half a 
 mile in length. These were planted between the years 1725 
 and 1730 by James Drummond, the second laird of Blair- 
 Drummond, who died in 1739. All these trees are large and 
 picturesque, and are a great ornament to the river side. At first 
 the ground here was subject to the periodical floods of the Teith, 
 but it has now, at considerable expense, been secured from the 
 encroachments of the river by a substantial stone-faced embank- 
 ment. This embankment, and others at various parts of the 
 river, as well as many other valuable improvements and additions 
 to the estate, were made by the late Henry Home Drummond, 
 the father of the present proprietor, who was so long associated 
 with the public business of the county of Perth, and which he 
 represented in Parliament for upwards of twelve years previous 
 to 1852. At a former period he represented Stirlingshire for 
 ten years. The largest beech in the row by the river side girths 
 20 feet at 1 foot ; and at 5 feet from the ground, being about the 
 narrowest part of the bole, the girth is 15 feet 4 inches. Another 
 girths 18 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 13 feet 11 inches at 5 feet. 
 The girth of some of the other trees in this row is as follows : — 
 17 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 14 feet 2 inches at 5 feet; 16 
 feet 1 inch at 1 foot, and 12 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, being the 
 narrowest part of the trunk; and 14 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 
 12 feet 8 inches at 5 feet. Amongst the beeches in the policies 
 generally, notice may be taken of three very fine trees growing
 
 BLAIR-DRUMMOND. 
 
 253 
 
 at the foot of a sloping bank a little to the east of the house. 
 The largest of these girths 18 feet 6 inches above the swell of 
 the roots and 1 5 feet 3 inches at 5 feet up. It has a beautiful 
 clean stem of about 25 feet. In 1860 this tree girthed 14 feet 
 10 inches at 3 feet, the present girth at 3 feet from the ground 
 being 16 feet — a growth of 14 inches since that date. The 
 other two girth 16 feet 10 inches above the swell of the roots, 
 and 14 feet 4 inches at 5 feet; and 15 feet 10 inches above 
 
 BLAIR-DRUMMOND BEECHES. 
 
 the swell of the roots, and 14 feet 3 inches at 5 feet. All 
 these trees are about 80 feet in height. A few yards east from 
 the largest of the oaks we have described, there is also a beech 
 of huge proportions and noble bearing. Immediately above the 
 swell of the roots the girth is 20 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet 
 the girth is 17 feet 3 inches. There is a good bole of 12 feet, 
 a spread of branches of nearly 90 feet, and an entire height of 
 about 70 feet. In 1860 this tree girthed 16 feet 1 inch at 3 feet,
 
 254 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the girth at that height from the ground now heing 17 feet 7 
 inches, being a growth of 1 foot 6 inches since 1860. There 
 is also a grove of large-sized beech trees growing to the east of 
 the house. 
 
 A little to the south of the mansion there is a very interesting 
 memorial of one of the world's great men, being no less a 
 personage than the celebrated Benjamin Franklin. This consists 
 of a clump of trees, — two sycamores, an elm, and a laburnum, — 
 planted by the hand of the distinguished American while on a 
 visit to Lord Karnes. All these trees are of large size, but are 
 not specially remarkable in this respect. In the same neighbour- 
 hood there is a very curious lime tree. In the year 1846 it was 
 blown down, and the foresters proceeded to cut it up ; but 
 instead of first cutting it off at the root, they cut it across at the 
 top of the bole. Being thus freed of its great top weight, the 
 stem still attached to the root at once sprung back into its 
 original position where it was left standing, and it soon sent out 
 vigorous young sprouts, and it has now a very fine top, with no 
 indication of its former wreck. The largest of the lime trees 
 girths 14 feet 2 inches at 5 feet from the ground. The largest 
 Spanish chestnut on the property is situated at High Daira, the 
 girth at 1 foot being 1 2 feet 6 inches and at 5 feet 9 feet 3 inches 
 In 1860 this tree girthed 9 feet 7 inches at 3 feet up, — the 
 present girth at that height being 10 feet 8 inches. A still 
 larger tree was blown clown by a gale on 26th November 1880. 
 It stood in front of the garden, and girthed 13 feet 8 inches at 1 
 foot, and 11 feet 5 inches at 3 feet. The largest of the sycamores 
 grows in the park by the side of the Doune approach, the girth 
 at 1 foot being 21 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet 17 feet 10 inches, 
 with a bole of 8 feet, surmounted by two great limbs. There 
 are a large number of very beautiful birch trees scattered over 
 the grounds, the largest of those we measured girthing 9 feet 3 
 inches at the narrowest part of the bole. 
 
 Coming to the trees belonging to the fir tribe, we find many 
 specimens of the commoner varieties which claim our attention. 
 Scots firs, if not very numerous, are of respectable dimensions. 
 A very fine specimen is growing in the park near the house, the 
 tree being both large and picturesque. At 1 foot above the
 
 BLAIR-DRUMMOND. 255 
 
 ground the girth is 14 feet 5 inches, and at 5 feet the girth is 
 only 3 inches less. Another of the same species close heside it 
 girths 11 feet 3 inches at the narrowest part of the bole. A 
 little to the south of the house we have another very good Scots 
 fir, the girth at 1 foot being 13 feet 3 inches, and at 5 feet 11 
 feet 5 inches, the bole being about 15 feet. There are many 
 fine larches throughout the grounds. The first we measured at 
 random girthed 1 3 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 1 1 inches 
 at 5 feet. The largest of this variety which we found is a 
 very well-proportioned tree growing near the bank of the river, 
 opposite the Castle of Doune. The girth clear of the swell of 
 the roots is 13 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet up the girth is 11 
 feet 10 inches. 
 
 "While referring to the Castle of Doune, it may be mentioned, 
 in passing, that the ancient stronghold is still surrounded by 
 some of the fine trees which adorned it in the latter days of its 
 glory. The imposing ruins of this ancient baronial edifice form 
 one of the most interesting and picturesque objects in the 
 landscape of the district for many miles around. At almost 
 every turn charming peeps are obtained of the great roofless 
 structure, embowered amidst richly-foliaged timber, uncon- 
 sciously reminding us of the " good old days," when the Lords 
 of the Regality reigned supreme. The Castle stands on an 
 elevated peninsula at the point where the Ardoch flows into the 
 Teith, and although the roof has long since succumbed to the 
 ravages of time, the walls — 40 feet high and 10 feet thick — are 
 still entire. The front faces the north, and at its north-east 
 corner there is a spacious tower, rising to a height of 80 feet, 
 and from which a most extensive and gorgeous view is obtained. 
 Another tower stands at the opposite corner, but it does not 
 exceed the height of the walls. The principal entrance is 
 beneath the main tower, and the visitor has still to pass through 
 its " ponderous grated gate, within a heavy iron-studded folding 
 door." The rampart and fosse by which the Castle was 
 defended are still traceable. The age of this venerable stronghold 
 is uncertain, but it is considered probable that its founder was 
 Walter Comyn, the fourth Earl of Monteith, who flourished in 
 the reigns of Alexanders II. and III., and died one of the
 
 256 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Regents of the kingdom in 1258. In 1425, after the execution 
 of Duke Murdoch by James I., the Castle of Doune and the 
 lands connected with it were annexed to the Crown, which 
 retained them till 1502. The Castle now belongs to the Earl 
 of Moray, and gives the title of Lord Doune to his eldest son. 
 The present Earl has shown great interest in this ancient 
 structure, and has been at the expense of restoring the judg- 
 ment hall, and otherwise improving the appearance of the Castle 
 and its surroundings. 
 
 Doune possesses another object of more than ordinary interest, 
 viz., the Bridge of Teith, which spans the river just opposite, 
 and within fifty yards of, the north entrance lodge to Blair- 
 Drummond grounds. The bridge was erected in 1535 by 
 Robert Spittal, tailor to Margaret, Queen of James IV., and has 
 rather a curious history. It is traditionally stated that Spittal, 
 who appears to have been a man of considerable wealth and 
 energy, reached the ferry without the wherewithal to pay the 
 pontage, and the ferryman, doubtless in ignorance as to who 
 the traveller was, refused to row him over the river. Spittal, it 
 is said was so indignant at this that he resolved to erect a bridge 
 at his own expense, for the convenience of travellers in the 
 future. The bridge is a substantial erection, and the donor's 
 name is perpetuated upon the parapet. The armorial bearings 
 of England and Scotland on separate shields, surmounted by 
 crowns, are carved inside the eastern parapet, in testimony, no 
 doubt, of the donor's connection with royalty, humble though 
 it was. There is also the following inscription, in the centre of 
 which is a shield with a device resembling a spread eagle, and 
 in the base a pair or large scissors formed en saltier : — " In . 
 
 GOD . IS . ALL . MY . TRUST .'QUOD . TTBL . THE . TENTH . DA . 
 
 OF . SEPTEMBER . IN . THE . ZIER . OF . GOD . MVXXXV . ZIERS . 
 FUNDIT . WAS . THIS . BRIG . BE . ROBERT . SPITTEL . TAILZER . TO . 
 THE . MAIST . NOBLE . PRINCES . MARGARET . NG . JAMES . THE . 
 
 feird . — of . almis." When the tricentenary of the bridge 
 was celebrated in 1835 a facsimile of the above inscription was 
 engraved for distribution, and the following was added to it as a 
 translation: — " In God is all my trust, quoth Spittal, the 10th 
 day of September, in the year of God 1535 years, founded was
 
 BLAIR-DBUMMOND. 257 
 
 tliis Bridge by Robert Spittal, tailor to the most noble Princess 
 Margaret, Queen to James the Fourth. — Of alms." Spittal has 
 also left several other important benefactions, including the 
 erection at his own charge of the bridges of Bannockburn and 
 Tullybody, and the Spittal Hospital in Stirling for the relief of 
 decayed tradesmen. The original structure at Bridge of Teith 
 still remains, but it was widened in 1866 by the Road Trustees 
 to meet the increased traffic. 
 
 Blair-Drummond is exceptionally rich in silver fir trees, many 
 of them being of great size and fine form. The first of this 
 variety which we tested with the tape girths 18 feet 7 inches at 
 1 foot, and 1 3 feet 1 1 inches at 5 feet. It has a splendid bole 
 of 25 feet, and at the fork divides into two great limbs, the 
 entire height being about 100 feet. In 1860 this tree girthed 
 1 2 feet at 3 feet from the ground ; and at present the girth at 
 the same height is 14 feet 2 inches, there being thus a growth 
 of 2 feet 2 inches within that period. The tree is situated at 
 High Daira, and grows in gravelly soil. It is believed to be 
 about 100 years of age. At the cross roads there is a much 
 larger specimen, the girth at 1 foot being 18 feet 8 inches, and 
 at 5 feet 15 feet 3 inches. In 1860 the girth at 3 feet above 
 the ground was 13 feet 2 inches, the present girth at that height 
 being 15 feet 6 inches — a difference of 2 feet 4 inches. 
 
 There are a number of specimens of the Douglas fir scattered 
 over the property, but most of them are small. The largest of 
 these was planted in 1843, and has attained a height of about 
 60 feet, — the girth at 1 foot being 7 feet 1 inch, and at 5 feet 
 6 feet 5 inches. Another very good specimen, planted in 1855, 
 has reached a height of about 30 feet, but it unfortunately lost 
 its leader a few years ago. The girth of this tree at 3 feet from 
 the ground is 4 feet 6 inches. There are several spruce trees 
 of good proportions. Many of the spruce and silver fir trees, 
 in the neighbourhood of an artificial piece of water, are the 
 abode in spring, summer, and harvest of the sombre heron, 
 whose ponderous nests, containing a noisy and voracious bin. ml, 
 weigh down the more lofty branches, leaving some parts at the 
 top exceedingly bare. 
 
 The storm which wrought so much havoc in Scotland on the 
 
 it
 
 258 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 28th. December 1879, was exceptionally disastrous in its effects 
 within the picturesque policies of Blair-Drununond. The 
 damage was not confined to young trees, hut many centenarians 
 of great size succumhed to the force of the gale. The following 
 note of the dimensions and probable age of some of those blown 
 down, will illustrate the nature of the damage on that eventful 
 night, the girth being taken 30 or 40 inches above the ground, 
 free of the swell of the roots : — 
 
 Silver fir on top of Sandhill, 
 
 Do. on sloping bank below do., . 
 Do. on Donne approach near well, 
 Do. do. cross roads, 
 
 Do. do. ... 
 
 Do. do. Merlins Ford, 
 
 Scots fir in park, .... 
 
 Do. on Donne approach cross roads, 
 Larch west of house, . 
 Do. near front door, . 
 Beech near entrance-gate of house, 
 Do. in park, .... 
 Poplar near Bridge at Haugh, 
 
 From the notes preserved by Mr Drummond Moray, we learn tbat 
 several very large trees were blown down by a gale in the month 
 of March 1856, .amongst the largest of these being a beech which 
 girthed 17 feet 3 inches at the narrowest part of the bole. In 
 1843 some very large trees were also blown down, one of the 
 beeches girthing 15 feet 1 inch at the narrowest part of the 
 bole. 
 
 Amongst the notes made by the former proprietors is the 
 following very interesting table, showing the progressive growth 
 of the principal varieties of trees growing at Blair-Drummond : — 
 
 
 
 Probable 
 
 Girth 
 
 Height 
 
 age in 
 
 ft. in. 
 
 in feet. 
 
 years. 
 
 11 6 
 
 104 
 
 100 
 
 10 
 
 108 
 
 100 
 
 12 1 
 
 116 
 
 100 
 
 11 3 
 
 81 
 
 100 
 
 10 
 
 85 
 
 100 
 
 12 
 
 104 
 
 110 
 
 9 
 
 80 
 
 100 
 
 7 11 
 
 80 
 
 90 
 
 12 
 
 90 
 
 100 
 
 9 2 
 
 118 
 
 146 
 
 12 
 
 104 
 
 160 
 
 11 9 
 
 100 
 
 160 
 
 12 4 
 
 106 
 
 90 
 
 Beech at narrowest part of bole, 
 Oak, 3 feet from the ground, 
 Larch, do., 
 
 Chestnut, do., 
 
 Birch, 5 feet from the ground, 
 
 1816. 
 
 1823. 
 
 1834. 
 
 ft. in. 
 
 ft, in. 
 
 ft. ID. 
 
 . 12 1 
 
 13 11 
 
 15 1 
 
 . 10 5 
 
 11 8 
 
 12 8 
 
 . 8 2 
 
 8 7 
 
 8 11 
 
 . 7 9 
 
 8 3 
 
 8 5 
 
 . 6 10 
 
 7 10 
 
 8 3 
 
 The adjoining estate of Burnbank, which was added to the 
 Blair-Drummond property in 1752, also contains some splendid 
 old timber, principally ash and sycamore. Some of the ash trees
 
 BLAIR-DRTJMMOXD. 259 
 
 recently cut down were found to be over 300 years of age. The 
 finest of this variety now standing girths 14 feet 9 inches at 1 
 foot, and 13 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, with 30 feet of a stem, and 
 an entire height of 80 feet. Another good specimen stands at 
 the door of the old mansion-house. It has an extraordinary 
 growth about the roots, but, free of the swell, the girth is 13 
 feet, 'and at the narrowest part of the bole, 12 feet 10 inches. 
 Another girths 13 feet 6 inches at 3 feet from the ground. A 
 fine walnut tree adorns the old orchard, where it had doubtless 
 been planted for the sake of its fruit. The girth at one foot is 
 15 feet 7 inches, and at 5 feet 13 feet 3 inches. The height of 
 the bole is 6 feet, above which it branches iuto two great limbs, 
 the entire height being 75 feet, and the spread of branches about 
 50 feet. The soil is rich alluvial, the subsoil clay, and the 
 exposure free. There are a good many fine old Scots fir trees, 
 one of those in the orchard girthing 10 feet 2 inches above the 
 swell of the root, or 2 feet from the ground, and 9 feet 6 inches 
 at 5 feet. A sycamore, also in the orchard, girths 13 feet 7 
 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 5 inches at 5 feet. There is another 
 beside it of almost exactly the same dimensions, while within a 
 very short distance is another girthing 12 feet 5 inches at 3 feet 
 up. A Scotch elm, girthing 14 feet 2 inches at 3 feet from the 
 ground, may also be included in the list of the more remarkable 
 trees, as it is in every respect a grand specimen. This elm 
 stands at some distance from the others, but within the Barony 
 of Burnbank. This estate, like the Barony of Kincardine, 
 was formerly the property of the Muschets. There is an old 
 tombstone of this family in the orchard near where the mansion- 
 house stood. It bears the following inscription : — " Here lyes 
 the corpes of Margaret Drummond, third daughter of the laird 
 of Invermay, and spouse to Sir George Muschet of Burnbanke : 
 Her age 26 : Departed this life in the wisitation, with her three 
 children at Burnbanke, the 10 of August 1047." 
 
 The quality of the land at Blair-Drummond and Burnbank, 
 being a good loam or clay, is rather too valuable for extensive 
 plantations, and consequently a comparatively small part of the 
 property is laid out in this way. Still, there are several good 
 strips and clumps of wood planted in the most exposed and
 
 260 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 least valuable parts of the estate for shelter and ornament. The 
 ornamental Avoods extend to about 200 acres, the oldest portion 
 being planted between 1715 and 1720, when the old house was 
 in course of erection, and the rest about the beginning of the 
 present century. At Lochhills there is a very fine wood of 70 
 acres, • containing some good beeches and oaks, the oldest of 
 them being about 1 20 years of age. At Burnbank there are 
 about 40 acres. of copse, mixed with splendid oak and fir; and 
 at Thornhill there are about 80 acres, principally fir. These 
 plantations do not amount to many acres in the aggregate, but 
 they help materially to heighten the effect of the landscape, and 
 " fill the air around with beauty."
 
 XXIL— ARDOCH. 
 
 The Proprietors of Ardoch — The Policies — Arcloch House — Aged Syca- 
 mores — The Plantations and Remarkable Trees — The lloman Camp — 
 The Walk along the side of the Knaick. 
 
 Although Ardoch is more associated in the popular mind with 
 the remains of the great Roman Camp than with anything that 
 is marvellous in forestry, yet, like the other properties of 
 Charles Stirling Home Drunimond Moray, it is not without 
 interest to the arborist. Here he will not only find abundant 
 evidence of recent improvements in the cultivation and embel- 
 lishment of the land, but can feast his eyes upon not a few of 
 those venerable monarchs which excite so much admiration. Tbe 
 Roman Camp, however, adds considerably to the attractions of 
 the property, and draws visitors from all parts of the world to 
 examine its wonderful construction, and moralise upon the 
 holloAvness of earthly greatness. The history of the property is 
 also most interesting. We do not propose to go back to the 
 period of the Roman occupation, 
 
 " When wild in woods the noble savage ran," 
 
 as that would be rather unprofitable, and void of practical 
 interest. It is sufficient for our purpose to show how it came 
 into the possession of the family of the present proprietor. 
 The estate was originally acquired by the Sinclairs from the 
 Abbot of Lindores, and came into the possession of the Stirlings 
 hy William Stirling (who received from his brother, Sir James 
 Stirling of Keir, on 10th May 1543, a charter of the lands of 
 Dachlewne, &c.) marrying Marion Sinclair, only daughter and 
 heiress of Henry Sinclair of Nether Ardoch, and his wife, 
 Beatrix Chisholm, who received a charter from her cousin, 
 William Chisbolme, Bishop of Dunblane, of Chapel Land, ifcc., 
 to her in liferent, and to her husband and their children in fee.
 
 262 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 This branch of the Stirlings continued in direct male succession 
 for nearly three centuries. The great-grandson of William was 
 created a Baronet in the reign of Charles II., and that title 
 remained in the family for nearly a century and a half, but 
 became extinct through the failure of male heirs, although the 
 first Baronet was the eldest of thirty-one children, and Bobert, 
 one of his brothers, lived to the patriarchal age of 112 years. 
 Henry Stirling, the eldest son of William and Marion, acquired 
 Over Ardoch in 1574, and died in 1628. He was succeeded 
 by his eldest son, William, who, in 1592, married Margaret, 
 daughter of James Murray, fiar of Strowan, and by whom he 
 had the thirty-one children already alluded to. He died in 
 1651 or 1652, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry, who 
 was created a Baronet on the 2nd May 1666, and died three 
 years afterwards. His son, William, a minor, succeeded him. 
 The uncle (Bobert) of the youthful proprietor was appointed 
 his guardian, and managed the estate from 1669 till 1683.' Sir 
 William died in 1702, but his uncle, Bobert, lived till 1716, 
 when he died at the great age of 112. He is still spoken of as 
 " The Tutor of Ardoch." Sir William's son, Sir Henry, and 
 his grandson, Sir William, succeeded each other. The latter 
 having no male issue, the baronetcy went, on his death in 1799, 
 to his brother, Thomas, who entered the army in 1747, became 
 a General in 1780, and died unmarried in 1808, when the 
 baronetcy became extinct. Sir William, the seventh proprietor, 
 who died in 1799, was succeeded by his eldest daughter, Anne, 
 born in 1761. In 1778 she married Captain, afterwards 
 Colonel, Charles Moray of Abercairny, and at her death in 1820, 
 she was succeeded by her second son, Major William Moray 
 Stirling, who was severely wounded at the Battle of Waterloo. 
 He married, in 1826, Frances, third daughter of Archibald, first 
 Lord Douglas, but died without issue in 1850, having succeeded 
 his elder brother, James Moray, in the estate of Abercairny in 
 1840. In both estates he was succeeded by his elder sister, 
 Christian, who, in 1812, married Henry Home Drummond of 
 Blair-Drummond. She died in 1864, and her eldest son, George 
 Stirling Home Drummond, also succeeded to the estate of 
 Ardoch. He died without issue in June 1876, and was
 
 ARDOCH. 263 
 
 succeeded by his younger brother, Charles Stirling Home 
 Drummond Moray, the present proprietor. 
 
 Each of these successive proprietors has contributed something 
 to the improvement and embellishment of the property, which, 
 from an arboricultural point of view, at all events, contrasts 
 most favourably with a good deal of the surrounding country. 
 The property is bounded on the south by the River Allan, and 
 on the west by the River Knaick until it reaches the village of 
 Rraco, where it enters the park of Ardoch, and flows through 
 the policy grounds until it joins the Allan at a substantial stone 
 bridge which crosses the road near Greenloaning Railway 
 Station. Entering the policies by the south approach, about 
 one mile from Greenloaning Station, we cross the Knaick by an 
 iron bridge, erected a few years ago. Until about twenty-five 
 years ago, there was no bridge here whatever, and the river had 
 either to be forded, or a long detour made round by the bridge 
 about a mile farther up the river. The fording of the river was 
 often impossible, and at times dangerous. The Knaick fre- 
 quently rises with alarming rapidity, and carries everything 
 before it with irresistible force. It has sometimes been seen 
 coming down its bed in the form of a wall of water three feet 
 high, and even more, and with such speed that one could 
 scarcely follow it. In such circumstances, narrow escapes are 
 not uncommon even yet ; and before a bridge was erected the 
 water could only be crossed at considerable risk, especially after 
 heavy rains. The first bridge was built with a pier in the 
 centre, but it was the cause of much obstruction to the progress 
 of the river by intercepting trees and bushes washed down by 
 the floods. The present bridge consists of a single span, the 
 iron girders, 64 feet wide, resting upon strong concrete piers, 
 built upon the banks. After crossing the bridge, we pass along 
 a fine avenue, principally of beech, ash, and sycamore, — one of 
 the beeches which we measured as a sample girthing 14 feet 7 
 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 10 feet 
 supporting a luxurious crop of heavy branches. There arc 
 also a good many oak trees, but they are not so old as the 
 beeches. 
 
 This avenue leads directly to Ardoch House, a substantial
 
 264 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 mansion, of a plain design, and occupying a site in the imme- 
 diate vicinity of where the old house stood. The present 
 mansion was built by Sir William, the seventh proprietor, and 
 one of the stone corners over the door bears the date 1793. A 
 large wing was built at the east end of the house by Major 
 William Moray Stirling about 1828, by which the accommoda- 
 tion was considerably increased. One of the apartments of the 
 mansion contains some valuable relics in the shape of portraits 
 of Peter the Great and Catherine I. of Eussia, presented 
 by Peter the Great himself to Admiral Thomas Gordon, 
 Governor of Cronstadt, whose daughter, Anna, Sir Henry 
 Stirling, third Bart., married at St Petersburg, 21st December 
 1726. The Admiral occupied a very distinguished position 
 in the Eussian navy. One of the most interesting features 
 in the policies is to be found immediately around the house. 
 This consists in a large number of very old trees, — pro- 
 bably about 500 years of age, — which appear to have been 
 planted on turf dykes, 'and look as if they had been so placed to 
 afford shelter to the original mansion-house. The age of these 
 trees can only be matter of conjecture, but that they are exceed- 
 ingly old can be learned from more than their looks. The late 
 John Eamsay of Ochtertyre, Stirlingshire, mentions in his Dis- 
 sertations on Trees, 1801, that " there was at that time at Ardoch 
 a sycamore in girth 11 feet 11 inches. Whether its want of 
 magnitude be owing to the thinness of the soil, or to the indiscreet 
 lopping of its branches, is uncertain, but it is venerable on 
 account of its great antiquity. The Tutor of Ardoch told the 
 Lord Justice-Clerk Tinwald that he knew no change upon the 
 old trees since he could remember." It is those same trees that 
 are still standing round the mansion-house. Although very old 
 they are still in vigorous health, and some of the sounder ones 
 are making fair progress. Most of them, however, are gnarled 
 and knotty in the trunks, and bear evidence of having passed 
 maturity. The largest of those immediately around the house 
 girths 18 feet 4 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 13 feet 1 
 inch at. 5 feet. The following are the measurements of a few 
 of the others : — 17 feet at 1 foot and 13 feet 1 inch at 5 feet, a 
 very good tree, with a fine bole of 15 feet, and splendid limbs;
 
 AEDOCH. 265 
 
 17 feet at 1 foot and 13 feet at 5 feet ; 15 feet at 1 foot, and 
 12 feet 6 inches at 5 feet ; 12 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet 
 4 inches at 5 feet; 16 feet at 1 foot, and 10 feet 6 inches at 5 
 feet; 13 feet G inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet at 5 feet — a 
 valuable tree, without knots, and a beautifully clean bole. 
 There is another rather remarkable tree in the lot, with a great 
 swell round the roots, the girth being no less than 24 feet — the 
 girth above the swell being 1 1 feet. Another valuable sycamore 
 close besidethe above has a magnificent bole of about 25 feet, with 
 a girth of 15 feet 1 inch at 1 foot, and 13 feet 2 inches at 5 feet. 
 Leaving the immediate neighbourhood of the mansion-house, 
 but before losing sight of it, we meet with many noble specimens 
 of different varieties of trees that are equally as interesting as 
 the sycamores of which we have already spoken. The first of 
 these to which we may refer is a very good ash, but singularly 
 coarse in the bark. At 1 foot up the girth is 14 feet 8 inches, 
 and at 5 feet the girth is 12 feet 6 inches, there being a splendid 
 bole of close upon 30 feet. There are a great many Scots firs 
 scattered throughout the policies and in the adjoining woods, but 
 none of them are very aged. One of those in the policies which 
 may be taken as a fair sample, girths 9 feet 4 inches at 1 foot 
 from the ground, and 8 feet 1 inch at 5 feet from the ground. A 
 few larches also grow around the house, those which we measured 
 girthing 10 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 8 feet 1 inch at 5 feet; 
 
 9 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 7 feet 7 inches at 5 feet. 
 There is a considerable extent of woodland over the property, 
 
 the most of which appears to have been planted about 80 or 100 
 years ago. The soil, generally, is a lightish loam, with patches 
 of moss — the subsoil being almost all gravel. The plantations 
 are mixed with all the common varieties of timber, and some fine 
 specimens are occasionally to be met Avith. In the Moss Wood 
 there is a particularly good birch, girthing 9 feet 9 inches at 1 foot 
 and 7 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. There is an extraordinary growth 
 at the bottom of the stem, evidently caused by the character of the 
 soil, which is here very damp. A larch in the same wood girths 
 
 10 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 7 feet 10 inches at 5 feet. 
 There is also some very fine timber growing on the margin of 
 the lake, a beautiful sheet of water of 15 or 20 acres on the
 
 266 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 lower part of the grounds, and about half a mile south of the 
 house. Amongst the more notable trees here is a splendid 
 silver fir girthing 10 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 6 inches 
 at 5 feet. A great many large silver firs were blown down in 
 this wood by the gale of 28th December 1879, which seems to 
 have been experienced here in all its fury. The stool of one of 
 these girths 9 feet 3 inches, while another measured 5| feet in 
 diameter, — the rings on both of these trees indicating that they 
 were over 100 years of age. A clump of large ash trees grow 
 in the Black Dyke Park, and appear to mark the site of a quon- 
 dam farm steading. Behind the gardener's house there is a very 
 good sound sycamore girthing 15 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 
 13 feet at 5 feet ; and a beech girthing 12 feet 7 inches at 1 
 foot, and 9 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. The garden is situated a 
 short distance to the north of the house, and drains into an 
 ornamental pond of about 5 acres in extent, studded with 
 picturesque islands, and spanned by a rustic bridge connecting 
 the grounds around the house with the garden. 
 
 From the sycamore and beech trees at the back of the garden 
 to the Eoman Camp is but a few steps, and as there is certainly 
 no more interesting object in the district than this relic of the 
 Eoman occupation, we cannot neglect to take special notice of 
 it. It is believed to be the most perfect of all the remains of 
 Eoman Camps in Britain, and it is now so thoroughly protected 
 that it is likely to remain so. A portion of it was at one period 
 destroyed by the plough, but Sir William Stirling, the seventh 
 proprietor of Ardoch, had the whole of the Middle Camp en- 
 closed with a stone wall, so as to prevent such a misfortune in 
 the future. The manner in which the camp has been con- 
 structed has contributed very much to its preservation. Instead 
 of the ramparts being built up with the earth dug out of the 
 trenches, all the soil excavated was carried away to a distance, 
 so that the ramparts were formed out of the natural ground. 
 But for this circumstance we probably would never have been 
 able to trace those 
 
 " Mouldering lines 
 Where Rome, the Empress of the World, 
 Of yore, her eagle wings unfurled."
 
 AEDOCH. 267 
 
 The outlines of four places of encampment are still discern- 
 ible, although in different degrees of completeness. The 
 greatest of these is known as the North Camp, and it measures 
 about 2800 feet in length and 1950 feet in breadth, or about 
 half a mile long and one-third of a mile broad. It has consisted 
 of a single rampart and ditch, and the outline of the entire 
 work can be traced without much difficulty. The whole of the 
 eastern side is well defined by the Eoman Causeway, and at one 
 part, in a plantation on elevated ground, the entrenchments are 
 quite entire. " In the same spot may still be seen the remains 
 of a square redoubt within the lines, raised probably for the 
 purpose of enabling the soldiers by military engines to discharge 
 stones or darts, clear of the top of the rampart, in defence 
 of the gate beside which it has been placed, and for the further 
 protection of the gate is to be found a traverse without the lines. 
 Of the western side about a third of the length is in excellent 
 preservation. And of the south side the half remains nearly 
 in as perfect condition as when the soldiers raised it, togetber 
 with a portion of the Decuman Gate." It is said by the Eev. 
 John Macintyre, Greenloaning, — from whose exhaustive lecture 
 delivered to the Stirling Field Club on 5th October 1880, 
 we have gathered the most of our particulars as to this camp, — 
 tbat there is very great reason to conclude that "Agricola 
 occupied this camp previous to the division of his army. It 
 consisted of the 2nd, 9th, and 20th Legions, and a tertiata castra, 
 or camp for three legions, was not square but oblong, being 
 one-third longer than it was broad, and such is the form of this 
 camp. Its dimensions, also, perfectly agree with the probable 
 magnitude of that army, for the legion, according to Polybius, 
 consisted of 8400 infantry and 900 cavalry, making the com- 
 bined force under Agricola to amount to nearly 28,000. 
 Detachments of the army no doubt were stationed in different 
 parts of the country as garrison troops, but the Roman general 
 had along with him a body of British auxiliaries, who perhaps 
 did more than supply the parties engaged in such duty ; since 
 Ave find that instead of 2700 horsemen, the ' Justus equitatus,' — 
 the proper proportion of cavalry for three legions, — no less than 
 3000 horsemen were present at the Battle of the Grampians. To
 
 2G8 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIKE. 
 
 such an army this camp, allowing the moderate computation of 
 100 feet of iutervallum within the lines, would afford 160 
 superficial feet to each soldier— the precise space which Polybius 
 speaks of as absolutely necessary, taking infantry and cavalry in 
 their relative proportions." The West or Lesser Camp is 
 situated close beside the former, lying partly within and partly 
 without its western side. Only two small portions now remain 
 entire, although the line of the fortifications may be beautifully 
 traced for a considerable distance by a difference in the soil and 
 in the shade of the grass. The length of this camp, taken 
 probably when more complete, is 1900 feet, and its breadth 
 1340, and it is estimated thtit it would afford accommodation for 
 12,800 troops. The Third or Middle Camp lies directly south 
 of the great one, and, from its being enclosed with a wall, it is 
 in better preservation than the others. The fourth of these 
 ancient works is commonly described as " The Camp," because 
 it is the one best known, on account of the great number and 
 completeness of its entrenchments. There are six rows of 
 ditches, and seven ramparts. Its length from north to south, 
 within the present defences, is 510 feet, and its breadth from 
 east to west is 435 feet, including the raised platform of the 
 preetorium, which by itself is 84 feet long and 87 feet broad. 
 Near one of the sides Of the proetorium, a shaft is popularly 
 supposed to have proceeded in a slanting direction to a great 
 . depth. It cannot, however, now be discovered, though some 
 ingenious attempts have been made for the purpose, — a 
 gentleman who rented Ardoch House and grounds about the 
 year 1720, from the proprietor, then in Eussia, having caused 
 the opening to be covered with a millstone at some distance 
 beneath the surface of the soil, to prevent the escape of foxes 
 and rabbits, and the loss of his dogs. The popular tradition is 
 that the shaft had a subterranean communication with the 
 Grinnan Hill, distant a quarter of a mile. Hence the old 
 rhyme — 
 
 " From the Roman Camp at Ardoch, 
 To the Grinnan Hill of Keir, 
 Are nine king's rents, 
 For seven hundred year."
 
 AKDOCH. 2G9 
 
 It is more reasonable to suppose, however, that the shaft would 
 be sunk for the purpose of drawing filtered water from the 
 Knaick, which flows close by at a depth of about 50 feet from 
 the Camp, and from which it might be lifted up by the old 
 Roman method of a horizontal wheel and chain. Few articles 
 of value are known to have been discovered about the Camp, 
 although a tradition exists that there is no lack of buried 
 treasure. It is stated in the Statistical Account of the Parish 
 of Muthill, in which the Camp is situated, that many years ago, 
 in order to ascertain whether there were really any treasures or 
 objects of antiquarian interest in the shaft, a man who had 
 been condemned to suffer death by a neighbouring lord, agreed, 
 on condition of being pardoned, to be let down by a rope and 
 make search. He was so far successful at first as to bring up 
 from a great depth some Roman spears, helmets, fragments of 
 bridles, and other articles, but upon being let down a second 
 time he perished from foul air. It is added these things lay in 
 Ardoch House for many years-, but were all carried off by 
 soldiers in the Duke of Argyle's army after the Battle of 
 Sheriffmuir in 1715, and could never be recovered. Certainly 
 there are no remains now known to be in preservation with the 
 exception of one most interesting relic, a monumental stone, 
 dug up near the prsetorium, and presented by the late Sir 
 William Stirling of Ardoch, many years ago, to the University 
 of Glasgow, and is to be seen in the museum there. The 
 inscription tells its own tale — 
 
 DIS MANIBVS 
 AMMONIVS DA 
 MIONIS. COH 
 I HISPANORVM 
 STIPKNDIORVM 
 • XXVII HEREDE 
 F. C. 
 
 Dis Manibus Ammonius Damionis cohortis primae llispannorum Stipendioruin 
 Viginti Septem Heredes Faciendum (or Fieri) Curaveriint. 
 
 Sacred to the gods below, Ammonius, the son (or servant) of Damio, of the 
 first Cohort of Spanish Auxiliaries. Aged 27. His Heirs caused this monu- 
 ment to be erected. 
 
 Mr Drummond Moray has repeatedly had applications made to 
 him to permit excavations in search of the supposed buried
 
 270 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 treasure or antiquities, but all of these are firmly resisted. The 
 wisdom of such a resolution is so apparent that it is not a little 
 surprising that any applications calculated to destroy so interest- 
 ing and important a relic of the first great events in Scottish 
 history should ever be made. On the occasion of the Queen's 
 first visit to Scotland in 1842, both Her Majesty and Prince 
 Albert manifested much interest in the Eoman Camp at Ardoch, 
 and paid a visit to the place on their way south. When it 
 hecame known that the royal visitors were to come along the 
 Muthill road from Drummond Castle to Ardoch, Major Moray, 
 the then proprietor, had a small stone gateway hastily con- 
 structed in the wall which separates the public road from the 
 Camp, so as to facilitate the entrance of the royal party. A 
 large party of the tenants and others from the surrounding 
 districts assemhled, and gave the Queen and the Prince Consort 
 a most hearty welcome when they alighted from their carriage 
 and perambulated the grounds that were once so thronged with 
 the warriors of a power of which little now remains except a 
 name, hut a power, nevertheless, which has exercised a vast 
 influence upon the history of Europe. 
 
 After examining all that remains of the great Eoman Camp, 
 we proceed hy a beautiful walk along the side of Knaick from 
 the bridge at the North Lodge to the Mill of Ardoch. The 
 present bridge over the Knaick at this point is comparatively 
 new, and replaced one of General Wade's bridges, still standing 
 beside it. The walk along the river side is one of the most 
 picturesque in Perthshire. The water rushes rapidly from rock 
 to rock, and here and there makes a bound over a considerable 
 precipice. At one point, a little above Ardoch Mill, a fine view 
 of three pretty large waterfalls are seen at a glance. The whole 
 of the three waterfalls can be embraced in one view on looking 
 between two trees growing side by side upon the banks, the 
 trees themselves adding to the beauty of the picture. One of 
 the most rugged parts of the walk is known as " St Einging's 
 Loup," although it is hardly entitled to that designation now, 
 as the water has cut through the soft stone to such an extent as 
 would require unheard of agility to enable any one to leap from 
 the one side to the other. The banks of the river, on the
 
 ARDOCH. 271 
 
 Ardoch side, are planted with larch, oak, heech, and other trees 
 of the commoner varieties, adding very much to the natural 
 grandeur of the scene. 
 
 With Ardoch we complete our survey of the properties of C. 
 S. H. D. Moray. With regard to all of them, it may be said 
 that they afford abundant material for the study of arboriculture, 
 and present, as we have endeavoured to show, numerous features 
 of general interest. The many noble trees which have survived 
 the withering blasts of centuries at Abercairny, Blair-Drummond, 
 Ardoch, &c, speak eloquently on behalf of the exertions of the 
 former proprietors to ornament and enhance the value of .their 
 estates; while the many acres of thriving young plantations that 
 clothe the rugged hillsides, utilise the more unprofitable ground, 
 or adorn the policies, testify to the labours of the present laird, 
 and to his good taste. It is not within the scope of this work 
 to refer specially to the agricultural lands, but it may be said 
 that wherever there is a disposition to improve the woodlands, 
 there is always an equally strong desire to render the agricultural 
 lands all that a landlord can make them. No one can travel 
 over these properties and fail to observe that this is specially 
 the case here, — fields being well drained and fenced, and roads 
 and paths kept in first-rate repair, while farmers' houses and 
 workmen's cottages are commodious, neat, and comfortable.
 
 XXIII.— KEIE. 
 
 Situation— Origin of Name— Stirlings of Keir— Peculiar Ways of Spelling 
 the Family Name— Acquisition of the Property of Keir— Additions 
 to the Family Estate— History of the Property— Burning of the Old 
 Tower of Keir— Building of the present Mansion— The Woods in the 
 17th Century— Early Improvements— Improvements by Sir William 
 Stirling Maxwell— The Policies— Memorial Trees— Extensive Plant- 
 ing of the Newer Conifers— The Keir Araucaria— The Pinetum— 
 Extent of the Property. 
 
 Keir, around which cluster so many historic and literary asso- 
 ciations, is beautifully situated about a mile to the west of the 
 fashionable mineral spa of Bridge of Allan, and between it and 
 the ancient City of Dunblane. Its natural beauties are many 
 and varied, and the landscape of which it forms a prominent 
 feature is one of the finest in this part of Scotland. From the 
 terraces of Keir House the prospect is indeed an extensive and 
 spleudid one. In front, at a distance of some three miles, rises, 
 abrupt and bold, the rock which is crowned with the Castle of 
 Stirling, so rich in historic associations, and occupying a site 
 both romantic and beautiful. Sir Walter Scott has rendered 
 classic 
 
 " Grey Stirling, with its towers and town." 
 
 But Stirling is not the only point of the landscape which is 
 touched by the great magician's wand. 
 
 " The lofty brow of ancient Keir " 
 is lit up by the same touch of genius, and so are other spots in 
 the Vale of Monteith, over the glorious expanse of which the 
 eye wanders with delight, till it rests on the screen of mountain- 
 peaks which bound the western horizon — Ben Lomond Ben 
 Voirlich, Ben Ledi, and the other mighty giants which 
 " sentinel enchanted lands." To the left, the Abbey Craig, rising 
 sheer from the plain, looks down on the old walls of Cambus- 
 kenne'th Abbey and the scene of the Battle of Stirling Bridge ■
 
 KEIR. 273 
 
 while far away to the east the winding Forth pursues its 
 tortuous but silvery course to the ocean. A lovely prospect 
 truly both east and west, and one over which the eye roams 
 with ever-increasing pleasure. 
 
 The origin of the name of Keir cannot be said to be altogether 
 shrouded in mystery. Occasionally in the fifteenth century, 
 and generally during the succeeding century, the place was 
 designated " The Keir," but subsequent to that date the present 
 name was commonly adopted. It has been variously spelt 
 "Keyr," "Keyre," "Kere," "Keer," "Keire,"and "Keir." About 
 a mile to the south-west of Keir House there is the farm of 
 " Auld Keir," which it is conjectured may have been the site 
 of the original Castle of Keir. Keir appears to have been 
 originally the name applied to the rude forts, which were at one 
 time common in the district, and the presence of which are 
 said to be still decernible by knolls of green surface covering a 
 a great heap of loose stones. In the neighbouring parish of 
 Kippen several places bear the name of Keir as a prefix, such as 
 Keir-brae, Keir- hill, &c; and in Dumfriesshire there is a parish 
 called Keir, which the learned author of Caledonia says is 
 derived from the British " Caer," signifying a fort. There 
 seems no doubt, therefore, that the place owes its name to its 
 ancient military importance, which is confirmed by the fact that 
 a tower once stood close by the farmhouse now called Nether 
 Keir. 
 
 Keir has for many generations been the home of that branch of 
 the Stirling's which has the late Sir William Stirling-Maxwell 
 for its most honoured representative. The earlier family muni- 
 ments were, unfortunately, destroyed by fire during the war 
 between James III. and his son, the Prince of Scotland, in the 
 year 1488, but sufficient is known of the family history to 
 prove its great antiquity, the descent being traced from the time 
 of David L, who died in 1153. The first to appear in authentic 
 history is Walter de Striuelyng, who is referred to in a charter 
 by the monarch just mentioned, and supposed to have been 
 granted about the year 1150. The peculiarity of the spelling 
 of the name at this period will attract the attention of most 
 readers, and curiosity will naturally be aroused as to its deriva- 
 
 S
 
 274 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 tion. This curiosity will not be diminished when we mention 
 that Mr William Fraser, who made a collection of the family 
 papers for the late Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, has tabulated 
 no fewer than 64 different ways of spelling the family name, 
 with the dates of the papers in which each occurs. One of the 
 most remarkable features in this table is the position which is 
 occupied by what is now recognised as the orthodox method of 
 spelling the name. In 1160 the name is spelt "Strevelyn"; 
 and between this period and 1412 it is spelt in fifteen different 
 ways, the orthography for that year being even worse than at 
 the earlier date, viz., " Strewynlyng." This peculiar style con- 
 tinued till 1433, when it is spelt " Stirling." In the following 
 year, however, the orthography again resumes its erratic course, 
 and continues to present many grotesque combinations of letters 
 till 1677, when the family name is spelt " Stirlling," after 
 which, we presume, it returns to the more phonetic way which 
 found favour in 1433. The etymology of the name is 
 uncertain, but it is highly probable that the family name is 
 derived from the neighbouring town of Stirling ; and from 
 Nimmo's History of Stirlingshire we learn that the county town 
 having been from an early period a frontier stronghold, and the 
 scene of many a struggle between contending armies, is said to 
 have derived its ancient name of " Stryveling," which is 
 supposed to signify strife, from this circumstance. Dr Eogers, 
 in his work on the Chapel Koyal of Scotland, says that Stirling 
 derives its name from the fact of its being a high rock rising 
 from a morass. Although the name may have originally been 
 applied to the neighbouring town, as the scene of bloody con- 
 flicts, it is equally applicable to the early history of the family, 
 which, doubtless, from its proximity to the scenes of the great 
 struggles for Scottish independence, suffered very heavily from 
 the unsettled state of the country. Although the descent of the 
 family, as already stated, is traceable to the year 1153, Keir 
 was not acquired by the Stirling family till 1448, when Lukas 
 Stirling, who had previously possessed lands in Fife and Strath- 
 earn, purchased Keir from George Leslie of that ilk, ancestor of 
 the Earls of Eothes. Sir William, the grandson of Lukas, got 
 Keir erected into a barony by King James III. Sir William
 
 KEIR. 275 
 
 has been accused of being a party to the assassination of that 
 monarch at the Battle of Sauchiebum, but the evidence is not 
 sufficient to establish the charge. Sir John, the fourth Laird 
 of Keir, added greatly to the family estates. Between 1517 
 and 1535 he acquired various lands in Perthshire, Dumbarton- 
 shire, Stirlingshire, Fifeshire, and Elginshire, — the lands in 
 Perthshire including Kippendavie, Blackford, Brackland, etc. 
 He took a prominent part in the public events of his time, and 
 held the office of Sheriff of Perth in 1516. After the death 
 of King James IV. at Flodden, he was entrusted with the 
 custody of the young King's person. His property was 
 forfeited in 1526 for his haviug appeared at the Battle of 
 Linlithgow against the King's authority, but it was restored to 
 him in the following year. He founded a chaplaincy to the 
 Cathedral Church of Dunblane in 1509. Although evidently of 
 a somewhat pious turn, his character appears to have been 
 thoroughly in keeping with the lawless times in which he lived, 
 taking part in several feuds and hazardous adventures, and was 
 ultimately slain at Stirling Bridge. His son, Sir James, was the 
 husband of the heiress of Cawder. He divorced his wife, but 
 retained her estate, and thus added considerably to the wealth 
 of the family. He was appointed by King James VI. one of the 
 judges who tried Morton for the murder of Darnley, and pro- 
 nounced sentence of death on the Regent. Sir George 
 Stirling, the great-grandson of Sir James, was intimately con- 
 nected with his kinsman, the first Marquis of Montrose, and 
 was prosecuted in 1611, by the Committee of Estates, as one of 
 the " Plotters." After the death of Sir George without surviving 
 issue, the estates of Keir and Cawder were inherited by his 
 cousin, Archibald Stirling, Lord Garden, a Lord of Session of 
 some distinction in the reign of Charles II. The grandson of 
 Lord Garden, James Stirling, was a keen Jacobite, and was tried 
 for an alleged conspiracy in favour of the Stuart family in 1708, 
 but was acquitted. Sir "Walter Scott, in his Tales of a Grand- 
 father, relates the following amusing anecdote in regard to the 
 trial : — 
 
 " The laird of Keir was riding joyfully home, with his butler in attendance, 
 who had been one of the evidence produced against him on the trial, but who
 
 276 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 had, upon examination, forgot every word concerning the matter which could 
 possibly prejudice his master. Keir could not help expressing some surprise to 
 the man at the extraordinary shortness of memory which he had shown on 
 particular questions being put to him. ' I understand what your honour 
 means, very well,' said the domestic coolly, 'but my mind was made up, rather 
 to trust my own soul to the mercy of Heaven than your honour's body to the 
 tender compassion of the Whigs !' " 
 
 James Stirling was forfeited in 1715, and deprived of his estates, 
 which were afterwards acquired by his friends, and restored to 
 his son, from whom they have descended to the present repre- 
 sentative of the family, Sir John Maxwell Stirling-Maxwell, who 
 was born in London on 6th June 1866. 
 
 The mansiondiouse of Keir is partly old and partly new. The 
 older parts were probably erected about 1488, and took the place 
 of the tower which was destroyed by fire in the course of a 
 conflict with the Eoyal forces. The then laird of Keir espoused 
 the cause of the nobles, headed by Prince James, against King 
 James III. Shortly after the Battle of Sauchieburn, or, as it is 
 sometimes called, the Field of Stirling, and after a skirmish with 
 the Royal forces, in which the Prince's party were defeated, the 
 Prince took refuge in the Tower of Keir, but he was driven out, 
 and the place burned to the ground by his enemies. On 7th 
 January 1488, soon after the accession of James IV., this laird 
 received from the King's hands, the lands of Keir, the Tower and 
 Place of Keir, and other lands ; and on the same day a charter 
 passed the Great Seal, by which the King, after narrating that 
 " the Tower and Place of Keir had been burned by order of 
 James III. when last at Striveling (Stirling), by the instigation 
 of his evil councillors, hj which all the old writs and evidents 
 relating to the said lands had been destroyed," erected all these 
 lands, and others, into a barony, to be called the Barony of Keir, 
 and " to be held blanch for payment of a pair of gilt spurs at the 
 Tower of Keire, on the Feast of St John the Baptist." "When 
 James IV. accepted the resignation of the Barony of Keir for a 
 new erection, he had knighted the laird, for in the instrument 
 he is styled " William Striveling," and in the charter " Sir 
 William." On the 28th October 1488, he further granted £100 
 to " Schir Wilzeam of Stirling to the bigging of his place," as 
 appears from the Treasurer's Accounts of the period. This
 
 KEIR. 277 
 
 grant of money, the erection of the Barony of Keir, and the 
 knighthood, were given as a recompense for the support which 
 the Laird of Keir had given to the cause of James IV., and for 
 his losses at the hands of James III. 
 
 Whatever appearance Keir House may have had upon its 
 " bigging " in 1488, we cannot now tell, but it was doubtless a 
 very plain structure, and the grounds and woods by which it 
 was surrounded could not fail to have been greatly destroyed by 
 the operations of contending armies. By the 17th century, 
 however, the property would appear to have been carrying 
 valuable timber, because in the contract of marriage of Sir 
 James Stirling, dated 1606, we find his father, Sir Archibald, 
 in settling upon his son the estates of Keir and Cawder, 
 reserving, with his own liferent of the property, the " power of 
 cutting down the woods of Keir, Cader, and Brokland." Again, 
 in a rental of Keir and Cawder, made up in 1632, it is stated 
 that "the laird lies thrie woods, viz., the Wood of Keir, the 
 Wood of Cader, and the Wood of Brockland, quhilk within 
 schort space will be worth the -sum of ten thousand punds 
 money, quhilk woods were cuttit twenty years be umquhile Sir 
 Archibald Sterling, quha got at his last selling of them, aucht 
 thousand by (besides) the Ladies' part." It was somewhere 
 between the years 1750 and 1760 that the series of improve- 
 ments was commenced which culminated in the splendid work 
 of the late Sir William Stirling-Maxwell. The credit of in- 
 augurating this work is due to the lady of Archibald Stirling, 
 Margaret Erskine, daughter of Colonel Erskine of Torrie, whom 
 he married in 1751, shortly after his return from Jamaica, where 
 he had acquired a moderate fortune as a merchant. Soon after 
 her marriage, this lady planned, and partly executed, the Green 
 Terrace on the south side of the park at Keir, on the top of the 
 slope known as Camie Bank. The next laird was the one who 
 succeeded through the failure of his eleven elder brothers. His 
 son, James Stirling, was also distinguished for the great im- 
 provements he effected upon the property. In early life he was 
 a Lieutenant in the 11th Dragoons, but left the service in 1793, 
 when he succeeded his father in Keir. His principal occupa- 
 tion, like that of the late Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, was
 
 278 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 agriculture, and the breeding and rearing of cattle, in which he 
 was eminently successful. During his tenure of the property, 
 he greatly embellished the grounds, both by forming consider- 
 able plantations, and by making the north and south approaches, 
 — the latter of which he carried on a bridge over Lecropt Burn, 
 — and by building the two park lodges on the Crieff and 
 Stirling Eoad. He also made two considerable additions to the 
 mansion-house on the western side, including the drawing-room 
 and gallery. Dying unmarried in 1831, he was succeeded by 
 his brother Archibald, who resided at Keir with little interrup- 
 tion till his death, which took place somewhat suddenly on the 
 9th April 1847. During the sixteen years he held the property, 
 he also devoted himself with great zeal to agricultural pursuits, 
 and drained and improved large portions of his property both at 
 Keir and Cawder. The breeding and rearing of stock, especially 
 shorthorn cattle, had his special attention. He completed the 
 drawing-room and gallery which had been added to Keir House 
 by his brother, but left unfinished. At Cawder and Kenmure 
 he added considerably to the value of his lands by the discovery 
 of iron, coal, and freestone, which are still extensively worked. 
 
 The late laird, Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, did more, 
 perhaps, than any of his predecessors to make Keir the 
 magnificent place it now is, and to maintain the reputation of 
 the family name. He was born at Kenmure on 8th March 1818. 
 He graduated B.A. at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1839, and 
 M.A. in 1843. In 1849 he disentailed the family estates, and 
 in 1852 he sold the estate of Hampden, in Jamaica, the remain- 
 ing portion of a property which had for some years ceased to 
 meet its expenses. His scholarly attainments were of a very high 
 order, and he was the author of several important works dis- 
 playing deep learning, including Songs of the Holy Land, Annals 
 of the Artists of Spain, The Cloister Life of Charles V., 
 Velazquez and his Works, and Notices of the Emperor Charles 
 V. in 1555 and 1556. He represented Perthshire in Parlia- 
 ment for many years — an honour which he possessed till his 
 death, which took place at Venice on the 15th January 1878. 
 Between the years 1849 and 1851, he effected several important 
 improvements — a work which he continued to carry on,
 
 KEIR. 279 
 
 more or less, throughout his remaining lifetime. He completed 
 the Green Terrace, which, we have said, was commenced by the 
 lady of a former laird between 1750 and 1760, and made con- 
 siderable other alterations upon the house and grounds. He 
 removed the entrance from the east to the north, built a new 
 set of offices, turned the old entrancediall into a magnificent 
 library, and added an imposing bay of five windows to the centre 
 of the eastern front. The porch, gateway, and connecting 
 arcade, and the fine terraces which surround three sides of the 
 house, were likewise constructed by him, while he also added 
 considerably to the pleasure grounds. These improvements 
 were effected at enormous cost, and everywhere there is evidence 
 of that fine artistic taste for which the late Sir William was so 
 distinguished. Nowhere is this artistic taste more apparent 
 than in the steading, the design of which is singularly beautiful 
 and appropriate. The buildings, which were erected at a cost 
 of about £8000, were commenced in 1858, but Avere not com- 
 pleted till 1861, the various portions bearing the dates at which 
 they were built. In every department convenience has been 
 primarily considered, and the ornamentation is neat and sug- 
 gestive. At the entrance to the different sections, the heads of 
 famous animals reared at Keir are carved in stone, and appropriate 
 mottoes are conspicuous in the different parts of the building. 
 In the dairy, for instance, "Cleanliness is next to godliness," 
 is displayed in bold relief. On the clock tower, the visitor is 
 reminded of the value of time by such wise saws as " Tak' tent 
 in time ere time be tint," " It is later with the wise than he's 
 aware," and " Hours are time's darts, and one comes winged with 
 death." The family motto, " Gang Forward," is also con- 
 spicuously displayed. An excellent model of the steading, 
 showing the minutest details, was prepared, at considerable ex- 
 pense, for the Kensington Museum, where it still is. 
 
 The most of those beauties at Keir which derive their charms 
 chiefly from art, owe, as we have said, their existence almost 
 entirely to the late Sir William Stirling-Maxwell. Nor are these 
 beauties all at once apparent. It was part of his design that 
 the attractions of the policies should be very gradually 
 revealed, and that at every turn there should be something
 
 280 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 specially fitted to attract the eye — a noble or graceful tree, a 
 peculiarly-constructed vase, or a far-reaching vista. Starting from 
 the mansion, we cannot pass without admiring those fine up- 
 right cypress trees which cling to the walls up to the third 
 storey, and impart to the building a look of freshness and 
 novelty. Round the mansion there are several trees planted by 
 distinguished hands, including a Cupressus Lawsoniana planted 
 by the Queen of the Netherlands, and another of the same 
 variety planted by Lord Beaconsfield. Many of the newer 
 coniferous plants were being introduced to this country about 
 the time Sir "William succeeded to the property, and he early 
 conceived it to be his duty to give them a fair trial, and 
 accordingly planted them very extensively. Many of these are 
 to be found in front of the vineries, a splendid and very 
 substantial range of buildings about 300 feet in length, and 
 built about 80 years ago. The first to attract our attention is a 
 fine Juniperus recurva, or the weeping Indian juniper, a very 
 graceful and beautiful drooping plant. It is about 50 feet in 
 circumference, and reaches a height of about 30 feet. It is very 
 seldom that such a fine plant is met with. Beside it is one of 
 the original larches, an excellent specimen, girthing 16 feet 10 
 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 10 feet 10 inches at 5 
 feet, and fully 90 feet high, most of it being bole. There is 
 another very good larch, also one of the original introductions, 
 girthing 13 feet 10 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 12 
 feet 10 inches at 5 feet. We have also here the original plant 
 of Tliujojpsis dolobrata (the hatchet-leaved Thujqpsis), introduced 
 into this country — Captain Fortescue having brought it from 
 Japan as a present to Sir William. It is an exceedingly lovely 
 plant, with flattened leaves of a bright green above, and silvery- 
 white underneath, clasping the stem quite closely, and giving it 
 a peculiar effect. It is described by Professor Thunberg as the 
 most beautiful of all evergreen trees. This specimen was reared 
 in a pot under the impression that is was not hardy, but was 
 planted out in 1863. It is now 11 feet high, although only 
 beginning to grow. It is very thriving, appears to be perfectly 
 hardy, and is making a growth of 18 inches annually. There 
 is only one specimen of Abies Albertiana, and it has reached a
 
 KEIR. 281 
 
 height of 30 feet. There is also a thriving specimen of the 
 white cedar (Chamcecyparis), which has attained a height of 35 
 feet. We next come to the splendid Araucaria imbricata, for 
 which Keir has heen so long famed. This plant was sent to 
 Keir as a seedling, ahout fifty-six years ago, from Glassniven 
 Gardens, Dublin, by Mr Niven, the Curator, to his father, who 
 was the gardener at Keir. It was reared in a pot and carefully 
 protected during winter. It was planted out in May 1838, by 
 Mr William Campbell, at that time foreman at Keir Gardens. 
 It was then a strong, handsome, well-formed plant, about ten 
 years old. The tree was, unfortunately, blown over by the 
 disastrous gale of 28th December 1879. Two of the branches 
 which were cut off at that time showed a girth of a couple of 
 inches. The tree has again been set up, and seems likely to 
 maintain its position as one of the finest specimens of its kind 
 in Scotland. In height it measures exactly 44 feet 3 inches ; at 
 1 foot from the ground the girth is 5 feet 4| inches, at 3 feet 
 the girth is 4 feet 8 inches, and at 6 feet the girth is 4 feet 4 
 inches. Amongst the other notable trees in the policies is a 
 grand silver fir, 80 feet high, and girthing 11 feet 8 inches at 
 1 foot from the ground, and 9 feet at 5 feet. A Oryptomeria 
 Japonica, a perfect specimen, feathered to the ground, has a 
 girth of 6 feet 5 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 5 feet 2 
 inches at 5 feet, and 75 feet in circumference. There are two 
 exceptionally good specimens of Abies Canadensis, the largest of 
 which girths 6 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 5 feet 7 inches at 5 
 feet. This tree crushes rather closely upon the large araucaria, 
 for the benefit of which it had to be greatly pruned, very much 
 to the regret of the late Sir William, who watched over these 
 fine trees with a truly parental care. Cedrus Deodara has 
 been extensively planted, and the plants are thriving very 
 well. Cupressus Lambertiana is to be found with a height of 
 about 80 feet, and there are several excellent specimens of 
 Cupressus torulosa. There are a few specimens of Wdlingtonia 
 gigantea planted about 30 years ago. The first of these — 
 planted by Sir William, on fine till — has a height of about 30 
 feet, and girths 8 feet 10 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 5 feet 8 inches at 5 feet. Some of those growing on lighter
 
 282 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 soils are considerably taller, but they have riot the same girth 
 There are several specimens of Thujopsis borealis, one of the 
 most valuable introductions of recent years, and all of them are 
 healthy and graceful plants. There are very few Scots firs. 
 The most noteworthy is one directly opposite the monument 
 erected by Sir William Stirling-Maxwell in memory of his 
 grandfather, who died suddenly at this spot. At 1 foot from 
 the ground the girth is 10 feet 3 inches, and at 5 feet the girth 
 is 9 feet 3 inches. There are a few hardwood trees of ex- 
 ceptional size. The most remarkable of these is the fine old 
 Spanish chestnut opposite the mansion. It girths 22 feet both 
 at 1 foot and 5 feet from the ground, has a spread of branches 
 of 80 feet, and an entire height of 60 feet. An oak girths 15 
 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet at 5 feet from the ground. 
 
 The pinetum stands at the west side of the kitchen gardens, 
 and was laid out by Sir William about 30 years ago, for the 
 purpose of testing the value of the newer introductions. The 
 first thing to attract notice is that each variety has been planted 
 in pairs, so that if one failed the other might survive to carry 
 on the experiment. Commencing at the bottom, the first pair, 
 we find, are specimens of Pinus excelsa, then Pinus Austriaca, 
 and Picea ndbilis. The latter were seedlings, and are now 62 
 feet high, with a girth at 1 foot from the ground of 6 feet 10 
 inches, and at 5 feet 5 feet 7 inches. One of these was blown 
 over by the gale of 28th December 1879, but was raised again, 
 and is getting on very well. We next have Abies Douglasii, 
 reaching a height of 70 feet, with a girth of 7 feet 4 inches, and 6 
 feet 8 inches at 1 foot and 5 feet respectively; Pinus Cemhra, 40 
 feet high ; Pinus Webhiana, 35 feet high ; Pinus monticola, over 
 50 feet high, girthing 6 feet 11 inches and 4 feet 6 inches at 1 
 foot and 5 feet respectively. Pinus Insigiiis, a remarkably fine 
 tree for the district, is over 50 feet high, and girths 8 feet 8 
 inches and 7 feet 10 inches at 1 foot and 5 feet from the ground 
 respectively ; Abies Morinda, 45 feet high, and richly feathered 
 to the ground ; and Abies Menziesii, girthing 7 feet 9 inches, 
 and 5 feet 9 inches at 1 foot and 5 feet from the ground 
 respectively. 
 
 Keir, as we have already indicated, is not the only property
 
 KEIR. 283 
 
 which "belongs to the family whose history we traced at the 
 beginning of this chapter. Keir itself is partly in the county of 
 Perth and partly in the county of Stirling, but the family has 
 to pay rates in two other counties, viz., Lanarkshire and Eenfrew- 
 shire, their property being also situated in no less than 15 
 parishes. Besides Keir, there are also in Perthshire the estate 
 of Quoigs, and the beautiful lands of Ardchullary, Annie, and 
 Tombae, on the shores of Loch Lubnaig, picturescpiely situated 
 among the Braes of Balquhidder. There are here about 3390 
 acres, mostly moorland, copse, and water. In the western counties 
 there is the valuable estate of Pollock, lying on the west side 
 of Glasgow, and which is rapidly being feued. On the east side 
 of Glasgow, there is the no less valuable estate of Kenmure, 
 where the late Sir William was born ; and adjoining it are the 
 extensive properties of Cawder and Craighead. Cawder, Craig- 
 head, and Kenmure extend to about 5770 acres, and Keir and 
 Quoigs to about 6242 acres. Of the latter about 650 acres are 
 laid out in wood. The plantations are generally mixed, and, 
 being carefully attended to, contain much valuable timber.
 
 XXIV.— KIPPENDAVIE. 
 
 Attractions and Extent of the Property— Stirlings of Kippendavie— The 
 Great Sycamore of Kippenross — Other Remarkable Trees — " On the 
 Banks of Allan Water "— Pinetum— Plantations— Sheriffmuir— 
 Improvements. 
 
 Both from an historical and an arboricultural point of view, 
 Kippendavie, the property of Mr Patrick Stirling, ranks as one 
 of the most notable properties in Perthshire. Within its 
 boundaries is the site of the only battle fought in the Eebellion 
 of 1715, and within its policies there has grown the largest 
 sycamore tree in the country. Circumstances like these strike 
 the imagination with some power, and the result is that when 
 summer clothes the fields with beauty, and the balmy air calls 
 forth the songsters of the grove to warble their sweetest melodies, 
 there is no more favourite resort than Kippendavie. Attractive 
 as the field of Sheriffmuir and the great sycamore'of Kippenross 
 may be, they do not stand alone. Throughout the whole 
 property the visitor meets with new objects of interest and 
 fresh charms at almost every turn. From the higher lands we 
 look clown upon the gorgeous plains watered by the Allan, the 
 Forth, and the Earn. The precipitous rock from the top of 
 which Stirling Castle frowns upon the peaceful valley below is 
 a conspicuous object towards the west ; while, in a still more 
 westerly direction, "The lofty Ben Lomond" is seen presiding 
 over a host of mountains, which stretch in an unbroken chain 
 across the sky until they are lost sight of in the northern horizon. 
 The intervals are filled in with a multitude of charming " bits " 
 in woodland, river, and rural scenery, stretching over a wide 
 range of country. The estate consists of four different pro- 
 perties, — Kippendavie, Kippenross, Cambusheenie, and Butter- 
 gask. Kippenross and Kippendavie are bounded on the east 
 by the property of Lord Abercromby, on the north and west by
 
 KIPPENDAVIE. 285 
 
 Keir, and on the south by Cromlix. Cambusheenie marches 
 with Cromlix, and Buttergask is a small property by itself near 
 Blackford. A considerable portion of the ancient cathedral city 
 of Dunblane is feued from Kippendavie, and upon one of the 
 most prominent eminences of this part of the estate the Dun- 
 blane Hydropathic Establishment has been built. The Stirlings 
 of Kippendavie are a branch of the family of Stirling of Keir. 
 Archibald Stirling, the third son of Sir Archibald Stirling of 
 Keir, received from his father, by a charter, dated 5th August 
 1594, the estate of Kippendavie and other lands, and became 
 the founder of this and other younger branches of the Keir 
 family. John Stirling of Kippendavie, the sixth laird, who was 
 born in 1742, added very considerably to the family possessions, 
 Kippenross being amongst the additions. This estate — which 
 is supposed to derive its name from Kippen Cross, one of the 
 four ancient crosses of Dunblane — was for several hundred years 
 the seat of a family of the name of Kinross, from whose creditors 
 it was, in 1630, purchased by Mr Pearson, Dean of Dunblane. 
 The Pearsons held it for nearly 150 years, the sixth laird of 
 Kippendavie having purchased it from Mr William Pearson 
 in 1778. The present mansion-house — which is situated on 
 Kippenross, and is a fine substantial structure — was commenced 
 by the last of the Pearsons who held the property, but was 
 finished by Mr Stirling. In 1881 an additional wing was added 
 to the house, and other important improvements carried out. 
 In 1813 the sixth laird also acquired the superiority of Lanrick, 
 Auchinbie, Shanraw, Woodland, &c, from James Stirling of 
 Keir. The sixth laird conveyed the estate of Kippenross to his 
 eldest son, Patrick, on the occasion of his marriage in 1810. 
 Patrick predeceased his father, who was succeeded by his 
 grandson, John Stirling. The late laird, who acquired a cosmo- 
 politan reputation from his connection with great railway 
 enterprises, also succeeded upon the death of his grandfather. 
 The late laird died on the 27th July 1882, when he was 
 succeeded by his eldest son, the present proprietor. 
 
 As already indicated, the chief arboreal feature on the 
 property is the great sycamore of Kippenross. Unfortunately, 
 it is now in ruins, but sufficient remains to attest its former
 
 286 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 greatness. The first damage it received was in 1827, when it 
 was struck "by lightning, and it never got the better of this 
 injury. The late laird has affixed a brass tablet to the shattered 
 trunk, bearing the following description of the tree before it 
 received its fatal blow : — 
 
 Cubic contents in 
 
 1821, 
 
 875 feet. 
 
 
 
 1841. 
 
 
 
 Ft. 
 
 In. 
 
 Girth of the smallest part of the trunk, . 
 
 , t 
 
 19 
 
 6 
 
 Do. where the branches spread, 
 
 
 , 
 
 27 
 
 4 
 
 Do. close to the ground, 
 
 
 t t 
 
 42 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 Extreme width of branches, . 
 
 
 . 
 
 114 
 
 
 
 Kippenross, 10th June 1842. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Aged 440 years. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The age of the tree was discovered from some old estate papers. 
 It is known that this tree went by the name of the " Big Tree 
 of Kippenross " as far back as the time of Charles II. In 1800 
 the tree was thus described by Mr Eamsay of Ochtertyre, in 
 Stirlingshire: — " Eegarding Kippenross, the sycamore at that 
 place is now much the greatest in this country. The girth 2 
 feet from the ground on the north side is 22 feet ; close to the 
 ground, 30 feet ; where the branches set off, 28 feet ; at the 
 smallest part, 18 feet. It has 18 feet of a bole. It has four 
 vast branches, which spread to 70 feet. It is not an easy 
 matter to measure this tree very accurately, owing partly to 
 excrescences from its root, and partly to its standing on a slope, 
 hence the various measurements which have appeared. It is 
 the most ancient tree upon the place, and has long been 
 stationary in its growth. In 1740 the late John Stirling of 
 Keir was told by Widow Gillespie, who is past four score, who 
 lived all her days about the place, that although all the other 
 trees had grown a great deal within her remembrance, she knew 
 no change upon the great tree which many people came to see as 
 a curiosity." Mr Eamsay further says :— "Before quitting the 
 sycamores of Kippenross, it is proper to observe that the soil 
 on which the great one grows is a sharp and sweet loam, with 
 about a foot thick on the top of gravel. It is so thin that a 
 pear or apple tree would kancre in a couple of years." Many
 
 KIPPENDAVIE. 287 
 
 useful and ornamental articles have been made out of the wreck 
 of this giant tree, the principal of these being two handsome 
 chairs which adorn the hall of the mansion. There is still a 
 very large sycamore growing near the house. The girth at 1 
 foot from the ground is 18 feet 5 inches; at 3 feet from the 
 ground, 14 feet 8 inches ; where the branches spread, 17 feet 1 
 inch ; and the height of the bole is 13 feet 8 inches. In 1859 
 the measurement of this tree was as follows : — At 1 foot from 
 the ground, 1 7 feet ; and at 3 feet, 1 4 feet 1 inch. There are 
 many other notable trees. A grand beech in the park girths 17 
 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 14 feet 4 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 magnificent round bole of fully 25 feet, and an entire 
 height of about 100 feet. A horse chestnut — which in 
 1859 girthed 12 feet at 1 foot, and 12 feet 6 inches at 
 the spread of the branches — now girths 14 feet 10 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 12 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, with a height of 80 
 feet. A black Italian poplar, with a height of 120 feet, has 
 a girth of 17 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 14 feet 10 inches at 5 
 feet. One of the orginal larches, planted in 1738, has a girth 
 of 18 feet at 1 foot, and 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a height 
 of 80 feet. Another of the original larches has a girth of 16 
 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 7 inches at 5 feet, and a 
 height of 115 feet. This tree is chiefly remarkable for its fine 
 proportions, as may be seen from the following measurements 
 taken in 1859 : — 12 feet 6 inches in girth at 3 feet, 8 feet 6 
 inches at 27 feet, 7 feet at 54 feet, 1 foot 6 inches at 100 
 feet; entire height, 110 feet; branches spring at 20 feet from 
 the ground ; spread of branches, 55 feet; cubic contents, 515 
 feet. There is a very fine Scotch yew, girthing 7 feet 3 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 5 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 1 3 feet. 
 Amongst the other notable trees are an ash girthing 13 feet 
 7 inches at 5 feet from the ground ; oak, 11 feet ; silver fir, 9 
 feet ; cedar of Lebanon, 6 feet 9 inches ; elm, 11 feet 9 inches; 
 several lime trees, 9 feet 6 inches, &c, — all at 5 feet from the 
 ground. There is a very good tulip tree in the shrubbery, 
 the girth being 4 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 3 feet 1 1 inches 
 at 5 feet. There is also a nice specimen of the ontire-leaf ash 
 and two good specimens of Quercus concordia.
 
 288 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 One of the prettiest parts of the property is the walk along 
 the banks of the Allan. This walk was made by Mr Hugh 
 Pearson in 1742, and is reputed to be the first walk of the kind 
 artificially made in Scotland. Mr Pearson was an ardent 
 admirer and conserver of the trees upon the property, but after 
 his death in 1749 great havoc was made with the trees by his 
 eldest son, although the family was in no want of money. 
 Some of the beech trees in this walk are of great size, but none 
 of them reach the measurement of the one we have described as 
 growing in the park. Proceeding along the river side, we come 
 across the ruins of " My Lad's Mill," the scene of the tragic 
 ballad, " On the Banks of Allan Water." The mill derives 
 its name from a corruption of the old name, " Mill Lands," 
 being the lands belonging to the mill. In the spring of 1863 
 several acres were laid out as a pinetum on the west side of the 
 Darn Road leading from Dunblane to Bridge of Allan. The 
 pinetum was well stocked with the most promising of the newer 
 coniferous trees, the plants averaging 2| feet high when placed 
 in the ground. Almost all the varieties have thriven very well. 
 Wellingtonia gigantea has reached a height of 35 feet, with a 
 girth of 9 feet at the ground. The best specimen of Abies 
 Douglasii has a height of about 60 feet, with a girth of 4 feet 8 
 inches at 1 foot, and 4 feet at 5 feet. Picea Nordmanniana, 
 Abies Albertiana, and Pinus Cembra have also prospered 
 remarkably well. Abies Menziesii is not so healthy, the site 
 not being suitable. Pinus Austriaca, Pinus Laricio, and Picea 
 Pinsajx) are thriving remarkably well. In referring to the 
 newer coniferous trees, mention ought to be made of a 
 splendidly-balanced specimen of Araucaria imbricata, 20 feet 
 high, growing in the shrubbery. 
 
 The plantations, consisting chiefly of larch and spruce, are 
 about 700 acres in extent. A large proportion of the plantations 
 cover the battlefield of Sheriffmuir, which now presents a very 
 different aspect from what it did when the two contending 
 armies met with discomfiture. The old road from Dunblane to 
 Sheriffmuir, along which the Scottish troops passed, has been 
 closed up for a considerable time, but, at the personal expense 
 of the late Mr Stirling, a new road was made by way of Stone-
 
 KIPPENDAVIE. 2S9 
 
 hill. The great object of interest at Sheriffruuir is the gathering 
 stones of the Scottish clans. These stones consist of three grey 
 boulders, and the standard is said have been placed in a cavity 
 at their junction. The stones bear marks of having been 
 chipped by relic hunters ; but, in order to preserve them, the 
 late Mr Stirling enclosed them in an iron cage, consisting of 
 23 one-inch iron bars, which are so firmly fastened that it is now 
 impossible for any one to carry away pieces of the stones. The 
 following inscription has been engraved upon a brass plate 
 affixed to the cage : — " The gathering-stone of the Highland 
 army on the day of the memorable battle of Sheriffmuir, fought 
 in November 1715. This grating has been erected to preserve 
 the stone, by John Stirling, Esq. of Kippendavie, principal 
 heritor of the parish of Dunblane. November 1840." We 
 were sorry to notice that this plate has not escaped the hand of 
 the Vandal — the date, " 1840," being almost wholly obliterated 
 by the scratching^ of some mischievous wretch. The great 
 storm of December 1879, and subsequent storms, have played 
 sad havoc within the woods of Sheriffmuir and the adjoining- 
 plantation of Walter's Muir, about 80,000 trees having been 
 blowm down. A nursery, sufficiently large to provide all the 
 young trees for the property, has been formed near Kippenross 
 Sawmill, with the view of repairing the damage. 
 
 During the lifetime of the late proprietor a vast sum of 
 money was spent upon improvements all over the property. 
 The late Mr Stirling and his guardians had a number of small 
 crofts broken up, trenched, and cultivated, and laid out into 
 policy parks. A large amount was also expended upon farm 
 buildings, drainage, and fencing, and a handsome new steading 
 for the home-farm has just been completed. The late Mi 
 Stirling also introduced a water-supply to Dunblane at a cost 
 of over £3000. The present proprietor is forming a Clydesdale 
 stud, based upon valuable Keir blood ; as well as a Polled 
 Angus herd, based upon the stock of the most noted breeders. 
 He has entered into possession with the evident intention of act- 
 ing up to the maxim that property has its duties as well as its 
 privileges, and of doing what he can to improve the amenities 
 and enhance the value of this beautiful and extensive estate.
 
 XXV.— MONTEITH. 
 
 General Attractions of Monteith— The Earls of Monteith— The Forests of 
 Monteith a favourite Resort of the Ancient Scottish Court— The 
 " Law Tree "—Claimants for the Earldom— The "Beggar Earl"— 
 Cardross — Cardross Mansion — Antiquities — Remarkable Trees— 
 The Garden Policies— The Pinetum— The Glen— Cardross Noted for 
 its Timber — Deforesting and Replanting— Big "Wood of Cardross— 
 Abies Douglasii the most Flourishing Variety— The Scenery- 
 General Improvements— Efforts at Reclamation of Moorland — The 
 Erskines of Cardross— Lochend— Lake of Monteith— Priory of Inch- 
 mahome— Queen Mary's Garden— Warning to Relic Hunters— The 
 Old Spanish Chestnuts at Inchmahome— Castle of Talla— Rednoch— 
 Blairhoyle— Glenny— Mondowie— Garden— Gartmore— Royal Visitors 
 at Monteith. 
 
 In entering upon the district of Monteith we are conscious of 
 treading upon enchanted ground. In the days far off and dim, 
 ■ — almost before the rays of civilisation had begun to dawn upon 
 a savage and warlike people, — the beauty and fertility of this 
 part of Perthshire attracted the attention of a body of the 
 monastic brotherhood, — the fraternity never being slow in de- 
 tecting the most choice spots of country, — and in the most secure 
 and picturesque spot of all the " varied realms of fair Monteith " 
 they reared an " oasis in the natural and moral wilderness," from 
 which for centuries they faithfully sought to brighten the minds 
 of the untutored natives, both by precept and example. When, 
 from their exceptional privileges, the monks attained to something 
 like regal grandeur, their home became the occasional residence of 
 the early Scottish Kings, whose chequered reigns here gave rise 
 to some of the most notable events in our national history. In 
 more recent times " Clan Alpine's warriors true " rendered the 
 district for many years all but inaccessible to the stranger, and 
 the stirring events which were enacted even during this period 
 impart to almost every footstep its romantic tale. The district,
 
 MONTEITH. 291 
 
 in short, has in all ages heen the cradle of an heroic race — a 
 circumstance which is doubtless largely due to the unsurpassed 
 magnificence of its natural attractions. The mountains which 
 encircle it on every side rendered it hazardous in ancient times 
 for hostile visitors to approach, and, at the same time, concealed 
 the rich valleys which lie between, and which would afford an 
 irresistible temptation to a nomadic race. The beautiful sheet 
 of water which takes its name from the district provided a 
 pleasant variety of diet to the natives and the monks of old, 
 while its islands furnished a safe retreat in times of danger. In 
 the present day, this charming lake, with its picturesque islands 
 and sylvan shores, incalculably heightens the romantic grandeur 
 of the district, and renders the landscape one of the most com- 
 plete, in scenic effect, to he found in Scotland, 
 
 The district known as Monteith is situated chiefly in the 
 south-west of the county of Perth, but is partly in the count}* - 
 of Stirling, and includes the parishes of the Port of Monteith, 
 Aberfoyle, Callander and Leny, Kincardine, Kilmadock, Lecropt, 
 Dunblane, and parts of Kippen — the whole of the valley watered 
 by the Teith. In a narrower sense, Monteith may be said to em- 
 brace the tract of country immediately surrounding the Lake of 
 Monteith, and it is to this locality that the name is more generally 
 applied. In the twelfth century this attractive country supplied 
 the title of an Earldom which was probably erected as early as any 
 of the other ancient Earldoms into which Scotland was then 
 divided. The first Earls of Monteith took their surname as well as 
 their title from the district. The direct male line of the original 
 Earls of Monteith failed at an early date, only three being 
 known to have inherited the Earldom, viz., Gilchrist, Murdoch, 
 and Maurice. The charter of the creation of the Earldom of 
 Gilchrist is not known to exist ; and, in the absence of any 
 other authentic evidence, it can only be conjectured that the 
 ancient Earldom embraced the larger portion of the district now 
 known as Monteith. The latter Earldom, created by James I., 
 in the fifteenth century, in favour of Malise Graham, formerly 
 Earl of Strathearn, did not include all the lands of the original 
 Earldom, which had been forfeited by Murdoch, Duke of 
 Albany, as Earl of Monteith. On the contrary, the charter of
 
 292 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 creation of the new territorial Earldom of Monteith reserved to 
 the King certain portions of the territory; among the places 
 thus reserved being the Castle of Doune, which was the 
 principal messuage of the ancient Earldom at the time of the 
 forfeiture. The two daughters of the third of the original 
 Earls, Maurice, were his co-heiresses, and by their marriages 
 the territorial Earldom was carried successively into the great 
 families of Comyn and Stewart, while the respective lords of 
 these ladies obtained the personal dignity of Earls of Monteith, 
 either in right of their wives or by special creation. The 
 history of the original Earls of Monteith — like that of their 
 neighbours, the Earls of Lennox and Strathearn — is an 
 unfortunate one. The Earldom was almost from the first the 
 cause of unnatural strife and keen legal contentions. As we 
 learn from The Red Book of Monteith, — from which we derive 
 many interesting particulars regarding the history of the district, 
 — brother disputed with brother, and sister with sister, in 
 successive generations, regarding their rights to it. Although 
 the " Isle of Eest " was situated in the domains of the ancient 
 Earls of Monteith, it did not prove symbolical of quiet enjoy- 
 ment of their possessions. The Earldom was ultimately for- 
 feited to the Crown, in the time of James I., upon the execution 
 of Murdoch, Earl of Monteith, second Duke of Albany, and 
 Eegent of Scotland. No record has been preserved of the 
 crime for which Murdoch, and others with him, including his 
 son, were beheaded at Stirling. The pretext for his arrest is 
 supposed to be the inattention of Duke Murdoch and his fellow- 
 sufferers to a law passed at a previous Parliament, which may 
 have afforded a colourable pretext for convicting them of 
 treason. There is nothing to show, however, that they were 
 moving sedition, — having attended Parliament, and performed 
 their accustomed duties, until they were suddenly and unex- 
 pectedly arrested, tried, and executed upon the same day. It 
 is conjectured, with some reason, that this cruel proceeding was 
 prompted by the jealousy of the King, for dynastic reasons. 
 Eor the same reason, the limitation of the power of the nobles, 
 James I. seized several other Earldoms, but the confiscation of 
 that of Strathearn was so marked an injustice that the nobles
 
 MONTEITH. 293 
 
 became greatly alarmed. To mitigate the severity of this 
 seizure, James divided the forfeited Earldom of Monteith into 
 two parts, — one of which he erected into a new Earldom of 
 Monteith, in favour of Malise Graham, who was Earl Palatine of 
 Strathearn, before his possessions attracted the cupidity of James. 
 The eastern portion was reserved to the Crown, and was after- 
 wards known as the Stewartry of Monteith. There is evidence 
 that in the days of the First Graham, Earl of Monteith, the 
 forests in and around Monteith were the favourite resorts of the 
 Scottish Court, when at Stirling, for the sport of the chase, and, 
 in order to make provision for himself and the lieges during the 
 hunting season and at other times in Monteith, James III., on 
 8th February 1466, erected the town of Port into a burgh of 
 barony, granting to Earl Malise a charter to this effect. The 
 Port, however, does not appear ever to have been a burgh of 
 importance. The cross of the burgh was the trunk of a very 
 old hawthorn tree, which stood opposite the Manse of Port, ami 
 was called the "Law Tree," as it was there that legal business 
 was transacted, as well as the ordinary sales of cattle and farm 
 produce. The Grahams enjoyed the Earldom for nine genera- 
 tions — upwards of two centuries and a half. The most 
 illustrious representative of this line was William Graham, the 
 seventh Earl, who was a distinguished statesman in the time 
 of Charles the First. As the lineal heir of Prince David, son 
 of King Robert II., he secured the Earldom of Strathearn; 
 but this claim, and an alleged rash boast that he had the 
 " reddest blood in Scotland," and a better right to the crown 
 than the King himself, so alarmed Charles that he revoked Hie 
 grant of Strathearn, even sought to suppress in part his title 
 of Monteith by a new title of Earl of Airth, and deprived him 
 of all his high judicial offices. His eldest son, John, Lord 
 Kilpont, was killed by James Stewart of Ardvorlich, while 
 they were fellow-officers in the army of Montrose, at the Kirk of 
 Collace shortly after the Battle of Tibbermuir. The only son 
 of Lord Kilpont succeeded his grandfather as eighth Earl of 
 Monteith and Airth; and on his death, without issue, in 1694, 
 the title became dormant — a condition in which it still continues. 
 A dignity so great was not likely to remain long without
 
 294 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 claimants, and the history of one of these has ahout it a 
 melancholy touch of romance. This was William Graham, who 
 hecame known as the " Beggar EarL" At an election of Peers 
 on 12th October 1744, being then a student of medicine, he 
 answered to the title of the Earl of Monteith, in respect of his 
 being executor confirmed to the last Earl, who died in 1694, 
 and he voted at several elections. His claim had no practical 
 result, and he had a deplorable end, dying through penury and 
 exhaustion, in 1783, on the roadside, near Bonhill, in the 
 Lennox, while begging among the neighbouring farmers. The 
 celebrated Captain Barclay Allardice of Ury and Allardice was 
 also a claimant. Upon his death, the dignity was claimed by 
 his daughter, but was opposed by Mr Graham of Gartmore, as 
 the heir-male of the Graham Earls of Monteith, but no final 
 decision has yet been pronounced. 
 
 Leaving the Forth and Clyde Eailway at the Port of Mon- 
 teith Station, we naturally bend our steps, first of all, to the 
 ancient and historical estate of Cardross, the property of C. H. D. 
 Erskine, well known as the Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms of the 
 House of Commons. The name of the place is of Gaelic origin, 
 and signifies "The fort on the promontory." There is upon 
 the estate a Roman castellum, very entire, about 50 paces 
 in diameter, and irregularly square, with inner and outer 
 rampart, situated upon the edge of the Flanders Moss, then 
 forming part of the ancient Forest of Caledon, which the 
 Romans forced the inhabitants to cut down, the mark of the 
 axe being found on trees lying at the bottom of the moss on the 
 very spot where they were felled. The remains of a "corduroy" 
 Roman road was laid bare some years ago in clearing moss on 
 the Parks Farm, pointing in a straight line in the direction of 
 the camp. The property is beautifully situated in the centre of 
 this most charming district, and embraces within itself almost 
 all that is most lovely in nature and most notable in history to 
 be found in this interesting locality. The Grampians cast their 
 shadows across its luxuriant plains, the tortuous Forth winds 
 for miles along its southern marches, and the silvery waters of 
 the Lake of Monteith wash its northern boundaries. In ancient 
 times it was the scene of some of those great events which have
 
 MOXTEITH. 295 
 
 given to Scottish history its undying fame, and in these days it 
 is the silent witness of what Scotchmen can do to mitigate a 
 severe climate and enrich an ungenial soil. The mansion-house 
 is a very old building in the castellated style of architecture, and 
 has been repeatedly added to and renovated. The house was 
 garrisoned in Cromwell's time for ten years, and again in 1675, 
 this time apparently as much for the purpose of annoying its 
 proprietor as for securing the peace of the country. It is situated 
 upon a plateau, about 30 feet above the level of the Forth, 
 quite close to the river, and is surrounded by about 300 acres of 
 policy park of the richest pasturage. The park was formed by 
 the late Mr Erskine of Cardross towards the beginning of this 
 century, — the ground having been before that time subdivided 
 in small enclosures by deep sunk fences and high hedges, which, 
 when taken away, made the present park, and set off the place 
 and fine trees to advantage. The oldest portion of the house — 
 the age of which is not known — consists of a square tower, and 
 was in early times the residence of the Commendators of Inch- 
 mahome. The principal suite of apartments was built in the 
 time of James VI. by the Earl of Mar, that he might give a 
 suitable reception to that monarch, who had given him a grant 
 of the estate on the suppression of the monasteries. There was 
 a life-long attachment between the King and the Earl, both of 
 them having been educated together under the widow of the 
 Regent Mar, Annabella Murray. Standing as it does upon a 
 plateau of some elevation, the house commands a splendid view 
 of the district for many miles. Looking northwards through a 
 beautiful vista of noble trees, the eye rests upon the ponderous 
 form of Ben Ledi, and some of its equally ponderous comrades. 
 The south front looks upon the highly-cultivated Carse of Stir- 
 ling, and the rich pastoral hills of Kippeu and Campsie. Due 
 east, Stirling Rock and Castle rise abruptly upon the scene ; 
 while to the west we find, in Ben Lomond, that 
 
 " A giant mountain stands 
 To sentinel enchanted lands." 
 
 The interior of Cardross House is rich in artistic beauty and 
 in relics of antiquity. In the drawing-room, begun in 1598 by 
 the laird known as the last Commendator of the Priory of
 
 296 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Inchmahome, there is a very fine plastered roof, representing a 
 model of a Dutch garden, and made by the same party of Italian 
 artists who had been brought to this country by James VI. 
 for the redecoration of Holyrood Palace. The dining-room had 
 a roof of exactly the same pattern, but it, unfortunately, fell in 
 •while the bedrooms above were being restored by the grand- 
 father of the present laird. Both rooms were originally hung with 
 valuable tapestry. The family portraits are remarkable as being 
 a complete collection of the ancestry of the present representative 
 from the time of the Eegent Mar to the present day. Almost all 
 the portraits are originals, executed by the most eminent artists 
 of their time, and include many notable characters in Scottish 
 history. The unfortunate Queen Mary is represented by the 
 portrait popularly known as the " Perthshire Red," from the 
 colour of her dress. Amongst the relics which are most sacredly 
 preserved is the sword which King Robert the Bruce is said to 
 have left at Cardross during one of his visits. The heroic 
 Scottish King paid several visits to this district, and spent some 
 time at Cardross between his Coronation and the Battle of 
 Bannockburn, — one account stating that he actually slept in 
 Cardross House on the night previous to his greatest victory. 
 Some historians mention that the renowned King also died here, 
 but others are inclined to think that this event happened at 
 Cardross in Dumbartonshire. The sword is a most extraordinary 
 and formidable-looking weapon, measuring all over 6 feet 2J 
 inches, with a blade of 4 feet 7| inches. The breadth of the 
 hilt is 2 1 inches, and the weight is no less than 10 lbs. 
 Another very interesting relic is a large camp kettle, discovered 
 in a Roman camp, about one mile from the house. Not the 
 least valuable of the relics is a pair of large wine-glasses, 
 belonging to the Jacobite period, and which illustrate in a novel 
 way the strong feeling which prevailed in Scotland in favour of 
 the cause of the Stuarts. Both of the glasses are most beauti- 
 fully and artistically chased, and bear the initials " J. R," along 
 with the following lines : — 
 
 o 
 
 God save the King, I pray, 
 
 God bless the King, I pray, 
 
 God save the King.
 
 MONTEITII. 297 
 
 Send liim victorious, 
 Happy and glorious, 
 Soon to reign over us, 
 God save the King. 
 
 God bless the Prince of Wales, 
 The true-born Prince of Wales, 
 
 Sent us by Thee. 
 Grant us one favour more, 
 The King for to restore, 
 As Thou hast done before — 
 
 The family." 
 
 Leaving the house for the policies, we find ourselves surrounded 
 on every side with objects which claim special attention. At 
 the north front of the mansion there is one of the finest 
 sycamores to be seen anywhere. Six inches from the ground 
 the circumference is 20 feet 8 inches. Above the swell of the 
 roots the girth is 16 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet above the 
 ground the girth is 14 feet 1 inch, there being altogether a 
 magnificent clean bole of 19 feet 6 inches. At the top of 
 the bole, the tree assumes a somewhat peculiar shape, being 
 considerably flattened, and having three large branches springing 
 out in such a way as to bear a strong resemblance to a three- 
 branch candlestick. The tree is fully 80 feet in height, with a 
 grand compact top. The lowest branches are 6 or 7 feet 
 from the ground. This magnificent tree measured in 1845 as 
 follows : — girth G inches from the ground, 19 feet ; 3 feet from 
 do., 13 feet 6 inches; 5| feet from do., 12 feet 10 inches ; 19 
 feet from do., where it divides into three, 18 feet. Circum- 
 ference of No. 1 limb, 9 feet 4 inches; No. 2 do., 7 feet 3 
 inches; No. 3 do., 7 feet 4 inches. Bole, 19 feet long. In 
 18G3 the measurements taken at the same distances from the 
 ground were 20 feet, 14 feet, 13 feet 5 inches, and 19 feel ; 
 limbs, 10 feet, 8 feet 2 inches, and 8 feet 3 inches; length of 
 trunk, 19 feet 5 inches. There are many other scyamores of 
 exceptional beauty and size. Most of the finer specimens are to 
 be found in the " Plane-Tree Walk," leading from the south 
 front to the banks of the Forth. The width of this path is 
 about 15 feet, and the trees are about 20 feet apart. One of 
 these trees has a girth of 10 feet 10 inches at the narrowest part
 
 298 WOOLS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 of the bole, the average girth of the whole at the narrowest part 
 of the hole being about 9 or 10 feet. In the same neighbour- 
 hood there is a favourite sycamore girthing 15 feet 6 inches 
 at the narrowest part of the bole. This is a very old 
 tree, and the veteran Admiral Elphinstone Erskine told us that 
 he knew no difference upon the tree during the last 65 years. 
 It is still in good health, and clothed with splendid foliage. 
 Another sycamore has a girth of 12 feet 4 inches at the narrowest 
 part of the bole. A very fine specimen of the variegated species 
 girths 13 feet 4 inches at the narrowest part of the bole. There 
 are several other specimens of hardwood trees remarkable for 
 their great size. Amongst these, the elms take a prominent 
 place. In the large park surrounding the house, and close to 
 the banks of the Forth, there is a very picturesque elm, with a 
 girth of 21 feet at 1 foot from the ground, above which it swells 
 out considerably. Opposite it there is another elm which, if not 
 so picturesque, is of greater commercial value, having a fine clean 
 stem, with a girth of 21 feet 6 inches at 1 foot and 15 feet at 5 
 feet from the ground. Another girths 13 feet at the narrowest 
 part of the bole. There are several good beeches. One with a 
 grand stem girths 17 feet 8 inches immediately above the swell 
 of the roots, and 13 feet 6 inches at the .narrowest part of the 
 bole. Oak trees are numerous and of large size. The first which 
 we specially observed has a girth of 16 feet 3 inches at 1 foot 
 from the ground, and 1 1 feet 4 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 
 20 feet ; and the second a girth of 16 feet at 1 foot and 13 feet 
 at 5 feet. The largest of the ash trees girths 22 feet at 1 foot, 
 and 14 feet at 5 feet — a capital tree, with a bole of 20 feet. 
 The following measurements are also worthy of being recorded : — 
 ISTo. 1, 21 feet 6 inches above the roots, and 16 feet 6 inches at 
 5 feet, with a splendid bole ; No. 2, an old tree, beginning to 
 decay, 20 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 15 feet 6 inches at 5 feet; 
 and No. 3, 19 feet above the roots, and 13 feet 9 inches at 5 feet 
 from the ground. There are two beautiful sister ash trees, 
 directly opposite each other, and girthing exactly the same, 
 viz., 15 feet at 1 foot and 12 feet at 5 feet, with boles of about 
 12 feet each. A splendid Scots fir stands near the mansion- 
 house. It girths 10 feet 6 inches above the swell of the roots
 
 MONTEITH. 299 
 
 and 9 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, with a fine clean bole of over 30 
 feet. 
 
 In the garden policies there is much to attract the attention 
 of the visitor. One of the most notable objects of general 
 interest is a large and uniquely-constructed heather tower at the 
 east end of the pinetum. It is a very picturesque structure, 
 and is the handiwork of Mr Wyber, who had been gardener at 
 Cardross for about fifty years. It is built of larch and Scots 
 fir pillars, sparred and thatched with heather outside, and lined 
 with moss inside. The lower part is fitted up as a summer-house, 
 and the tower reaches a height of 40 feet. It was built about 
 thirty years ago with the object of affording a view of Stirling- 
 Castle and Abbey Craig, but from the luxuriant growth of the 
 surrounding timber it has ceased to serve that purpose. The 
 garden policies are further ornamented by a nice artificial pond, 
 with a small island in the centre, and rockeries on either side. 
 Three large and beautiful araucarias, the largest measuring 20 
 feet in height, spring from one of the rockeries ; and surmount- 
 ing the other are four gigantic Polynesian gods, made of wood, 
 and a wooden figure of a New Zealand chief, brought to this 
 country by Admiral Erskine. They are most grotesque and 
 frightful-looking objects. So terrible, indeed, are they in 
 appearance, that one which stood in another part of the pro- 
 perty had to be removed on account of it frightening the cattle. 
 This part of the policies was formerly known as the Ass Park, 
 and was of a swampy character, overgrown with rushes, but it 
 has since been drained,^and laid out in such a way as to make it 
 one of the most attractive parts of the policies. It is intersected 
 by two fine grass walks, one of them lined on either side with 
 beautiful Irish yews and Cupressus Lawsoniana. The most 
 noteworthy tree in this neighbourhood is a great spreading oak, 
 with a short bole but enormous branches. The girth of the bole 
 at the narrowest part is 10 feet 10 inches, and the spread of 
 branches is 74 feet. 
 
 The pinetum includes many rare and valuable specimens. 
 Prominent amongst these is a grand Wellington/id <ji[)oitt< <t 
 planted in 1861, in commemoration of Mr Erskine's marriage. 
 It is about 40 feet high, and girths 8 feet at the ground.
 
 300 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE, 
 
 There are also good specimens of Cedrus Atlantica Pinus excelsa, 
 Picea Nordmanniana, Pinus Pallasiana, Picea nobilis, hemlock 
 spruce, Abies Menziesii, Wyemouth pines, a very nice young 
 snake-barked maple, a fine nettle-leaved elm, Abies Douglasii, 
 etc. The latter promise to do particularly well, the best in the 
 policies being about 60 or 70 feet high. 
 
 Some very fine trees of different varieties are also to be 
 found in the Flower Garden. A Cedrus Deodara girths 6 feet 
 7 inches at the narrowest part of the bole. But the most 
 notable tree in the policies is that known as the old staghorn 
 elm, so-called from the staghorn-like appearance of some of its 
 top branches. The girth at 1 foot from the ground is 18 feet 
 9 inches; and at 4 feet, the narrowest part of the bole, the girth 
 is 18 feet 4 inches. It is altogether a fine massive old tree. 
 
 Another very interesting portion of the property, both from 
 an arboricultural and a picturesque point of view, is "The 
 Glen." " The Glen " is about one mile in length, and runs 
 north and south along the eastern side of the policy park. On 
 both sides the banks are very precipitous, and are loaded with 
 many varieties of timber and shrubs, including oak, ash, 
 pcyamore, spruce, larch, birch, &c. A number of Abies 
 Douglasii and Picea Nordmanniana have been planted here 
 within recent years, and all of them are thriving splendidly. 
 There are many grand larches, evidently belonging to the 
 original stock, and are said to have been sent to Cardross from 
 Dunkeld. Five of them measure as follows : — No. 1, at 1 foot 
 from the ground, 10 feet 6 inches and 7 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, 
 the height being 50 feet ; No. 2, 1 1 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, 9 
 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, and 80 feet high ; No. 3, 1 1 feet at 1 
 foot, 9 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, and 80 feet high ; No. 4, 10 feet 
 6 inches at 1 foot, 9 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, and 85 feet high ; 
 and No. 5, 10 feet at 1 foot, 8 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, and 80 
 feet high. 
 
 Cardross has, from a very early period, been noted for its 
 timber, and it still continues to be heavily wooded. Between 
 twenty and thirty years ago this estate was considered to be 
 one of the best-wooded properties, for its size, in Scotland, but 
 about that period enormous quantities of excellent larch and
 
 M0NTE1TH. 301 
 
 Scots fir trees were cut down. It is said, indeed, that the larch 
 from Cardross supplied almost all the sleepers used in the 
 construction of the Scottish Central Eailway. Some idea of 
 the immense quantity of timber taken off the property at that 
 time may be gathered from the fact, that no less than thirty- 
 five carts were constantly employed in driving timber for a 
 couple of years. Since then the gaps have been largely filled 
 up. Mr David Erskine, the grandfather of the present laird, 
 was an extensive planter, and cut down very little timber. 
 He planted the lower half of the Big Wood of Cardross, the 
 largest on the property, and consisting of 400 acres. This 
 enormous plantation lies along the whole of the south side of 
 the Lake of Monteith, and contributes in no small degree to 
 the beauty of the shores of this fine sheet of water. With 
 the exception of some young wood to supply vacancies 
 the whole of this plantation is loaded with mature timber — 
 larch, spruce, Scots fir, and some natural birch trees. A 
 plan of the estate, prepared in 1801, shows that only a small 
 portion of the higher part of this plantation was then in 
 existence, the whole of the lower part being then described as 
 " heath pasture." The higher and older portion of the Big 
 Wood was planted by Mr John Erskine, the author of the 
 Institutes, who acquired the property in 1745, and died in 
 1768. The older portion was originally planted in rows, traces 
 of this having been met with quite recently. The plantation is 
 covered with knowes or mounds, giving it a more picturesque 
 appearance. The soil is partly sandy and partly marshy. The 
 wood is the home of an abundance of roe and capercailzie, the 
 fox is frequently met with, and numerous otters dwell on the 
 margin of the lake. Besides planting about the half of the l'>i^ 
 Wood, Mr David Erskine laid down large plantations on both 
 sides of the railway, and which consist of between 30 ami 1" 
 acres of larch, spruce, fir, and oak. He also planted a good 
 deal over the property generally. The present laird continues 
 to pursue this policy, planting principally with larch, Scots fir, 
 and spruce. The soil, generally, is mixed loam and till, with a 
 retentive subsoil, and timber of all descriptions thrive very well. 
 Abies Douglasii is the most flourishing variety, rearing its head
 
 302 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 about 8 feet higher than any of the other kinds planted at the 
 same time. The total extent of the property, is about 6200 
 acres. "When first granted to the Erskine family, it was not so 
 large, but several adjoining parts of the original estate, which 
 had been feued from the Monastery, have since been acquired. 
 Of the 6200 acres, 3200 acres are arable, 745 acres wood, and 
 about 2255 acres moorland. Roadmaking and fencing have 
 been executed to a large extent in recent years. Within the 
 last five years the whole of the fences dividing Cardross parks, 
 numbering seventeen in all, have been almost entirely renewed. 
 A good many of the new fences are of iron, with f-inch rods 
 for the top wire. The standards are 1| inch by §, with 
 pronged feet, — every alternating standard being set in stone. 
 "We have stated that there are about 2255 acres of moorland. 
 This is certainly not very profitable land, and nothing but the 
 insuperable difficulties which stand in the way prevent it being 
 turned to a more useful purpose. A number of years ago, 
 when labour was cheaper, systematic efforts were made to remove 
 the moss, its depth being from 8 to 16 feet. In two parts of 
 the estate several families of Highlanders were allowed to settle 
 on the borders of the moors, building for themselves houses of 
 peat. They paid no rent for the land they cleared during their 
 first lease of 19 years.. For the next 19 years they paid a small 
 rent for the land already brought under cultivation, and they 
 were allowed to add as much as they pleased to their holdings 
 by clearing the moss adjoining. At the end of this term one 
 of these " colonies " came to an end, most of the reclaimed land 
 being thrown into the two farms of South Flanders and Polden, 
 comprising about 200 acres, now in the occupation of one tenant, 
 — the original " Moss Lairds," as they were called, having died 
 out, or parted with their holdings to their neighbours. The 
 method adopted to remove the moss was very simple. A large 
 central dam was constructed, from which the water was con- 
 veyed through the moss to the scene of the operations, and 
 floated into the Forth* Like the ground underneath Blair- 
 Drummond Moss, the subsoil here was the best of clay. The 
 year following the removal of the moss, the land was levelled 
 and drained, and sown with oats. Next year, it was limed and
 
 MONTEITH. 303 
 
 manured, and another crop of oats taken, varied occasionally by 
 potatoes, until the land was fully reclaimed. Efforts are still 
 being made to reclaim the land by a different method, and, 
 although it is slower in operation, it is not to be despised. In 
 the Collamoon district, the land is occupied by small crofters, 
 with possessions extending from 6 to 16 acres each. They have 
 good houses, and generally keep a horse and from three to five 
 cows. They are, however, largely employed in the making of 
 peat, and Port of Monteith Station being close at hand, the 
 business is fairly remunerative — some families turning out 
 about 100 tons annually, and finding a ready market in Glasgow 
 for distillery purposes at lis. per ton. The crofters are allowed 
 to take as much of the peat as they like without charge, and 
 whatever land is in this way reclaimed is cultivated by them, 
 without rent, till the expiry of their nineteen years' lease, when 
 a new contract is entered into.. 
 
 Like most of our Scottish estates, the history of Cardross is 
 somewhat chequered, and full of interest. From the foundation 
 of the Monastery of Inchmahome it formed the principal part 
 of its temporalities ; and, as was sometimes the case in those 
 days, the Commendatorship of the Monastery remained in the 
 same family for several generations. In this way we find that 
 the last Commendators (or Lay Superiors) of Inchmahome all 
 belonged to the Erskine family, and at the suppression of the 
 monasteries the Lordship and Barony of Cardross was erected 
 by James VI. in favour of John, second Earl of Mar of the 
 House of Erskine, by a charter dated 27th March 1G04. It 
 included all the lands, baronies, castles, towers, woods, parks, 
 meadows, forests, fishings, &c, which formerly belonged to the 
 Priory of Inchmahome and the Abbeys of Drybnrgh and Cam- 
 buskenneth. This grant was made to enable the Earl the 
 better to provide for his younger son by his second Countess, 
 Lady Mary Stewart, a cousin of the King, of whom His 
 Majesty took great care. There is a tradition that Lady Mary 
 was in the practice of making grevious complaints to King 
 James as to the state of dependence in which her second son, 
 Harry Erskine, would be placed, as compared with his two 
 elder brothers, — one of whom, by his father's first marriage
 
 304 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 would be Earl of Mar, the other, the eldest son of Lady Mary 
 being Earl of Buchan, — and that the King assured her that her 
 second son -would be provided for, the fulfilment of this 
 promise being the grant of the Lordship of Cardross. A very 
 amusing tradition has been recorded as to how the Earl of 
 Mar came to marry the King's cousin. The Earl had got his 
 fortune told by some Italian conjuror, who showed him the 
 limning of a lady whom, he declared, would be Mar's wife. 
 The Earl fancied he recognised the same features in Lady Mar} r 
 Stewart, and when he heard that the King had destined her 
 hand for another, he wrote a plaintive letter to His Majesty, 
 saying that his health was suffering from the dread of disap- 
 pointment. The King thereupon visited the Earl, and assured 
 him, " Ye shanna dee, Jock, for ony lass in a' the land," and 
 immediately arranged the marriage. The Act for the erection 
 of the Abbey and Priory lands into the temporal Lordship of 
 Cardross, in favour of John, Earl of Mar, was passed on 9th 
 July 1606, the Act narrating that this was done " in considera- 
 tion of the good, true, and thankful services done by John, Earl 
 of Mar, and his predecessors, in their great care, vigilance, and 
 faithfulness in all things that tended to the advancement of His 
 Majesty's honourable affairs," &c, special mention being made 
 of the pains taken by the Earl and his late father in the 
 education of the King, and "His Majesty's dearest son, the 
 Prince." The first Lord assigned the Lordship and Peerage of 
 Cardross to Henry, his second son by his marriage with 
 Lady Mary Stewart. He did not, however include Cambus- 
 kenneth, which was assigned to Alexander Erskine, the third 
 son of Lady Mary. Henry Erskine was thereafter styled Eriar 
 of Cardross, but having predeceased his father, he never enjoyed 
 the Peerage of Cardross. Henry's only son, David Erskine, 
 succeeded to the Peerage on the death of his grandfather, John, 
 Earl of Mar, in 1634; and the Peerage of Cardross is now held 
 as a male dignity by his collateral heir-male, the Earl of Buchan. 
 The Erskines of Cardross have for ages occupied a prominent 
 and honourable place in the country. !S r o family has given 
 more sons to the camp, or produced more eminent statesmen, 
 distinguished lawyers, or useful works in the field of literature.
 
 M0NTE1TH. 305 
 
 For hundreds of years they have heen conspicuous in the affairs 
 of the State, and have heen honoured with the confidence of 
 many Sovereigns, some of its members holding exalted positions 
 around the throne. Some suppose the family to be of Danish 
 origin, hut it is certain that Henriens de Erskine was proprietor 
 of the Barony of Erskine on the Clyde, in the reign of Alex- 
 ander II., and it remained in the possession of the family for many 
 ages. In the War of Independence, the Erskines were staunch 
 adherents of the national party, being allied by marriage to the 
 family of Bruce. Sir William Erskine was a man of exceptional 
 bravery, and was the companion of the renowned Randolph, Earl 
 of Moray, and the gallant Sir James Douglas. He accompanied 
 the expedition to England in the year 1327, and was knighted 
 under the royal banner as a reward for his valour. His eldest 
 son, Sir Robert, was distinguished for his talents and accom- 
 plishments. He took a prominent part in the great events 
 which make up the history of Scotland for the period, early 
 displaying his opposition to the Baliol party. He was honoured 
 with many high offices of State, and on several occasions dis- 
 tinguished himself as an Ambassador to the Courts of England 
 and France. He had the interest of his Sovereign and his 
 country so much at heart, that he gave his eldest son as a 
 hostage for the payment of the ransom for the deliverance of 
 King David after his capture at the Battle of Durham. His 
 eldest son, Sir Thomas, was scarcely less distinguished as a 
 statesman and a warrior than his father. His eldest son and 
 successor, again, Sir Robert Erskine, first Lord Erskine, took a 
 very prominent part in the Battle of Homildon, where he had 
 the misfortune to be captured. Shortly after being released 
 he was appointed one of the Commissioners to treat for the 
 release of James I. in 1421, and three years afterwards he 
 became one of the hostages for his ransom. He was released 
 from captivity in 1425, and on the death of the Earl of Mar 
 ten years later he succeeded in his claim to that Earldom. 
 His son succeeded him in 1453, but in 1457 he was, by the 
 Assize of Error, dispossessed of the Earldom, although he con- 
 tinued to take an important share in the national business, 
 being one of the guarantees of a treaty with England, anil took 
 
 U
 
 306 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 an active part in the cause of James III. His successor, Alex- 
 ander, third Lord Erskine, was a man of great influence, and 
 was entrusted with the charge of the youthful James IV., with 
 whom he was ever afterwards a great favourite. The fourth 
 Lord Erskine was killed at Flodden Field in 1513. The fifth 
 Lord Erskine was also one of the distinguished men of his time, 
 and was entrusted with the charge of his young Sovereign, 
 James V. His eldest son was killed at the disastrous Battle of 
 Pinkie, upon which John, his second son, who had been till 
 then Commendator of Inchmahome, succeeded to the title. He 
 was one of Scotland's most gifted sons, and his talents were 
 freely used for the cause of his country, and the maintenance of 
 Protestantism. On the advance of the English in 1560, the 
 Queen Regent threw herself upon his Lordship's protection, and 
 in consequence he assumed the charge of the youthful Queen 
 Mary ; and, in order to keep her in safety from the intrigues 
 of the nobles, he sent her from Stirling Castle to the Priory of 
 Inchmahome, and placed her under the care of his half-brother, 
 David Erskine, who had succeeded him in the Commendator- 
 ship. There she remained, accompanied by her four Maries, 
 till she went to France, whither Lord Erskine accompanied her. 
 On the return of the young Queen Mary from France, he 
 became a Privy Councillor, and was restored to the ancient title 
 of Earl of Mar. The infant James VI. was committed to his 
 keeping. It was through his prompt action that the King's 
 party were saved from annihilation when the Regent Lennox was 
 killed at Stirling, for which service he was chosen Regent of 
 the Kingdom, special notice being taken of " his moderation, his 
 humanity, and his disinterestedness." He strove to restore 
 peace and prosperity to his country, but the ambition and 
 selfishness of Morton preyed so acutely upon his mind, that he 
 died of a broken heart in 1572. John, seventh Earl of Mar, 
 was also a man of great talent, and was educated, along with 
 James VI., by the celebrated George Buchanan. He frequently 
 acted as an Ambassador, was a Privy Councillor, a Knight of 
 the Garter, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and High Treasurer 
 of Scotland. James' VI. created him Lord Cardross, with 
 power to assign the title to any of his heirs-male as previously
 
 MONTEITH. 307 
 
 stated, — the record of the Parliament which met at Perth on 
 the 19th July 1606, reading, "Act of erection of the Abbey of 
 Dryburgh and Cambus-Kenneth and Priory of Inchmahome into 
 a temporal lordship, called the Lordship of Cardross, in favour 
 of the Earl of Mar — with the honour, estate, dignity, and pre- 
 eminence of a free Lord of Parliament, to be called Lord 
 Cardross in all time coming." It was he who, as already stated, 
 married Lady Mary Stewart, and built the principal suite of 
 apartments in Cardross House, where he entertained the King 
 for several days with great magnificence. The third Lord 
 Cardross was one of the many victims to adherence to Pro- 
 testantism, having suffered the most cruel persecutions by fine 
 and imprisonment. After remaining a fugitive in America for 
 some time, he proceeded to Holland, accompanied the Prince of 
 Orange to England, and was appointed to the command of a 
 troop of dragoons. The fourth Lord Cardross also took an 
 active part in the affairs of State, interesting himself deeply in 
 the Hanoverian succession. In 1698 he succeeded to the 
 Earldom of Buchan ; and in 1745 the estate of Cardross was 
 bought by a judicial sale from his Lordship's creditors by his 
 •cousin, John Erskine of Carnock, well known as the author of 
 Erskine' s Institutes of the Law of Scotland, and who was 
 the first " Mr Erskine of Cardross." The succeeding members 
 of the family have occupied honourable places both in the 
 Church, the State, and in the profession of the law, — the 
 present laird, as has been already mentioned, holding an import- 
 ant appointment in the House of Commons. The family has 
 ever been distinguished for all that is good and noble, throwing 
 the weight of its great influence on the side of those who 
 struggled for the maintenance of the religion and liberties of 
 the people of Scotland. Upon their own property they have 
 always been held in the highest esteem, having been conspicuous 
 for their desire to improve every part of their possessions, and 
 to promote the welfare of all around them. 
 
 Having examined all the 'objects of interest at Cardross, a 
 short walk brings us to Lochend, the residence of the genial 
 Admiral John Elphinstone Erskine, author of The Islands of 
 tin- Western Pacific, and formerly M.P. for Stirlingshire. This
 
 308 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 property is not very large, but it is charmingly situated on the 
 shores of the Lake of Monteith, while the grounds surrounding 
 the mansion are admirably laid out, and contain a number 
 of magnificent trees. The house was built in 1715, but has 
 since been considerably enlarged. All the trees appear to have 
 been planted in accordance with a plan, when the mansion 
 was erected. A very fine yew, with a bole of 6 feet, girths 7 
 feet 9 inches at the narrowest part. Another yew, with a bole 
 of 12 feet, girths 8 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from the ground. 
 Two of the beech trees have attained a respectable size, — the one 
 having a girth of 15 feet 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground, 
 and 1 2 feet 5 inches at 5 feet ; and the other 1 5 feet 6 inches 
 at 1 foot and 10 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, — both being fine clean 
 trees, with boles of about 30 feet. There is also an elm with a 
 girth of 10 feet 5 inches at 5 feet from the ground. At the 
 Mill of Cardross, opposite the entrance gate to Lochend, there is 
 a really splendid oak, but as it is situated in a low-lying place, 
 its great proportions are somewhat obscured. At one foot from 
 the ground the girth is 15 feet 8 inches, and at 5 feet the girth 
 is 13 feet 5 inches — the bole being 35 feet, and the entire 
 height of the tree 90 feet. 
 
 The Admiral kindly placed his boat at our disposal to explore 
 the beauties of the lake, which is situated partly on the property 
 of Cardross and partly on that belonging to the Duke of Mon- 
 trose. The lake is a singularly beautiful expanse of water, 
 rendered all the more attractive and picturesque by the romantic 
 and tree-clad islands which rise from its bosom, with their still 
 massive ruins of former greatness and splendour. The lake is 
 circular in shape, about 7 miles in circumference, and in some 
 places about 80 feet deep. Its waters are stored with several 
 varieties of fish, — pike, however, predominating, — and numerous 
 flocks of wild fowl and swans skim along the surface. The 
 north, east, and south shores are embellished with a wealth of 
 sylvan beauty to the water's edge, the boughs in some parts 
 extending far over the margin and kissing the dark blue waters 
 of the lake. Hills surround the lake in every direction, and to 
 the north . they reach to a considerable altitude. From Ben- 
 dairg (the red hill), one of the northern hills, thirteen fine
 
 MONTEITH. 309 
 
 sheets of water may be seen, including the Lake of Monteith, 
 Lochs Katrine, Rusky, Lubnaig, Achray, Vennachar, &c. 
 North and west of Ben-dairg there is an extensive panorama of 
 mountains and lakes. To the west, Ben Lomond rears his lofty 
 head, in the centre of a family of great mountains. Southwards, 
 the eye travels over the fertile plains of the Valley of Monteith, 
 — from Drymen on the west to Stirling on the east, — the whole 
 presenting one of the most gorgeous combinations of Highland 
 and Lowland scenery to be met with in Scotland. 
 
 The Island of Inchmahome first claims special attention, not 
 only on account of the remains of the celebrated Priory of Inch- 
 mahome, but because of its arboreal treasures. The former, 
 however, are the more conspicuous, and at once recall the lines 
 of Perthshire's most distinguished poet, Robert Nicoll : — 
 
 " There stands the ruin'd Abbey's lonely tower, 
 To speak of vanished pomp, exhausted power. 
 
 • ••••* 
 
 Decaying, rootless walls ; and this is all 
 That Desolation's blighting hand hath left 
 Of tower and pinnacle, and gilded hall." 
 
 The Priory of Inchmahome was built by Walter Comyn, Lord 
 
 of Eadenoch, who married the eldest daughter of the Earl of 
 
 Monteith, and who was a pious and patriotic Scotchman. The 
 
 warrant for its erection was granted by Pope Gregory IX. on 
 
 16th June 1238, and is supposed to have taken the place of a 
 
 Culdee cell. For upwards of three centuries it flourished as a 
 
 religious house, till, at the Reformation, it shared the fate of 
 
 almost all the ecclesiastical establishments, and was included in 
 
 the grants of land which were assigned to the Barony of 
 
 Cardross. It appears, however, to have been lost to that estate 
 
 by proscription, probably during the years of trouble which 
 
 befell the Cardross family, and it now forms part of the Monteith 
 
 estates which were left by the last Earl of Monteith, who died 
 
 in the year 1699, to the Duke of Montrose. The Priory was 
 
 one of the order of St Augustine, and is the very earliest 
 
 Augustinian Monastery in Scotland. It stands east and west, 
 
 and the most interesting portion now remaining is the great west 
 
 door, which formed the original entrance. The gable in which 
 
 this gate is situated is 30 feet wide, and the doorway itself is a
 
 310 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 most beauliful specimen of Gothic architecture, 12 feet high and 
 
 6 feet wide at the ground. Notwithstanding its age of six 
 
 centuries, and the neglect it has experienced during a great part 
 
 of that time, it is still in tolerable preservation. The decay of 
 
 ages has in some parts affected the grooving, but large portions 
 
 still retain their pristine beauty. The choir of the church has 
 
 long been used as a place of interment by the Earls of Monteith, 
 
 as well as the Drummonds, who are closely connected with them. 
 
 A very interesting monument to the memory of Walter Stewart, 
 
 Earl of Monteith, and his Countess, who died in 1294 and 1286 
 
 respectively, is still preserved in the centre of the choir. The 
 
 monument consists of two recumbent figures, 7 feet long, in full 
 
 relief, and in loving embrace — 
 
 " The steel-clad Stewart, Red Cross Knight, 
 Monteith his Countess, fair and bright, 
 Here live in sculptured stone." 
 
 A building, situated a few yards to the south of the Priory, is 
 said to be the burial vault of the later Earls of Monteith and 
 Airth. In the east gable of this building there are two windows, 
 still entire, — one of three, and the other of two, arches. The 
 former lighted the arched vault, and the latter the room above, 
 still called Queen Mary's Eoom, from her having slept there 
 during her stay in the island, to which we have already referred. 
 Ash and other trees have grown up about the building, and now 
 fill up this room, but parts of the iron and woodwork still 
 remain. 
 
 The south-western portion of the island was marked off from 
 the Priory as gardens and orchards for the Earls of Monteith, 
 on the side adjacent to their castle on the island of Talla. It 
 is in this part of the island that the garden and bower popularly 
 known as Queen Mary's are situated, and which are now marked 
 off by a neat paling. These are believed to have existed long 
 before Queen Mary's visit, but their name is supposed to have 
 been derived from the spot being a favourite retreat of the 
 unfortunate Queen, during her temporary sojourn on the island. 
 This historical garden is only about 35 feet square, and is 
 surrounded by stone walls. A large boxwood tree stands in the 
 centre, and is of more than ordinary interest, as it is reputed to-
 
 MONTEITH. 311 
 
 have been planted by Queen Mary in remembrance of her visit. 
 The tree is about 20 feet high, and measures at the ground fully 
 3 feet in circumference, and is still in a flourishing condition. 
 Traces of the garden can be seen in the filberts and other fruit 
 trees which still exist, and form an object of attraction and 
 temptation to tourists. The bower, which is situated on 
 a knoll at the west side of the garden, is a small spot, 
 measuring only about 33 yards round the outside. It 
 is said to have been originally adorned with a row of 
 boxwood trees, and a thorn tree in the centre. Like 
 the boxwood tree in the garden, these trees grew to a consider- 
 able size, but they have nearly all disappeared in satisfying the 
 desire of tourists to become possessed of relics of Queen Mary. 
 To those tourists who are afflicted with this relic mania, we 
 would take the liberty of giving a gentle hint, attention to 
 which may help to prevent the destruction of the plants at the 
 bower, and save themselves from the ridicule of those who 
 know better. Scarcely any of the boxwood which now 
 adorns the bower was planted by Queen Mary, but was planted 
 a little over twenty years ago by the late Mr "YVyber, gardener 
 at Cardross, to replace the trees which were destroyed. The 
 cuttings, however, were taken from the original trees. They 
 have now reached a considerable size, and the ignorant, in 
 carrying off a cutting, might readily believe that they had a 
 piece of the veritable tree planted by Scotland's most unfortunate 
 Queen, instead of a plant obtained a comparatively few years 
 ago from the gardens at Cardross. The pleasure-grounds of the 
 ancient Earls were situated on the northern shore of the loch, and 
 included the finely -wooded Hill of Cowden or Colden, 
 
 " Gay Coldon's feathered steep." 
 as well as part of the adjoining farm of Portend. On the south 
 side of this hill, at the edge of the water, there is an excellent 
 echo, words called out on the shore reverberating through the 
 ruins of the Priory with remarkable distinctness. The most 
 notable trees on the island are the old Spanish chestnuts, planted 
 by the Augustine friars when they first settled here more than 
 600 years ago. Considering that the island is only about 5 
 acres in extent, these trees are remarkably numerous. Tho
 
 312 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 largest of them is that known as the " Antlered Chestnut," from 
 the resemblance of the branches to the antlers of a deer. At 1 
 foot from the ground the girth is 20 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet 
 the girth is 17 feet 2 inches, with a bole of 25 feet, and a 
 height of 80 feet — the tree being in very good health. Another 
 chestnut, very much decayed, girths 16 feet 6 inches at the 
 narrowest part of the bole. Another, in good health, girths 16 
 feet 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 14 feet 6 inches at 
 5 feet, with a bole of 20 feet. The other varieties of trees upon 
 the island ^include hazel in abundance, oak, ash, a few elder 
 trees, sycamore, larch, a number of Abies Douglasii, and two 
 young Wellingtonias. The largest of the oaks only girths 8 
 feet 4 inches, but one of the sycamores, with a bole of 15 feet, 
 has a girth of 1 2 feet 8 inches at 1 foot and 1 1 feet at 5 feet 
 from the ground. The whole island was cleaned and fenced a 
 few years ago, and Admiral Erskine conducted extensive excava- 
 tions round the Abbey and ruins about three years ago, which 
 resulted in the discovery of about thirty human skulls. 
 
 On one of the islands, Inchtalla, there are the remains of the 
 Castle of Talla, the principal residence of the Earls of Monteith 
 of the Graham family from the time of Malise Graham, the first 
 Earl, in 1427, to the last Earl, who died in 1694. ~No record 
 exists to show who was the builder of the Castle, but it is con- 
 sidered probable that there had been a tower or keep on this 
 island as early, if not earlier, than the Priory of Inchmahome, 
 which, as we have stated, was erected by Walter Corny n, Earl 
 of Monteith, in the year 1238, and that Malise Graham and his 
 successors had erected additional buildings suitable for their 
 residence in lieu of the Castle of Doune, the re-erection of the 
 Earldom not including this stronghold, which had been con- 
 verted into a royal residence. The Gaelic interpretation of 
 Talla or Tulla is said to signify a hall or great man's house. 
 The ruins, including a courtyard, occupy nearly the whole 
 island, which is scarcely one acre and a half in extent. The 
 buildings are almost completely enshrouded with luxuriant 
 foliage, and such is the appearance of the island in summer, that 
 it has been said to resemble an " umbrageous concrete." In 
 consequence of almost the whole of the ground being required
 
 MONTEITH. 813 
 
 for the Castle, there is no old timber, the " umbrageous concrete " 
 consisting of natural wood, mostly saplings of ash, sycamore, 
 thorn, mountain ash, and a few hazel trees. A little to the 
 west of the island of Talla is another small island called the 
 Dog Island, only a few yards in circumference, the name being 
 acquired from the Earls of Monteith having made it a dog- 
 kennel, " when the island was less covered with water than it 
 is now," according to the Red Book of Monteith. 
 
 We have said that the shores of the loch owe much of their 
 beauty to the richness of their sylvan garment. This attraction 
 is not confined to the Big Wood of Cardross. On the east side 
 the shores are greatly embellished with timber planted by the 
 late Lieut.-General Graham Stirling of Rednoch. This estate, 
 now the property of the Rev. Henry A. G. Shepherd, carries a 
 heavy load of fine mixed timber, which effectually conceals the 
 mansion-house from the lake. The house is a modern erection, 
 surrounded by extensive policies, containing a lot of well-grown 
 mixed timber. The amenity of this portion of Monteith is con- 
 siderably enhanced by the fir-clad hill to the west of Auchyle, 
 and which is also on the Rednoch property, the hill being 
 thickly clothed to the summit, a height of about 1500 feet 
 above the level of the lake. To the east of Rednoch there is 
 the exceedingly pretty and well-kept estate of Blaiihoyle, the 
 property of Mr A. H. Lee, who purchased it a few years ago. 
 Since he became the proprietor, an addition has been made to 
 the mansion-house, and extensive improvements have been 
 made in fencing, draining, road-making, &c. Glenny, the pro- 
 perty of Sheriff Grahame, stands on the hill to the west of the 
 Lake of Monteith. The property occupies a charming situation, 
 commanding a full view of the Lake and Valley of Monteith. 
 The sheriff has recently planted soft wood very extensively 
 upon the hillside. Next to Glenny is the property of Mondowie, 
 belonging to Mr Robert M'Kechnie, now let, along witli Glenny, 
 to an agricultural tenant. Mondowie marches with the exten- 
 sive estates of the Duke of Montrose. 
 
 Retracing our steps a little we come to Garden, which belongs 
 to Mr James Stirling, and marches with Cardross on the south. 
 This is one of the most beautiful and richly-cultivated properties
 
 314 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 in the district. The mansion stands upon an eminence at the- 
 foot of the sequestered Glen of Arngibbon, the lower portion of 
 which is adorned with many fine trees. The old Castle of 
 Garden stood a little to the north of the site of the present 
 mansion, and was an important stronghold in its day. The 
 policies at Garden are adorned with many grand old trees, the 
 silver firs being the most noteworthy, six of these being 10 feet 
 in circumference at 5 feet from the ground. An oak at the 
 village of Arnprior, and near to the " Corner House," girths 12 
 feet at 10 feet from the ground, with a clean bole of 18 feet. 
 Many large and good specimens of the ash are to be found on 
 the property. The principal plantation, near Balgair Hill, con- 
 tains a large quantity of very fine timber, mostly Scots fir, about 
 40 or 50 years old. The neighbouring estate of Gartmore, 
 belonging to Mr W, C. G. Bontine, is also well wooded, and 
 contains several very fine trees. The largest tree upon the 
 property is a beech, girthing 14 feet at 5 feet from the ground. 
 Other two beech trees girth 11 feet 3 inches and 11 feet respec- 
 tively at 5 from the ground. The largest sycamore girths 12 feet 
 4 inches at 5 feet ; the largest cedar of Lebanon girths 11 feet 
 
 8 inches at 5 feet ; the largest elm, 11 feet ; ash, 10 feet ; oak, 
 
 9 feet 3 inches, — all at 5 feet from the ground. There are 
 several very fine silver fir and larch trees. The two largest silver 
 firs each girth 1 1 feet 6 inches ; and the two largest larch trees 
 girth 10 feet 6 inches and 10 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. 
 
 The whole district of Monteith, as we have endeavoured to 
 show, is full of interest, and offers many inducements to visitors. 
 Although difficult of access, owing to its distance from the great 
 modern highways, there are few places more popular with 
 tourists. Her Majesty the Queen sojourned in the district for 
 several weeks during the autumn of 1869, and was greatly 
 charmed with all she saw. This, as we have previously 
 indicated, was by no means the first royal visit to Monteith. 
 Royalty has frequently been attracted to the district from a 
 variety of causes. King Robert the Bruce is known to have 
 been at least on three occasions at Inchmahome, where he 
 transacted national business. After James I. seized the Earldom,
 
 MONTEITH. 315 
 
 he and his immediate successors on the throne made the Castle 
 of Doune one of the Royal residences; and Queen Margaret, wife 
 of James IV., was provided with the Lordship of Monteith as part 
 of her jointure lands. Her son, James V., made several visits to 
 Monteith as the " Good Man of Ballengeich." Mary Queen of 
 Scots, when a child of four years of age, here found safety and 
 repose when these could not he afforded by the Royal palaces or 
 fortresses. Her son, James VI., at Cardross, visited John, Earl 
 of Mar, his former fellow-pupil under George Buchanan. Charles 
 II. was also a visitor. At a later period, Prince Charles Edward, 
 when prosecuting his father's pretensions to the throne, in 1745, 
 remained here for some time, Doune Castle being the principal 
 stronghold he had in Scotland. Royalty has thus shown a 
 decided partiality for the district, and so long as its great 
 natural attractions endure it is likely to do so.
 
 XXVI.— STRATHALLAK 
 
 An Arborous Sea — Strathallan Castle — The Drummonds of Strathallan — 
 The Policies — Triangular Group of Spanish Chestnuts — Other 
 Remarkable Trees — The Woods — Malloch's Oak— Tragic End of a 
 Greedy Meal Merchant — Birks of Tullibardine — Abies Douglasii — 
 Inexpensive and Effectual Method of Protecting Young Plants from 
 Rabbits— Tullibardine Chair Tree— Old Castle of Tullibardine— 
 Excavation Representing the Great "Michael" War-ship — The 
 Nursery — Result of Protecting Plants from Late Spring and Early 
 Autumn Frosts — An Ancient Target — Relic of Caledonian Forest — 
 Abies Douglasii v. Larch — Ravages of Recent Storms. 
 
 Strathallan is one of the most richly-wooded properties in 
 the county. Looking across the country from the admirable 
 vantage-ground afforded by the tower of the fine mixed-baronial 
 Castle, scarcely anything is seen up to the base of the encircling 
 mountains, but one solid mass of dark green branches yielding 
 to every breath of wind, and presenting a veritable arborous 
 sea. Here and there an opening has been judiciously cut into 
 the heart of the wood, which leads the eye to some patch of 
 agricultural land, and at our feet lie extensive policies, with 
 single trees standing boldly out in " pillared beauty," while a 
 sparkling rivulet emerges " out of the forest dark and dread " — 
 as is beautifully expressed in the last poem which Longfellow 
 wrote — to enliven the precincts of the Castle, a duty which is 
 shared by a fairy-like fountain playing on the lawn. These, 
 however, only serve to bring out the prevailing feature of the 
 landscape in stronger relief. It is the wealth of growing wood 
 which first attracts the eye, and its seemingly endless extent 
 which most powerfully impresses the mind. The western 
 horizon, even viewed from the elevation of the Castle tower, is 
 completely obscured by the dense mass of foliage, and only the 
 merest peeps can be got of the mighty forms of Ben Vorlich,
 
 STRATH ALLAN. 317 
 
 Bed Ledi, and the Aberuchill Hills. The configuration of the 
 ground in other directions, however, permits of a wider prospect. 
 To the south and east the Ochils are seen rising out of a leafy 
 bed, and their outline can be traced throughout the entire range, 
 several of the more lofty of the Fifeshire hills being also 
 distinctly visible. The pine-clad Hill of Moncreiffe is a con- 
 spicuous object in the distant east, and over the Gask and 
 Dupplin woods are described the gigantic hills of the Stormont. 
 To the north-west the view is broken by the mountains at the 
 back of Crieff, while due north the Glenshee and Birnam Hills 
 stand out most prominently. 
 
 The Castle of Strathallan, the seat of "William Henry Drum- 
 mond, sixth Viscount Strathallan, Lord Drummond of Cromlix, 
 and Lord Maderty, is situated about a couple of miles from 
 Tullibardine Station on the Crieff Junction Railway. It stands 
 upon a site of some elevation, and is of a substantial and 
 elegant design, in which the baronial style predominates. The 
 exterior is comparatively new, but it encloses the old historic 
 Castle, with which it is incorporated, the old house being in 
 the centre of the new building. The first of this branch of the 
 great house of Drummond was James Drummond, younger 
 son of David, second Lord Drummond. He was educated 
 with young King James V., who, in 1585, appointed him 
 a Gentleman of his Bedchamber. He was one of the Com- 
 mendators of the Abbey of Inchaffray prior to the Refor- 
 mation. He was raised to the Peerage in 1609 under the 
 title of Lord Maderty, and acquired the estate of Inchpeffray 
 by his marriage to a daughter of Sir James Chisholme of Cromlix, 
 who, through her mother, was heiress of that property. His 
 eldest son, John, second Lord Maderty, joined Montrose after 
 his great victory at Kilsyth, for which he was afterwards cast 
 into prison, but liberated on the condition that he would never 
 again oppose the Parliament. His son, who succeeded, lay 
 under such suspicion of disaffection to the dominant party, that 
 he was also placed in confinement. His own two sons having 
 died in early youth, he resigned, in 1684, in favour of his 
 brother, the Hon. William Drummond of Cromlix, who, accord- 
 ingly, became fourth Lord Maderty. He was a devote
 
 318 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 adherent of the House of Stuart, and continued with the 
 Royalists under Glencairn in the Highlands until they were 
 dispersed in 1654. He afterwards found his way to Russia, 
 and ultimately became a Lieut. -General in the army of the 
 Czar. He was recalled after the Eestoration by Charles II., 
 who made him a Major-General of the Forces in Scotland, and 
 a Lord of the Treasury. In 1686 he was created Viscount 
 Strathallan and Lord Drummond. He was the author of the 
 valuable Genealogy of the Family of Drummond. Upon the 
 death of the third Viscount, the title devolved upon his cousin, 
 William Drummond of Machany, descended from Sir James 
 Drummond of Machany, second son of the first Lord Maderty. 
 This branch of the family was also devoted to the Stuarts, and 
 when the " Standard on the Braes of Mar " was raised in 1715, 
 the new representative of the house of Strathallan was amongst 
 the first to flock to it. He was captured at Sheriffmuir, but 
 was discharged under the Act of Grace of 1717. This, how- 
 ever, did not cool his zeal on behalf of the House of Stuart, as 
 when Prince Charles raised the rebel standard at Glenfinnan in 
 1745, he joined him within a fortnight, and was entrusted with 
 the command of the Rebel troops in Scotland when the Prince 
 marched into England. He was killed at Culloden. His 
 Viscountess, a daughter of the Baroness Nairne, also suffered a 
 great deal in the ill-fated cause, having been for about eight 
 months a State prisoner in the Castle of Edinburgh. His eldest 
 son, James, was attainted for his share in the '45. His son, 
 again, Andrew John, became one of those Scottish military 
 adventurers, who at this period distinguished themselves in 
 many parts of the world. After serving with honour in 
 America and on the Continent of Europe, he was, in 1810, 
 appointed Governor of Dumbarton Castle, and, in 1812, became 
 a General of the army. He vainly petitioned for the restoration 
 of the forfeited titles of his family, and at his death in 1817, 
 the forfeited estates, which had been bought back in 1755, 
 fell to his cousin, James- Andrew-John-Lawrence-Charles Drum- 
 mond, a grandson of the fourth Viscount. He was four times, 
 twice unanimously, elected Member of Parliament for Perth- 
 shire,— first in 1811, then 1812, 1818, and 1820. In 1824 he
 
 STRATHALLAN. 
 
 319 
 
 "was, by Act of Parliament, restored to the titles of Viscount 
 Strathallan, Lord Maderty, and Lord Drummond of Cromlix. 
 He was shortly afterwards elected a Scotch Representative Peer, 
 and continued to be so till his death in 1851, when he was 
 succeeded by the present Lord. 
 
 We have already incidentally alluded to the grandeur of the 
 wood which adorns the policies. Within 100 yards of the 
 Castle we are confronted with a numerous brotherhood of ancient 
 and gigantic trees of several varieties. The most interesting of 
 these is a triangular group of Spanish chestnuts of large size, 
 the positions of the different trees in which is shown by the 
 accompanying diagram. Whether the peculiar form in which 
 
 5 
 
 15'G" 
 
 /ye 
 
 °7'8" 
 
 6'7" 
 
 @ 3'/0" °5'6' f 
 
 
 -© 
 
 
 6'5" 
 
 6' 
 
 9 '6" 
 8' 
 
 IP 
 
 8 ft 5 a'G" 
 fZ» 8' 
 
 q'/l" 
 ~8'6 V 
 
 4>* 
 
 lift 2 
 9' 81' 
 
 the group has been planted had originally any special meaning, 
 cannot now be determined, but it is a singular and suggestive 
 circumstance, that similar forms of grouping are to be met with 
 in other localities, particularly in the southern counties of 
 England. The trees are so arranged that from whatever point 
 the group, or one of its individual members, is looked at in 
 walking round, a triangle is presented. Tlie sides of the outer 
 triangle are 107 feet, 43 feet, and 99 feet long respectively, and 
 the trees are so arranged that the triangles are numerous and 
 varied — equilateral, scalene, obtuse, acute-angled, &c. The 
 largest tree, which stands in the foreground of the group, 
 measures as follows : — At 1 foot from the ground, 15 feet 6
 
 320 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 inches in girth, and at 5 feet it is 14 feet 6 inches in girth r 
 with a bole of nearly 40 feet, and a total height of 70 feet. The 
 other trees girth as follows at 1 foot and 5 feet from the ground 
 respectively : — 12 feet 1 inch, 10 feet 3 inches ; 11 feet 2 inches, 
 9 feet 8 inches — these two, together with the one already 
 mentioned, forming the corner trees of the main or outer 
 triangle. Proceeding along the line from the latter tree to the 
 largest of the group, the girths are found to be 9 feet 1 1 inches, 
 8 feet 6 inches ; 9 feet 6 inches, 8 feet ; 8 feet 5 inches, 7 feet 
 3 inches ; 7 feet, 6 feet 1 inch ; 9 feet 6 inches, 8 feet ; 6 feet 
 5 inches, 6 feet. Along the line of the triangle given above as 
 99 feet in length there are three trees girthing, at 1 foot and 5 feet 
 from the ground, 6 feet 1 inch, 5 feet 7 inches ; 10 feet 5 inches, 
 
 8 feet 7 inches ; 7 feet 6 inches, 6 feet 8 inches. The inner 
 trees girth respectively 9 feet 1 inch, 7 feet 2 inches ; 8 feet 8 
 inches, 7 feet 8 inches ; 8 feet 8 inches, 7 feet 3 inches ; 6 feet 
 7 inches, 5 feet 6 inches ; 6 feet 5 inches, 5 feet 5 inches — the 
 remaining two girthing exactly the same, viz., 4 feet 1 inch at 
 1 foot from the ground, and 3 feet 10 inches at 5 feet. The 
 site is level ; the soil a dark loam, about 2 feet in depth, and 
 the subsoil is a very hard retentive till. In one prominent part 
 of the park, close to the castle, a very beautiful cedar of Lebanon 
 " spreads his dark green layers of shade." There is only a bole 
 of about 3 feet, but at the narrowest part the girth is 15 feet 5 
 inches. It is as a park tree, however, that it excels. A splendid 
 elm also grows in front of the castle. It has a girth of 17 feet 
 
 9 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 14 feet 6 inches at 5 
 feet, with measurable timber to a height of 35 feet. There is a 
 much larger one in the avenue in front of the house, but it is 
 very old and gnarled, and a considerable part of the trunk 
 cannot be fairly measured as timber. Taking it as we find it, 
 the girth at 1 foot from the ground is 20 feet 3 inches, and 15 
 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. An ash girths 1 6 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 12 feet 9 inches at 5 feet from the ground, with a fine 
 round bole of 20 feet. An oak, with a bole of 25 feet, girths 15 
 feet at 1 foot, and 11 feet 4 inches at 5 feet from the ground. 
 There is a very shapely beech with a girth of 19 feet 9 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 12 feet at 5 feet, the bole being 12 feet in height.
 
 STEA.THALLAX. 321 
 
 Inside the garden fence there is a fine purple beech girthing 9 
 feet 2 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 8 feet 1 inch at 5 
 feet, with a bole of 40 feet. There is also a very nice purple 
 beech with a bole of 25 feet and a girth of 7 feet 10 inches at 
 1 foot and 7 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the ground. The 
 best spruce tree upon the property is also to be found in the 
 Castle pleasure-grounds. It reaches a height of fully 90 feet, 
 and has a girth of 14 feet at 1 foot and 10 feet at 5 feet from 
 the ground. Beside it is another very good spruce girthing 1 3 
 feet 6 inches at 1 foot and 9 feet 4 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. A few yards farther on we meet with the best specimen 
 of Abies Douglasii at Strathallan. It was planted 25 years ago, 
 and is exactly 65 feet in height, the girth at 1 foot from the 
 ground being 7 feet, and at 5 feet 5 feet 7 inches. In the " Auld 
 Boo" Park, a short distance from the Castle, there are also 
 some very fine trees. An ash, with a bole of about 30 feet, and 
 a total height of 90 feet, girths 15 feet 3 inches at 1 foot and 
 12 feet at 5 feet from the ground. There are a number of large 
 sycamores, but the two following are perhaps the best : — No. 1 , 
 14 feet 7 inches at 1 foot and 12 feet at 5 feet from the 
 ground, with a bole of 20 feet ; No. 2, close beside, girths 13 
 feet at 1 foot and 10 feet 4 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 
 30 feet. 
 
 Attractive as the Castle pleasure-grounds undoubtedly are, 
 they are no more interesting than the extensive woods — extend- 
 ing to nearly 2000 acres- — by which they are surrounded on 
 every side. It is not only in the abundance of saleable timber 
 that they excel, for there are many trees in different parts of 
 the woods which are quite as remarkable as those we have 
 noticed in the policies. In the Castle "Wood, for instance, there 
 is an especially fine tree known as " Malloch's Oak," from a 
 very tragic circumstance. During a great dearth of food at a 
 remote period, there was a meal merchant of the name of 
 Malloch who refused to sell provisions to the famishing people, 
 in the expectation that the longer he held out the bigger price 
 he would get. Having occasion to be in this neighbourhood one 
 day, Ik; was unceremoniously seized by the enraged inhabitants, 
 and hanged upon one of the limbs of this tree. The branch 
 
 x
 
 322 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 upon which he is "believed to have "been hanged has rotted and 
 fallen away, although the other branches remain entire. This 
 tragic occurrence must have happened at a very early date, as 
 documents in existence prove that the tree was called 
 " Malloch's Oak " as far back as 200 years ago. The girth of the 
 tree at 1 foot from the ground is 19 feet, and at 4 feet, where 
 it can be most fairly measured, the girth is 15 feet 3 inches. 
 One limb straight out from the trunk has the enormous length 
 of 55 feet, and its great weight has to be supported by two 
 heavy posts driven into the ground. The decayed limb is 
 sheeted with iron to prevent water getting into the trunk. 
 The tree is altogether a most interesting one, apart from the 
 tragic circumstance to which it owes its name. In this wood 
 there are some especially fine specimens of Abies Douglasii. 
 They were planted on a clay-loamy soil in April 1866, when 
 3 feet high, and the best of those which we measured has a 
 height of 48 feet exactly, and a girth of 4 feet 8 inches at 1 
 foot and 3 feet 7J inches at 5 feet from the ground. A 
 beautifully compact Gupressus Lawsoniana has a circumference 
 of 24 feet round the branches at 5 feet from the ground, and a 
 height of 25 feet. This is really a splendid tree, but being in 
 the heart of the wood, and close to the garden wall, it is not 
 seen to proper advantage. 
 
 Our way next lay through the " Birks of Tullibardine," where 
 we saw much that was interesting and instructive. So far as 
 the " birks " are concerned, they are somewhat disappointing. 
 The poet would not here meet with that 
 
 " Wealth of birchen tresses 
 Spread with diffusive leafy grace that knows 
 No limit." 
 
 The " birks," in short, are conspicuous by their absence, although 
 a few noble specimens survive, — one which we selected as a fair 
 representative girthing 10 feet 4 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. The Birks Wood is chiefly noteworthy for its promis- 
 ing crop of the newer coniferous trees, the chief of which are 
 Abies .Douglasii, of which there are between 7 and 8 acres 
 without any admixture. Shortly after entering the " Birks,"
 
 STRATHALLAN. 323 
 
 what appeared to be a peculiar fibre-like growth at the bottom 
 of the young Douglasii trees attracted our attention, and forced 
 us to ask for an explanation from the forester, Mr E. Maxtone. 
 The result of our inquiries was the discovery of a very effectual 
 and inexpensive method of preventing the destruction of the 
 young trees by rabbits; The method adopted costs nothing but 
 a trifling expenditure of labour, is perfectly effectual, and requires 
 no farther attention. The fibrous-like growths to which we have 
 referred are simply a handful of spruce twigs, about 2 feet high, 
 tied round the young tree when it is planted out about 3 feet 
 high, any branches which obtrude being allowed to grow, as the 
 rabbits can do no harm by eating them. The twigs are firmly 
 stuck into the ground, and loosely tied round the tree with a 
 piece of string. At first the twigs were planted round the tree 
 in a circle, with a clear space round the stem, but it was found 
 that the rabbits somehow got inside, and the precaution was 
 thus of no avail. But by fastening the twigs close round the 
 stem, tying them with a piece of string, a rabbit cannot possibly 
 get its nose in. Even the string is scarcely necessary, at all 
 events after a very few days, as the twigs cling so close to the 
 trunk of the tree that a rabbit would find its task no easier by 
 cutting the string. There is no pressure whatever round the 
 stem of the tree, while the protection is so complete that the 
 tree is absolutely impregnable to the attacks of this destructive 
 vermin. The wood in which these young Douglasii trees are 
 planted is a perfect rabbit warren, almost every footstep disturb- 
 ing them in dozens, and sending them in haste to their burrows 
 in the soft dry sand ; and, although we searched most diligently, 
 no trace whatever could be found of the slightest damage having 
 been done. The rabbits, judging from one or two illustrations 
 we met with, would appear to have a specially good appetite for 
 Picea Nordmanmana, as the obtruding branches in several 
 instances have been eaten to a height of 3 feet, although the 
 bark was completely beyond their reach. We scarcely think 
 that a cheaper or a more effectual means could be devised 
 than that we have described for securing the young plants from 
 the ravages of these woodland pests. 
 
 One of the most notable trees upon the property is to be found
 
 324 WOODS, FORESTS,, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 in the "Birks of Tullibarrline." This is an oak known as the 
 " Tullibardine Chair Tree." We have to trust to tradition for 
 the origin of its name, but the tree itself, and the whole sur- 
 roundings, corroborate the traditionary story. The old Castle 
 of Tullibardine stood in a field about 150 yards west of the 
 " Chair Tree," and it is said that round this oak the athletic 
 sports of the muscular retainers were held in ancient times. The 
 formation of the tree is such that a very commodious platform 
 could be erected high among the boughs, and this, tradition says, 
 was actually done to enable the lairds and their friends to 
 have a complete view of the contests going on below. The 
 tree is surrounded by the remains of a turf dyke, with a diameter 
 of 25 yards, and within this circle the competitors had ample 
 space to display their strength and skill. It is a very gnarled 
 old tree, — probably about 600 or 700 years of age, — the whole 
 trunk being thickly clothed with growing twigs — a sure indica- 
 tion of great age. The bole is about 40 feet, and is of the same 
 girth for about 20 feet— the girth at 5 feet from the ground 
 being 17 feet. 
 
 The old Castle of Tullibardine, whose occupants for genera- 
 tions must have gazed with veneration upon this aged king of 
 the forest, was entirely demolished about fifty years ago, the 
 materials being used for the building of steadings, &c, in the 
 neighbourhood. Quite close to the site of the old Castle is 
 another object of some interest, although it is not apparent 
 to the casual visitor. When James IV., who had a penchant 
 for shipbuilding, built the Michael, the largest war-ship of the 
 period, he employed a skilful wright from Tullibardine to super- 
 intend the work. When the carpenter returned home, the 
 people at the Castle were very anxious to obtain an adequate 
 comprehension of the size of the great Michael, and with this 
 view the carpenter was commissioned to have an excavation 
 made near the Castle of the exact dimensions of the ship which 
 had created so much sensation. The vessel was 240 feet in 
 length; 36 feet within the sides, which were 10 feet thick ; it 
 took a year to build, and consumed all the oak wood of Fife, 
 except Falkland. When ready for sea, she carried 1000 men, 
 including 300 mariners. The Statistical Account makes no 
 
 a
 
 STRATH ALL AN. 325 
 
 mention of this excavation representing the size of the Michael, 
 but states that " her length and breadth is planted in hawthorn 
 at Tullibardine by the Wright that helped to make her." At 
 the date of the last Statistical Account (1837) only three of the 
 hawthorn trees survived, but they have since been entirely 
 removed to facilitate agricultural operations. For the same 
 reason the excavation has been almost completely filled in, the 
 plough being now regularly worked over it. After it had 
 been dug, it was filled with water, and continued to be an 
 ornamental pond, in which aopiatic plants and birds luxuriated 
 until about twenty-five years ago. The shape of the vessel 
 is still distinctly visible, and it will take a long time before 
 it can be thoroughly obliterated. Within sight of this field, 
 about 400 yards distant, stands the old chapel of the parish, 
 burned by the Highlanders in the course of their retreat from 
 Sheriffmuir. It has been restored, and is now used as a burial 
 vault. 
 
 Proceeding through the home-farm parks, we come across a 
 very nice nursery of 3 or 4 acres, recently formed by Mr 
 Maxtone. All the ordinary varieties are reared, but spruce, 
 Scots fir, larch, and Abies Douglasii predominate. The 
 Douglasli, of which there are between 30,000 and 40,000 
 plants in the nursery, are now being raised from seed gathered 
 in Strathallan Woods. The nursery has a fine southern 
 exposure, and the site has been specially selected because it is 
 so surrounded by trees as to prevent the young plants being 
 damaged by the sun during the late spring and early autumn 
 frosts. The effect of this protection is not only seen in the 
 uniformly healthy condition of the young plants, but it may 
 also be seen in at least one of the plantations, the success of 
 which Mr Maxtone attributes to the impossibility of the sun 
 striking the young trees before the frost has left their branches. 
 This is at Blairskaith Plantation, where larch has been planted 
 after a superior crop of the same variety. The young plants 
 are from 10 to 12 or 15 feet high, and arc thriving amazingly 
 with comparative freedom from disease. This, Mr Maxtone 
 believes, is owing to the protection from the early sun afforded 
 by the remains of the previous crop, of which fully 30 acres
 
 326 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 were blown down about fourteen years ago. In other plan- 
 tations, where there is no such shelter, there is a good deal 
 of disease, and even in virgin soil the crop is a compara- 
 tive failure where it is exposed to the full sweep of the morning 
 sun. 
 
 While inspecting the saw-mill, we were fortunate in seeing 
 several objects of interest. An examination of an old green 
 holly tree, recently blown down near the old Castle of 
 Tullibardine, revealed numerous marks of arrow-shots in the 
 outer bark, showing that it must have been used as a target for 
 practising with the bow and arrow before Martini-Henry rifles 
 entered into the imagination of man. Beside it, securely 
 protected from the weather, was a quarter-section of a magni- 
 ficent oak discovered four years ago, 4 or 5 feet underneath the 
 moss at Tullibardine Muir, about 600 or 700 feet above the 
 level of the sea. The length of the block was 1 6 feet, and the 
 diameter of the section 4 feet, showing that the tree must have 
 been about 20 feet in girth at a considerable height from the 
 ground. This relic of the old Caledonian Forest has now been 
 converted into picture frames, and other ornamental articles, 
 the wood being firm, and of a beautiful black colour. At 
 the mill a few Douglasii trees were being cut up, from which 
 we could learn something of the great value of this variety 
 as compared with larch. The trees were only thirteen years 
 planted when they were blown down by the Tay Bridge gale, 
 but there was as much red wood in the heart as in a larch of 
 thirty years old. 
 
 Wherever we wandered about the property we found much 
 that was interesting, and not a little, as we have endeavoured to 
 show, that was instructive. The woods are so extensive that 
 they seem to be interminable, and at almost every turn there is 
 something to attract attention. No one could fail to be struck, 
 especially, with the care with which the woods are tended. 
 Drains are freely cut wherever necessary, and everything 
 possible is done to promote the growth of the timber. Like all 
 other places, Strathallan has suffered severely from the heavy 
 gales of the past few years — the havoc, indeed, being so great 
 as to be almost inconceivable. Enormous trees, and not
 
 STRATH ALLAN. 327 
 
 unfrequently clumps of trees, have been turned over like 
 nine-pins, their great roots rising from the ground like cliffs to 
 a height of from 20 to 30 feet. These victims of the storms 
 of winter certainly serve to make the plantations more pic- 
 turesque and forest-like, but they involve an enormous loss to 
 the proprietor.
 
 XXVIL— DEUMMOND CASTLE. 
 
 The Attractions of Drummond Castle — The Founder of the House of 
 Drummond — Origin of the Family Name — Glorious Death of the First 
 of the Drummonds — History of the Family — Early Connection with 
 Forestry — Queen Annahella — How Glenartney Forest was Acquired — 
 The Builder of Drummond Castle — The Castle itself — The View from 
 its Towers — The Gardens — Drummond Park and its Monster Trees — 
 Remarkable Trees at Pitkellony, Muthill, &c. — A Curious Phenome- 
 non — The Plantations — The Trossachs — Extent of the Property and 
 General Improvements. 
 
 The princely demesne of Drummond Castle, with its great 
 natural and artificial beauties, its undying historic associations, 
 and its priceless treasures, is one of the most notable places in 
 the kingdom. The grandeur of its situation, and the fame of 
 its gardens and richly-wooded policies, have attracted the 
 attention of thousands of people from different lands, and their 
 united testimony supports the presumption, that the gardens and 
 grounds are, in the words of ■ the Duchess of Sutherland, 
 " unequalled in Europe, according to their scale." The beauties 
 of Drummond Castle begin to dawn upon the visitor long before 
 the entrance gate is reached. Leaving Crieff by the bridge 
 which spans the Earn on the south-western side of the town, we 
 very speedily obtain a foretaste of the joys which lie before us. 
 For more than two miles from South Bridgend, the broad and 
 well-formed public road runs through an avenue which has been 
 described as " finer than the Italian Boulevards of Paris, and 
 grander than the Linden Alley at Berlin." For the first three- 
 quarters of a mile the avenue consists of beech trees, of noble 
 proportions, averaging about 20 feet apart, with a few horse- 
 chestnuts and limes intermixed, the branches beautifully inter- 
 lacing in the embrace of more than a century. At Lagg Cot- 
 tage, the avenue runs into lime trees, — which, in the words of
 
 DRUMMOND CASTLE. 329 
 
 Pope, "part admit and part exclude the day" — for fully two 
 and a half miles additional. The avenue is here and there 
 hacked with strips of mixed Avood ; and through the openings 
 at intervals we can descry spacious parks studded with lordly 
 trees, while heautiful vistas stretch far into the distance, and 
 expose tracts of the fairest land. The entrances to the 
 grounds are thoroughly in harmony with the character of the 
 place. Gates of artistic design lead into alleys on the eastern 
 and western sides of the public road, the eastern alley leading 
 through the estate and rejoining the public road, and the 
 western alley leading up to the ancient fortress of Drunimond 
 Castle. Passing through the Castle entrance-gate — a splendid 
 piece of elaborately-decorated workmanship brought from Italy, 
 and supposed to be about 300 years old — we enter the western 
 alley, and are again confronted with an avenue — this time of 
 enormous beech trees, although not the largest upon the property. 
 The avenue is very narrow, being only 15 feet wide, with sidings 
 to permit carriages to pass ; but its very narrowness contributes 
 to its unique character, and not a little to its beauty. The 
 whole avenue is completely arched by the compact branches of 
 the great beeches, and it is only occasionally that the eye can 
 penetrate to the beautiful undulating country beyond, dotted 
 with trees, and forming charming combinations of wood and 
 water, hill and dale. The Castle comes upon the visitor some- 
 what abruptly, and immediately on passing through the archway 
 into the courtyard we are ■ involuntarily reminded of the poet"s 
 lines — 
 
 " How many charms, by nature and by art, 
 Do here combine to captivate the heart," 
 
 Many eloquent pens have attempted to describe the beauties of 
 Drummond Castle from this point, but none have been more 
 eloquent or more accurate than MacCulloch. " Drummond 
 Castle," says he, " is absolutely unrivalled in the low country 
 and only exceeded in the Highlands by Dunkeld and Blair 
 Placed in the most advantageous position to enjoy the magnifi- 
 cent and varied expanse around, it looks over scenery scarcely 
 anywhere equalled. With ground of the most commanding and 
 varied forms, including water and rock, and abrupt hill and dell,
 
 330 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 and gentle undulations, its extent is princely, and its aspect 
 that of ancient wealth and ancient power. Noble avenues, 
 profuse woods, a waste of lawn and pasture, an unrestrained 
 scope, everything bespeaks the carelessness of liberality and 
 extensive possessions ; while the ancient Castle, its earliest part 
 belonging to 1500, stamps on it that air of high and distant 
 opulence which adds so deep a moral interest to the rural 
 beauties of Baronial Britain." 
 
 The sight of the ancient stronghold of the Drummonds brings 
 to recollection that it is the property of a noble family which 
 has figured most prominently in the early history of Scotland, 
 which gave us one of the best of the Scottish Queens, and 
 which holds a distinguished place among the progenitors of the 
 reigning Eoyal Family of Great Britain. The origin of the 
 house of Drummond is traceable to the year 1067, when its 
 founder landed upon the shores of Scotland, in times of great 
 peril. In the reign of Malcolm II. of Scotland, and about the 
 year 1013, the King of Denmark invaded England to revenge a 
 massacre of the Danes, overcoming Ethelred in battle, driving 
 him from his kingdom, and usurping his throne. Canute was 
 the son and successor of this Danish King, but he was so 
 strenuously opposed by Edmund, the Ironside, son of Ethelred, 
 that it was mutually agreed to divide the kingdom between 
 them. This treaty Edmund only survived one month, when 
 the whole kingdom and his two sons, Edwin and Edward, fell 
 into the hands of Canute, who was proclaimed sole Sovereign 
 of England in 1017. To secure himself in full possession of 
 the throne, Canute sent the two sons of Edmund to the Court 
 of Sweden, on pretence of being educated, but charging the 
 King to put them to death as soon as they arrived. The 
 Swedish monarch disobeyed this savage mandate, and sent the 
 young Princes to the King of Hungary, to be educated at his 
 Court, where they were graciously received. Solomon, the 
 King of Hungary, was so attached to the exiled princes that to 
 Edwin he give his own sister in marriage, and to Edmund the 
 sister of his Queen, Sophia, and daughter of the Emperor Henry 
 II. Edwin died childless, but the wife of Edward bore Edgar 
 Atheling, Margaret (afterwards Queen of Scotland), and Chris-
 
 DEUMMOND CASTLE. 331 
 
 tina. On the death Canute in 1035, his son Harold succeeded 
 to the throne, and when he died in 1039 he was succeeded by 
 his brother, Hardicanute, who reigned only two years, and in 
 whom ended the Danish usurpation. Edward, son of Ethelred, 
 was unanimously called to the vacant throne, and as Edward 
 the Confessor had no issue, he sent a deputation into Hungary, 
 to invite over his nephew, Edward, son of his elder brother, 
 Ironside, who was the only remaining heir of the Saxon line. 
 That Prince accepted the invitation, and came to England 
 with his wife and three children, together with a select 
 train of Hungarian nobles, who were attached to his 
 family by friendship and affection, and followed his fortunes 
 as heir-apparent to the English throne. Edward died soon 
 after his arrival, but his family continued to reside at the 
 English Court till the death of the Confessor in 1065. Though 
 young Edgar was now the rightful heir to the Crown, Harold, 
 son of Earl Godwin, ascended the throne without opposition, 
 but he did not long enjoy the fruits of his treachery. Confu- 
 sions arose, which terminated in the Norman Conquest ; and at 
 length, on 14th October 1066, Harold encountered the invader 
 at Hastings, and was slain, William the Conqueror being left 
 sole master of the kingdom. All ranks of the nation at once 
 submitted — even Edgar, who had just been declared King, 
 resigning to William his pretensions to the Crown. As 
 William's reign descended into oppression, multitudes consulted 
 their safety by flight. Amongst the rest, Edgar Atheling, with 
 his mother, sisters, and Hungarian friends, secretly set sail, 
 directing their course to Hungary, but a furious storm over- 
 taking them in the German Ocean, they were driven upon the 
 Scottish coast, and came ashore at the haven since called St 
 Margaret's Hope, in the Firth of Forth. At this time Malcolm 
 Canmore, King of Scotland, was residing at Dunfermline, a few 
 miles distant, and he generously invited the royal strangers to 
 partake of the hospitality of the Scottish Court. To Edgar, 
 Malcolm acknowledged the kindness of his relation, the Con- 
 fessor, in sending 10,000 soldiers to his aid against Macbeth. 
 He also received the friends who accompanied the Prince most 
 generously, bestowing upon them offices and lands. Struck
 
 o 
 
 32 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 with the charms of Margaret, and the noble endowments of her 
 mind, he took her for his Queen, celebrating the marriage with 
 splendid magnificence. Amongst the distinguished strangers 
 who landed at St Margaret's Hope with the royal voyagers, was 
 the founder of the house of Drummond, Maurice, an Hungarian, 
 long eminent for his faithful services. He is said to have been 
 the son of George, a younger son of Andrew, King of Hungary. 
 Educated at the Court with the Saxon Princes, his friendship 
 for their family commenced early, and amidst all the vicissitudes 
 of their fortunes, his attachment to their interests was firm and 
 sincere. When accompanying the exiles driven on the Scottish 
 coast, he is said to have commanded the vessel, and to his skilful 
 management the safety of the Royal Family was attributed. It 
 is believed, indeed, that it is from this circumstance that the 
 family name is derived. Several derivations have been given of 
 the word Drummond, the Greek, Celtic, and Latin being all laid 
 under tribute. The word, dromont or dromond is of Greek 
 origin, and was used, in different countries to denote a swift 
 ship, the captains of which were called dromonts or dromoners. 
 In the Celtic we have the word drum, a height, steep, or back, 
 and onde, a wave — denoting a high wave ; and to this 
 correspond the bars called unde or tvavy, as they are blazoned 
 on the Drummond arms, which may thus have a reference to the 
 storm by which they attained rank and fortune in Scotland. It 
 is regarded, however, as more probable that the name is derived 
 ' from the latin dromo unda, signifying a swift ship assailed by a 
 tempest, and thus commemorating the storm which brought the 
 founder of the name and the royal exiles to Scotland, and the 
 appointment which he held as commander of the ship. It is 
 thought quite probable, however, that the family name may 
 have been derived from Drymen, the property in Stirlingshire 
 forming part of the original grant of lands. On the marriage of 
 Margaret to Malcolm, great honours and privileges were heaped 
 upon Maurice. In addition to extensive grants of lands, he was 
 appointed to high offices, and he had conferred upon him, as a 
 lasting badge of honour, a. noble coat-of-arms, representing his 
 position and achievements. As a memorial of her Majesty's safe 
 journey, the King assigned him for his armorial bearings, three
 
 DItUMMOXD CASTLE. 333 
 
 bars wavy ; and as the country where his property lay was 
 full of rivers, woods, lakes, and mountains, these were 
 emblematically expressed in the coat-of-arms. He continued 
 to serve his new King most faithfully, and died gloriously 
 in his cause. When William the Conqueror turned his 
 arms against Malcolm, because he refused to deliver up Edgar 
 Atheling, the first of the Drummonds fought with the 
 Scotch until Edgar's safety was secured. When the successor 
 of the Conqueror, William Eufus, invaded the dominions of 
 Malcolm, in 1093, Maurice advanced with the King to repel 
 the invader, and, on Malcolm falling by the treachery of 
 Percy, Maurice hastened to revenge his death, but fell covered 
 with wounds. 
 
 It is impossible, within the limits that can be conceded to 
 this part of our subject, to give a complete outline of the family 
 descent, with its innumerable branches. It will be of some 
 interest, however, to trace the more prominent incidents in the 
 family history, as then we shall be the better able to appreciate 
 the rare attractions of Drummond Castle. We have seen how 
 the founder of the family died gloriously in attempting to avenge 
 the treacherous death of his Sovereign and benefactor; and we 
 shall endeavour, as briefly as is compatible with clearness, to 
 follow the career of the rest of the more prominent members of 
 the family. The first of the family who was specially dis- 
 tinguished, after the founder, and the first of whom any written 
 documents are preserved, was Malcolm Beg Drummond, the sixth 
 Thane of Lennox — " Beg" being the Celtic for short, indicating 
 that the Thane was below the ordinary stature. He succeeded 
 about the year 1200, and died about 1259. He is represented as 
 being held in high reputation among the Scottish nobles, and 
 retaining all the lands given to his predecessors by Malcolm 
 Canmore. The next Thane, also a Malcolm, is described as "a 
 man of great respectability," and had possessions in land to an 
 immense extent, which enabled him to give his younger child ten 
 very considerable estates in different counties. The eighth Thane, 
 Sir John Drummond, lived in the time of the unhappy 
 confusions which arose at the death of Alexander III., but 
 amidst He; various contests for the succession to the Crown, he
 
 334 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 always stood forth as the defender of the liberties of his 
 country. Sir Malcolm Drummond, the ninth Thane, flourished in 
 the reign of King Robert Bruce, and was firmly attached to the 
 interests of that great Prince, his undaunted bravery, and great 
 military skill being conspicuous at the Battle of Bannockburn, 
 his services there being rewarded by a grant of several lands in 
 Perthshire. The tenth Thane of Lennox, Sir Malcolm Drummond, 
 also distinguished himself in the service of the Bruce, and is 
 described as " a worthy patriot, a steady loyalist, and deservedly 
 esteemed for his merit and accomplishments." He is the 
 ancestor of several branches- of the family, including Concraig, 
 Colquhalzie, Pitkellony, Megginch, Balloch, &c. His second 
 son, Sir Maurice Drummond, was the first Knight of Concraig, 
 and by his marriage with the daughter of Henrie, the Heritable 
 Seneschal or Steward of Strathearn, he acquired a most intimate 
 connection with the forests of the country. Besides the charter 
 and confirmation he got of the office and lands belonging to 
 Henrie, Robert, Earl of Strathearn, granted him a new gift of 
 forestry to reach over all the forests in the country, making 
 him Heritable Keeper. We are told that he was " a brave 
 gentleman, and lived in great credit," from which we may infer 
 that the forests did not suffer at his hands. The eleventh Thane 
 of Lennox, Sir John Drummond, had what is appositely termed 
 " an unhappy difference " with his neighbours, the Monteiths — 
 a difference which, after forty years of " slaughters, robberies, 
 and depredations," was settled by Royal Commission in May 
 1360. The lands of Koseneath were given to the Monteiths, 
 but the King afterwards bestowed upon Sir John the baronies 
 of Auchterarder, Cargill, and Kincardine. By this accession of 
 lands, Sir John became one of the most opulent subjects in the 
 kingdom, and from this time he changed both his residence and 
 his designation. Unwilling to remain any longer in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the hated Monteiths, he quitted the Lennox, with 
 the Seneschalship thereof, of which the family had been the 
 hereditary holders for three hundred years, and fixed his seat at 
 Stobhall, which had been gifted to his grandfather by Eobert 
 Bruce, for services rendered on the field of Bannockburn. Sir 
 John was the father of the Annabella Drummond who was
 
 DEUMMOND CASTLE. 335 
 
 married from Stobhall to Eobert III., and became tbe motber 
 of the hapless Duke of Rothesay, and James I., who was 
 murdered in Perth. Queen Annabella was a lady of the most 
 exquisite beauty and distinguished merit. She is celebrated as 
 one of the best of the Scottish Queens, and her death, in 1401, 
 was regarded as a great loss to the nation, having endeared her- 
 self to the people by the way in which she supported the 
 dignity and splendour of the Court. Both of the succeeding 
 lairds in the main line, Sir Malcolm (1373-1400) and Sir John 
 (1400-1428), were notable men. It was in the reign of the 
 latter that the splendid Forest of Glenartney — or Glen-Orkney, 
 as it was then called — came into the family possessions. Sir 
 John married Lady Elizabeth Sinclair, daughter of Henry, first 
 Earl of Orkney, with whom he got the lands of Murthlow, in 
 Banffshire, confirmed by a charter from Eobert III., and the 
 whole of the Forest of Glenartney. Whatever aspect the Forest 
 presented in these days, it is now devoted to " the antler'd 
 monarch of the waste," although a great deal has been done in 
 recent years to adorn the ravines with sylvan beauty. The next 
 laird, Sir Walter Drumniond (1428-1445), was the ancestor of the 
 families of Blair-Drummond, &c. The next notable member of 
 tbe family was Sir John Drummond, the first Lord Drummond 
 (1470-1519), who built "the strong castle of Drummond" in 
 1491, for which he was granted a special licence by James IV., 
 given under his own hand and seal, whereupon his Lordship 
 moved his residence from Stobhall to Strathearn. The Castle 
 is built upon a picturesque rock, overlooking a great stretch of 
 the most diversified and beautiful scenery. Entering the 
 formidable donjon, with its ancient gate and guard-room still 
 intact, we ascend the massive staircase to the balcony, from 
 which the surrounding landscape is seen to the best advantage. 
 Beneath are the fertile fields of Strathearn, with its many lordly 
 mansions, stretching away to Invermay and Duncrub, while the 
 position of Perth may be distinguished resting under the shadow 
 of Kinnoull. Westwards, we look over " Glenavtney's ha/A 
 shade," and gaze upon the pine-covered peak of Turlum. To 
 the north, the thickly-wooded banks are seen to slope abruptly 
 to the shores of a magnificent artificial lake, extending to nearly
 
 336 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 100 acres, on which the swan, like that which Wordsworth 
 
 pictures, 
 
 "On still St Mary's Lake 
 Floats double — swan and shadow ! " 
 
 Beyond, the view is interrupted by the dark blue Grampians, 
 many of the most prominent Bens being seen lifting their pointed 
 tops far into ethereal space. Glancing at the Castle itself, we soon 
 discover that it has been largely shorn of its original proportions. 
 During the destructive campaign of Cromwell, whose army played 
 great havoc upon the property, the fortress was nearly demolished, 
 and it suffered again at the Revolution of 1688. In 1715 the 
 remains were strengthened and garrisoned by the Royal troops ; 
 but in case it should ever again fall into the hands of the 
 enemies of the House of Stuart, whose cause was warmly 
 espoused by the Druinmonds, Jane Gordon, Duchess of Perth, 
 caused the greater part of the walls to be levelled to the founda- 
 tion during the rising of 1745. From the remains of the old 
 Castle which are still to be seen, there can be no doubt that the 
 ancient fortress was of enormous strength. A portion of the 
 old structure is at present fitted up as an armoury and art 
 gallery, which of themselves, are of sufficient interest to form 
 the subject of a long chapter. The armoury is richly stored 
 with battle-axes, swords, targets, muskets, &c. Amongst the 
 most notable of these implements of warfare is a ponderous two- 
 edged sword which belonged to the Laird of Lundie, the 
 valiant friend of King Robert the Bruce. The picture-gallery 
 contains portraits of many of the distinguished characters who 
 figured in Scottish and English history. Amongst the principal 
 of these is that of King George III., by Gainsborough ; Charles 
 I,, by Jamieson, and another by Vandyke ; Charles II. and 
 James II., by Lilley ; the great Marquis of Montrose, by 
 Honthuarst ; Claverhouse, by Vanderhelst ; Prince Charles 
 Stuart ; Henry, Cardinal York ; Archibald, Earl of Argyle, who 
 was beheaded by the Covenanters ; George, Marquis of Huntly, 
 the friend, companion, and fellow-sufferer with Montrose ; and 
 William Maitland of Lethington, Secretary of Scotland in the 
 time of Queen Mary. There is also a cast of the head of 
 Napoleon I., taken when his body was removed from St Helena.
 
 DRUMMOND CASTLE. 337 
 
 The purely family portraits include several of the Earls of 
 Perth ; Lady Jane Gordon ; James, fourth Earl of Perth and 
 Lord-Chancellor of Scotland, the first Knight of the Thistle, 
 when the Order was revived in 1687, and afterwards Duke of 
 Perth ; and Lord and Lady Perth, the grandfather and grand- 
 mother of the present Lady Willoughby. In this gallery are 
 also stored many articles of great family interest, including the 
 robes of the first Lord Drummond, the builder of the Castle, 
 who was Lord Justice-General of Scotland ; and the robes of 
 the Earl of Perth, Lord-Chancellor of Scotland. We have 
 brought our history of the Drummonds down to the builder of 
 the Castle. The subsequent family history is conspicuously 
 mixed up with the futde attempts of the Stuarts to regain the 
 Crown, and the House of Drummond suffered severely in conse- 
 quence. In 1715 James Lord Drummond was attainted, and 
 his lands sequestrated to the Crown, but were restored, under 
 certain conditions, in 1718. The same fate befell the house in 
 1745, but in 1784 the forfeited estates were restored to Captain 
 James Drummond, who, in 1797, was created Lord Perth, 
 Baron Drummond of Stobhall. He died in 1800, and the 
 estates devolved upon his only surviving daughter, the Hon. 
 Clementina Sarah Drummond, who, in 1807, married the Hon. 
 Peter Eobert Burrell, eldest son of Sir Peter Burrell, the first 
 Lord Gwydyr, who assumed the surname and arms of Drum- 
 mond. In 1820 he succeeded his father as Lord Gwydyr, 
 and, in 1828, his mother, the Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, 
 who was the sister and heir of the fourth Duke of Ancaster. 
 He died in 1865, and was succeeded by his only son, the Hon. 
 Alberic Drummond Willoughby, who died, without issue, in 
 1870, and was succeeded by his elder sister, the Dowager Lady 
 Aveland, relict of the first Lord Aveland, and she is now the 
 Baroness Willoughby de Eresby. 
 
 Having inspected the grand old Castle, the modern part of 
 which is used as the autumnal residence of Lady Willoughby, 
 our way lies directly through the far-famed flower garden. The 
 garden is situated about 30 or 40 feet below the southern part 
 of the Castle rock, and is reached from the Castle esplanade by a 
 splendid flight of steps, communicating with three architectural 
 
 Y
 
 338 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 terraces, artistically formed out of the steep bank, and tastefully 
 adorned with shrubbery. The garden was originally laid out 
 by John, the second Earl of Perth, whose death took place in 
 1662. The records of the time speak of him as a man of great 
 integrity, a distinguished patron of literature, and himself learned 
 in all the branches of knowledge becoming a nobleman. His 
 younger days were spent in France, but on succeeding to the 
 property he returned to Scotland, where he continued his 
 pursuit of literature, and in the delightful retreat of Drummond 
 Castle, he founded a thoroughly useful library of the most 
 eminent ancient and modern authors. He paid great attention 
 to the management of his estate, and conducted its affairs with 
 marked prudence and economy. The garden is of a most unique 
 design, combining the best features of the Dutch, Italian, and 
 French styles of landscape decoration, which are made to 
 harmonise, so as to present a magnificent whole. The garden is 
 about 10 acres in extent, and oblong in form. Two broad walks 
 of verdant sward run diagonally across the garden from the 
 north-west to the south-east angle, and from the north-east to the 
 south-west angle, intersecting each other in the centre, and thus 
 throwing the general plan into a St Andrew's Cross. Each of 
 the four sides is encompassed by a gravel walk, and three others 
 run directly across the breadth, one passing through the centre. 
 The whole is then divided into parterres, laid out with exquisite 
 taste with the most choice flowers and shrubs, so arranged as to 
 show the arms of the Drummond family, and to give the place 
 almost as bright an appearance in winter as in summer. Every- 
 where the garden is studded with antique statues and vases, 
 selected with great taste by the late Lord Willoughby, father of the 
 present Lady Willoughby. The centre of the garden is adorned 
 with a very fine sundial, about 1 5 feet in height, and containing 
 about fifty faces, indicating the time in every direction. It was 
 erected by the founder of the garden, whose arms, with the arms of 
 his Countess, with a Latin eulogy in honour .of his memory, though 
 much defaced, are stdl traceable on the dial. At the top of the 
 Broad Avenue in the park, but seen from the garden, there is a 
 remarkably good marble statue of Dagon. During the memorable 
 storm of 28th December 1879, this statue was knocked to the
 
 DKUMMOND CASTLE. 339 
 
 ground by a heavy limb which was broken off a huge silver fir in 
 the neighbourhood, but although both statue and pedestal were 
 thrown down, the figure sustained very little damage. Through- 
 out the garden beautifully-trimmed yews, junipers, variegated 
 oaks, and hollies are conspicuous. The walls of the terraces are 
 hung with creepers, the most notable of which is the beautiful 
 Tropceolum speciosum, which here flowered in the open air, for 
 the first time in Scotland. On some of the specimens of Citrus 
 decumana the fruit grows particularly large. The Agaw 
 Americana, or great American aloe, may also be included among 
 the more notable plants. In the summer of 1832, one of these 
 plants here reached the height of 23 feet ; and in 1851, another 
 reached to the height of nearly 30 feet. The whole of this Eden- 
 like garden, — with its sharp contrasts of dark green foliage and 
 gaily-coloured flowers, its bright marble statues, and its 
 methodical outlines, its clean verdant walks, and its long broad 
 vista, stretching up to the sky-line, — can all be taken in at a 
 single glance, presenting to the beholder one of those glorious 
 sights which are more often the products of fancy than of reality. 
 Leaving the gardens, our course next lies through Drummond 
 Park, as the extensive policies surrounding the Castle are called. 
 There are 511 acres in the Park, which is literally crowded with 
 huge specimens of all the ordinary varieties of trees, and many 
 that would be really remarkable specimens in other places are 
 here completely dwarfed by their gigantic neighbours. It would 
 be a tedious process to mention all of these in detail, and we shall, 
 therefore, merely content ourselves with noting the more remark- 
 able specimens of the different varieties, and pointing out a few 
 of their peculiarities. Access can be had to the Park from 
 different parts of the gardens, and, taking advantage of the way 
 which is most convenient, Ave speedily find ourselves in the 
 very heart of the policies, wandering amidst majestic trees that 
 claim attention at almost every step, while new beauties are 
 continually being disclosed — 
 
 "Our journey lies through dell and dingle, 
 Where the blythe fawn trips by its timid mother; 
 Where the broad oak, with its inter iioughs, 
 
 < Ihequers the sunbeam in the greensward alley."
 
 340 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Glancing, first of all, at the " broad oak," whose " intercepting 
 boughs" roused the enthusiasm of the poet of the Ettrick 
 Forest, we find many specimens that might well inspire the 
 worshipper of the muses to sing in their praise. The largest 
 specimen grows by the side of the burn east from the Castle. 
 The girth at 1 foot from the ground is 19 feet 6 inches, and at 
 5 feet from the ground 14 feet 8 inches, the length of the bole 
 being 12 feet, the height of the tree 70 feet, and the spread 
 of branches 114 feet. It is altogether a very noble tree. Two 
 other large oaks grow close beside it. The girth of the one is 
 
 13 feet 4 inches at 1 foot from the ground, 10 feet 1 inch at 5 
 feet, with a bole of 14 feet, an entire height of 81 feet, and a 
 spread of branches of 77 feet. The other girths 10 feet 10 
 inches at 1 foot from the ground, swelling out to 15 feet 8 
 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 1 1 feet, and an entire height of 
 45 feet. Two very large oaks grow at the south corner of the 
 pond, close by each other. The larger of the two girths 18 feet 
 7 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, with a bole 
 of 21 feet 6 inches, an entire height of 78 feet 6 inches, and 
 a spread of branches of 100 feet. The girth of its companion 
 at 1 foot is 14 feet 3 inches, and at 5 feet, 11 feet — the length 
 of bole being 17 feet, the height of the tree 64 feet, and the 
 spread of branches 73 feet. Another notable oak grows by the 
 side of the walk circling round the south of the gardens, the 
 girth at 1 foot being 14 feet 4 inches, and at 5 feet, 10 feet 9 
 inches, with a bole of 26 feet, and an entire height of 96 feet. 
 A peculiar gnarled oak grows by the side of the burn east from 
 the Castle, its peculiar formation giving it a strong resemblance 
 to the Irish yew. The girth at 1 foot is 17 feet 4 inches, at 5 
 feet the girth is 17 feet 7 inches, the length of bole is 9 
 feet, and the entire height of the tree 66 feet. An ash, how- 
 ever, reaches a much greater size than any of the oaks, the girth 
 at 1 foot being no less than 22 feet, and at 5 feet the girth is 
 
 14 feet 8 inches — the length of bole being 24 feet, the entire 
 height 84 feet, and the spread of branches 75 feet. Large as 
 these trees are, the giants of the Park are the beeches. The 
 monarch of all is a monster on the east side of the Broad 
 Avenue to the south of the garden. The girth at 1 foot
 
 DRUMMOND CASTLE. 341 
 
 is 29 feet, and at 5 feet 15 feet 11 inches — the length of bole 
 being 9 feet, the entire height 71 feet, and the spread of branches 
 105 feet. We measured nine other beech trees of large 
 dimensions and beautiful formations. The largest of these 
 girths 23 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 14 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, 
 with a bole of 12 feet and a height of 88 feet; and the smallest 
 girths 1 5 feet at 1 foot, and 1 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 bole of 28 feet 5 inches, and an entire height of 100 feet. 
 Several of those in this lot girth over 20 feet at 1 foot, and 
 approach 15 feet in girth at 5 feet from the ground. One very 
 beautiful beech, with eight large limbs, grows at the extreme 
 east end of the walk east from the castle, and has a girth of 23 
 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 18 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 bole of 8 feet, and an entire height of 91 feet, and a spread of 
 branches of 86 feet. There is a very beautiful purple beech, 
 planted in 1842, when the Queen visited Drummond Castle. 
 It has a girth of 4 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, a height of 56 feet, 
 and a spread of branches of 39 feet. Lime trees are also 
 conspicuous on account of their, size and beauty. The largest of 
 these are to be found on the west side of the garden, where there 
 are three magnificent specimens within a very short distance of 
 each other. The largest of these, a really splendid tree, girths 
 21 feet 7 inches at 1 foot and 14 feet 9 inches at 5 feet — the 
 length of bole being 21 feet, the entire height of the tree 85 
 feet, and the spread of branches 77 feet. The next largest, also 
 a most majestic tree, girths 19 feet at 1 foot and 15 feet 10 
 inches at 5 feet — the length of bole being 18 feet, the height 
 of the tree 84 feet, and the spread of branches 83 feet. The 
 smallest of the three girths 17 feet 10 inches at 1 foot and 13 
 feet at 5 feet — the length of bole being 21 feet 6 inches, 
 and the entire height of the tree 91 feet 6 inches. There is a 
 large collection of sycamores, and a good many of them reach 
 respectable dimensions. The largest specimen grows by the 
 walk along the west side of the garden, near to the lime trees 
 already mentioned. The girth at 1 foot is 16 feet, and at 5 feet 
 the girth is 11 feet 6 inches — the length of bole being 21 feet, 
 and the height of the tree 90 feet. The second largest girths 
 15 feet at 1 foot and 12 feet at 5 feet — the length of bole being
 
 342 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 30 feet 4 inches, and the height 86 feet. We measured several 
 
 others ranging from a girth of 12 feet 8 inches to 14 feet 9 
 
 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet to 13 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, with 
 
 an average height of about 80 feet. The park is also adorned 
 
 with several fine elm trees. The largest specimen girths 16 
 
 feet 2 inches at 1 foot, and 13 feet at 5 feet — the length of bole 
 
 being 17 feet 6 inches, the height of the tree 71 feet- 6 inches, 
 
 and the spread of the branches 69 feet. The second largest 
 
 girths 14 feet 2 inches at 1 foot, and 13 feet at 5 feet, with a 
 
 bole of 7 feet 6 inches, a height of 50 feet, and a spread of 85 
 
 feet. There are a few Spanish chestnuts of fair proportions. 
 
 The largest of these, situated a little to the west of the castle, 
 
 has a girth of 20 feet 2 inches at 1 foot, and 15 feet 9 inches at 
 
 5 feet, with a bole of 27 feet 6 inches, a height of 68 feet, and 
 
 a spread of 75 feet. The next largest, in the same locality, girths 
 
 20 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 14 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 
 
 18 feet 4 inches, and a height of 64 feet. A horse chestnut on 
 
 the north side of the alley girths 1 9 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 
 
 12 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 10 feet, a height 
 
 of 65 feet, and a spread of branches of 80 feet. Several 
 
 remarkable specimens of firs, and the less common varieties 
 
 of park trees, are also to be met with in different parts 
 
 of the grounds. Amongst the most prominent of these are silver 
 
 firs, of which there are several very large specimens. Three 
 
 enormous trees of this variety grow near each other along the 
 
 side of the walk from the gardens. The largest of these girths 
 
 23 feet 9 inches at 1 foot and 17 feet 9 inches at 5 feet — the 
 
 length of bole being 28 feet 6 inches, the height of the tree 101 
 
 feet 6 inches, and the spread of branches 80 feet. Three very 
 
 large limbs spring from this tree like elbows. The first of these 
 
 branches starts from the trunk about 6 feet from the ground, 
 
 and takes a horizontal direction for about 5 feet, and then takes 
 
 a sharp upright turn, growing straight almost to the top of the 
 
 tree. The girth at the bend of this limb is exactly 10 feet 9 
 
 inches. The second largest silver fir girths 22 feet at 1 foot, 
 
 and 16 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 32 feet, a height 
 
 of 105 feet, and a spread of 80 feet. The other girths 18 feet 
 
 7 inches at 1 foot, and 15 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. The latter, a
 
 DKUMMOND CASTLE. 343 
 
 remarkably fine timber tree, is about 25 feet up to tbe fork, and 
 has an entire height of about 100 feet. A beautiful araucaria 
 grows beside these silver firs, the girth at 1 foot being 3 feet 10 
 inches, and the height 34 feet. A Douglasii girths 7 feet 7 
 inches at 1 foot, has a height of 56 feet, and a spread of branches 
 of 43 feet. There are many specimens of Wellingtonia gigantea 
 deserving of notice. The girth of the largest at the ground 
 is 12 feet, and at 1 foot 9 feet 10 inches — the height being 36 
 feet, and the spread 18 feet; a second girths 9 feet at 1 foot, 
 reaches a height of 38 feet, and has a spread of 17 feet 6 inches; 
 and a third has a girth, at 1 foot, of 7 feet, a height of 39 feet, 
 and a spread of 14 feet. A Norway maple on the south side of 
 the alley has a girth of 11 feet 2 inches at 1 foot and 10 feet 1 
 inch at 5 feet, with a bole of 11 feet, a height of 61 feet, and a 
 spread of 75 feet. The only other tree in Drumniond Park to 
 which we shall allude is a very fine weeping birch near the 
 roadside, but hid by a cluster of trees, and which has a girth at 
 1 foot of 5 feet 3 inches, and at 5 feet of 4 feet 5 inches — the 
 height being 53 feet, and the spread of branches 31 feet. There 
 are several very good yew trees a little to the west of the Castle, 
 one of these girthing 8 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 7 feet 6 
 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 15 feet. 
 
 The remarkable trees upon the property are not confined to 
 Drumniond Park. Some very fine specimens are to be found 
 in other portions of the estate. At Pitkellony Park there are 
 several large trees of different varieties. The largest is a Spanish 
 chestnut, having a girth at 1 foot of 19 feet, and at 5 feet, 15 
 feet 9 inches, — the length of bole being 13 feet, the height of 
 tree 67 feet, and the spread of branches 46 feet. An elm, a 
 larger tree than any of the same variety at Drummond Park, 
 girths 18 feet 5 inches at 1 foot and 13 feet 8 inches at 5 feet, 
 — the length of bole being 19 feet, the height 62 feet, and the 
 spread of branches 90 feet 6 inches. There is also another elm 
 larger than any at Drummond Park, the girth at 1 foot being 17 
 feet 3 inches, and at 5 feet, 10 feet 4 inches — the bole being 
 15 feet, the height 71 feet, and the spread of branches 63 feet. 
 A sycamore girths 13 feet at 1 foot and 12 feet 7 inches at 5 
 feet, with a bole of 15 feet, a height of 71 feet, and a spread of
 
 344 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 G4 feet. An oak girths 16 feet 2 inches at 1 foot, 9 feet 7 inches 
 at 5 feet, with a bole of 1 3 feet, a height of 64 feet, and a spread 
 of 77 feet. There is a very fine black Italian poplar, girthing 
 10 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, and having a height of 82 feet. There 
 is also a clump of box tree in front of Pitkellony House, sup- 
 posed to be the largest in Scotland, some of the trees being 30 
 feet higb, with a girth of 16 inches. At Balloch, on the edge 
 of the Balloch Eoad leading to Crieff, there is a grand natural 
 weeping ash. having a girth of 1 1 feet at 1 foot, and 9 feet 7 
 inches at 5 feet, — the length of bole being 12 feet, the height 
 67 feet, and the spread of branches 68 feet. At Ballocharge 
 Farm, on the same road, there are two fine ash trees of consider- 
 able size. The larger girths 17 feet at 1 foot, and 12 feet 5 
 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 18 feet, and a height of 91 feet; 
 and the other girths 16 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 13 feet 2 
 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 14 feet, a height of 77 feet, and 
 a spread of 94 feet. At Dargill Farm, on the north side of the 
 alley at the East Lodge, there is a very good Scots fir, the girth 
 at 1 foot being 10 feet 7 inches, and 9 feet 5 inches at 5 feet — 
 the length of bole being 24 feet, and the height of the tree 66 
 feet. At Mu thill there is a Spanish chestnut girthing 16 feet 
 10 inches at 1 foot, and 13 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole 
 of 16 feet, and a height of 59 feet. In the garden at Balwharrie, 
 near Muthill, a very curious phenomenon is to be observed, con- 
 sisting of an oak tree growing out of the stem of a birch, and 
 winding round it in the same way as ivy clings to its support. 
 Both trees are healthy. At their junction, which is just above 
 the ground, the birch is 6 feet 2 inches in girth, and the oak 
 16 inches. 
 
 The plantations at Drummond Castle are almost as full of 
 interest as the policies, the area being extensive and the number 
 of individual trees worthy of notice very large. The total 
 number of acres under wood on this part of Lady Willoughby's 
 property is 3965, including the 511 acres at the park. Temple- 
 mill Wood is noted for its splendid Scots fir. One of these 
 girths 10 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 8 feet 7 inches at 5 feet, 
 with a bole of 28 feet, and a height of 90 feet. We took the 
 measurements of other six trees with an average girth at 1 foot
 
 o 
 
 DRUMMOND CASTLE. 345 
 
 of 9 feet, and over 7 feet at 5 feet from the ground. In Drum- 
 uiond Wood, on the north side of the Castle, there are several 
 very heavy trees of different kinds. A splendid silver fir grows 
 on the edge of the walk leading from the Castle to the pond, the 
 girth at 1 foot being 23 feet 8 inches, and at 5 feet, 14 feet 3 
 inches — the length of bole being 56 feet, the height of tree 98 
 feet 6 inches, and the spread of branches 60 feet 6 inches. A 
 horse chestnut beside it girths 13 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 9 
 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 1 1 feet, a height of 7 1 feet, and a 
 spread of 74 feet. A Scots fir reaches close upon the size of the 
 one at Templemill Wood. The largest of the larches girths 13 
 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 8 feet 4 inches at 5 feet, with a bole 
 of 73 feet, and a height of 97 feet. Many large Scots fir and 
 larch trees are also to be found at White Drums, although none 
 of these reach the proportions of those already described. A 
 great deal has been done in the planting of Glenartney Forest in 
 recent years, there being no natural wood there. The principal 
 varieties are spruce and silver fir, with a few Scots firs. The 
 silver firs appear to be thriving best. The most interesting of 
 all the plantations on Drummond estate is the splendid Hill of 
 Turlum, rising to a height of 1260 feet above the level of the 
 sea, and believed to be the finest wooded hill in Scotland. 
 The extent of this plantation is 715 acres, and the wood has 
 everywhere a most luxuriant appearance, and remarkably com- 
 pact to the summit. The lower part of Turlum consists of dark 
 Scots fir, now rather thin ; then spruce • and afterwards larch, 
 growing right up to the top. In some parts of the hill the 
 wood is very dense, and numerous deer of great size find shelter 
 in the thickets. The golden eagle, too, banished from almost 
 every spot, here finds a congenial home. Recently one of 
 the gamekeepers caught a splendid eagle in a trap, and 
 by gentle treatment, and careful attention to its wounded 
 leg, the enormous bird became almost as tame as a parrot, 
 eating from the keeper's hand, and not attempting to 
 molest him in the slightest. The bird measured 7 feet 10 
 inches from tip to tip of wing, and was in every respect a noble 
 specimen. Many splendid capercailzie also inhabit the wood. 
 A line road leads from the Castle to the top of the hill,
 
 346 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 and here one may fully realise the delightful scene of which 
 Nicoll sung — 
 
 " Where forest paths and glades, and thickets green, 
 Make up of flowers and leaves, a world serene." 
 
 To follow our Perthshire poet still further, the rambler may rest 
 
 upon almost any spot 
 
 " Upon the forest's velvet grass, 
 And watch the fearfid deer in distance pass." 
 
 The view from the top, we need hardly say, is most extensive, 
 commanding the whole of the surrounding country, as we 
 described it from the tower of Drummond Castle. The heaviest 
 timber upon the hill consists of larch, the largest of this variety 
 which we measured girthing 13 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 9 
 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 73 feet, and a total height 
 of 98 feet. Many of them reach a girth of from 9 feet to 12 
 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and from 7 feet to 9 feet at 
 5 feet from the ground, and some reach a height of 100 feet. 
 We noticed two very fine black Italian poplars. One girths 8 
 feet 2 inches at 1 foot and 6 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole 
 of 57 feet, and a total height of 97 feet; the other girths 7 feet 
 5 inches at 1 foot and 6 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, with a bole 
 of 50 feet, and a total height of 87 feet. A weeping birch 
 girths 4 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, and rises to a height of 69 feet. 
 The far-famed Trossachs also form part of the Drummond Castle 
 property, and we do not require to point out how much of their 
 beauty is due to sylvan adornment. In the general view, the 
 Trossachs may be described as a contracted vale, whose sides 
 are soaring eminences, wildly and irregularly feathered all over 
 with hazels, oaks, birches, hawthorns, and mountain ashes, 
 making up what Scott has described as the " scenery of a fairy 
 dream." 
 
 The greater part of the planting, and the improving of the 
 estate generally, has been done in comparatively recent years. 
 A start appears to have been first made immediately after the 
 Eestoration of Charles II., between the time of the 3rd and 4th 
 Earls of Perth. A good deal of planting was also done between 
 1785 and 1800, the Lord Perth of that period planting Turlum 
 Hill, making the artificial pond, &c. A vast amount of planting
 
 DRUMMOND CASTLE. 347 
 
 has also been done by the present proprietrix. Lady TVilloughby 
 has not only sought to improve her wide possessions by judiciously 
 conserving the woods, and planting where that was expedient, 
 but she has done a great deal of work that is not so apparent to 
 the casual observer. Before one can rightly comprehend the 
 amount of work that has recently been accomplished, he must 
 endeavour to realise the extent of the property which requires 
 to be administered. The Drummond Castle estate, which is 
 the principal Scotch estate belonging to her Ladyship, extends 
 westwards, as the crow flies, from above 4 miles east of Muthill 
 to Callander, a distance of 20 miles ; from Callander it 
 extends north-east to St Fillans, a distance of 15 miles; from 
 St Fillans, it goes west to Ardveich, about 5 miles, running 
 along the north shore of Loch Earn ; from Ardveich, it goes 
 north for 6 miles, and marches with the property of the Earl 
 of Breadalbane ; and from a point a little to the w r est of the 
 Brig o' Turk the estate runs westwards along the north shores 
 of Lochs Achray and Katrine, a distance of upwards of 10 
 miles. Within these boundaries are included a large portion of 
 the town of Crieff, and the whole of the villages of Muthill, 
 Callander, and St Fillans. This splendid estate consists of 
 upwards of 10,000 acres of arable land, and 62,000 acres of hill 
 land and plantation. It includes nearly the whole of the parish 
 of Muthill, a large portion of the parishes of Comrie and 
 Callander, and portions of the parishes of Crieff and Monzie- 
 vaird. Indeed, the Drummond property, including that of 
 Stobhall, — of which we have something to say afterwards,' — 
 extends over a large area of the fairest portions of the county of 
 Perth, and includes some of the most magnificent scenery in hill 
 and dale, in loch and river, that Scotland can boast of. Lady 
 "VYilloughby, under the guidance of her factor, Mr Henry Curr, 
 has within the past few years effected immense improvements 
 of all kinds upon every part of the property. Ko less than 
 £ 15,000 has recently been spent upon the erection of new farm 
 buildings, or additions and alterations. Upwards of one hun- 
 dred and sixty miles of fencing have recently been erected on 
 the Drummond Castle estate, at a cost of over £16,000; and 
 upwards of £8000 has been spent on drainage, while Lord
 
 348 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Aveland, her Ladyship's son, and tenant of the deer forest of 
 Glenartney, recently erected about 16 miles of deer-fencing, 
 involving an outlay of several thousand pounds. All over the 
 property improvements have been recently carried out, and are 
 still in progress, upon a magnificent scale, testifying to a most 
 enlightened and judicious policy on tbe part of the noble pro- 
 prietrix.
 
 XXVIIL— STOBHALL. 
 
 Antiquity of the Drummonds of Stobhall — Castle of Stobhall — Extent of 
 the Property— Great Height of Trees in Stobhall Wood— Strelitz 
 Wood — Peculiar Origin of the Name — Ancient Religious Houses — 
 The Monks as Foresters — Linn of Campsie — Sir Walter Scott's Allu- 
 sions to the District — Antiquities. 
 
 As was indicated in our account of Drummond Castle, Stobhall 
 is a very ancient seat of the Drummonds. Sir John Drummond, 
 the eleventh chief of the House, first made Stobhall his residence 
 in 1360, and even at that period it is described as "a part of 
 the old inheritance of the family in Perthshire." It is believed, 
 indeed, that Stobhall formed part of the lands granted to 
 Maurice the Hungarian, and first of the Drummonds, by King 
 .Malcolm Canmore, as a reward for his distinguished services. 
 Sir John considerably added to his property in this part of the 
 country by his marriage with Mary Montifex, the eldest daughter 
 and co-heiress of Sir William de Montifex, Justiciar of Scotland, 
 and chief of a great and most ancient family, the portion given 
 to Sir John with his wife consisting of " the baronies of 
 Auchterarder, Cargill, and Kincardine." Stobhall continued to 
 be the residence of the family until 1491, when the first Lord 
 Drummond built " the strong castle of Drummond," to which 
 he removed. The Castle of Stobhall is still standing, and, 
 although it has not the same claim to be called a fortified 
 residence as the one in whose favour it was deserted, it must, 
 both on account of its situation and its massive walls, have 
 been, in its day, a place of considerable importance from a 
 military standpoint. It is impossible to tell when Stobhall 
 Castle was originally built. The present building bears the 
 date of 1578, but this is merely the year when the venerable 
 pile underwent some important transformation, as the building 
 is believed to have been erected fully 400 years previous to that
 
 350 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 date. The Castle occupies a most romantic situation on an 
 elevated tongue of land on the north-east hank of the Taj, and 
 commands a splendid view of the Stormont. The hank of the 
 river is here lined with larch, sycamore, ash, poplar, gean, and 
 walnut trees ; and just heneath the ancient pile the trees are a 
 little low, opening up a fine glimpse of the "broad and gently- 
 hroken surface of the stream, which washes the edge of the 
 property for five miles, the whole of this stretch of water afford- 
 ing the finest sport with the salmon to he had on the Tay. On 
 the opposite bank we look down upon the beautiful and richly- 
 wooded estate of Taymount, and away in the distance the view 
 is only ohstructed by the mountain harriers of the north. The 
 Castle itself stands 
 
 "Bosom'd high 
 In Nature's sylvan majesty." 
 
 All around it there is a wealth of timher, both old and young, 
 which adds immensely to its romantic heauty. Directly beneath 
 its hoary walls there is a magnificent walnut tree of lordly pro- 
 portions. At 1 foot from the ground the girth is 26 feet, and 
 at 5 feet the girth is 21 feet. The length of the bole is 12 feet, 
 the entire height of the tree 70 feet, and the spread of branches 
 99 feet. Another very fine walnut close beside it has a girth 
 of 10 feet 8 inches at 1 foot and 9 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 
 13 feet, a height of 70 feet, and a spread of hranches of 66 feet. 
 The Castle has a background to the south that is more than usually 
 pretty. From a deep dell, with a tiny rivulet running through 
 it, there springs some of the grandest timber in Stobhall "Wood ; 
 and the walks are so ingeniously laid out that the pedestrian 
 fancies he has walked far from the Castle, while he is never 
 more than 100 yards from it. The walks here are the most 
 beautiful in the country. The Den is well sheltered on all 
 sides ; and some of the trees thus protected, and with the water 
 playing freely about the roots, are drawn up to a great height. 
 There are spruce and silver fir trees, which the most careful 
 measurement proved to be 120 feet in height, and one of the 
 larches has a height of 110 feet. Before entering the massive 
 portals.of the Castle, we pass, first of all, a beautifully-variegated 
 sycamore, and a nice purple beech ; and then a beautiful repro-
 
 STOBHALL. 351 
 
 duction of Druniniond Gardens, in miniature. Passing through 
 the main entrance, we reach a commodious court, in which are 
 several buildings of more modern construction. The original 
 Castle is still much in the position in which it was left. Within 
 the inner entrance there can still be seen the ponderous bar of 
 the old door, a block of heavy oak 5 inches square, so fitted that 
 it can be rapidly inserted into a socket in the wall. The chapel 
 has a very peculiarly-painted roof, representing the kings of the 
 principal countries in the world. All the monarchs wear their 
 crowns, and are mounted, one dusky potentate being seated on 
 the back of an elephant, with two attendants on foot. The 
 chapel has probably been an old dining-hall, which will account 
 for the elaborate paintings representative of the mundane rulers. 
 The paintings were only discovered about twenty-five years ago. 
 The ceiling was at that time undergoing extensive repairs, and 
 in the process of taking down the plaster it was found that there 
 was another ceiling underneath ; and on traces of painting being 
 found, it was cleaned, retouched, and allowed to remain, as a 
 specimen of early Scottish art. The windows are now filled in 
 with stained glass, bearing the arms of the Drummonds. The 
 apartments in the Castle are generally small, and there are 
 numerous recesses and queer corners which might serve for 
 hiding-places. A press, with an opening leading into the rafters, 
 is pointed out as the spot where one of the family remained in 
 hiding during the troublous times of the Stuarts. There are 
 also two very dismal-looking dungeons still intact — the one 
 being 12 feet by 14 feet, and the other about 8 feet square, the 
 height of the roof in both cases being about 6 feet. 
 
 In shape the estate of Stobhall bears a close resemblance to 
 an egg, the Tay forming the north-west boundary, and the road 
 from Perth to Coupar- Angus and the New Mill Burn the south- 
 east boundary. It consists of 6791 acres of arable land, with 
 about 900 acres under wood, and includes within its bounds the 
 villages of Purrelton and Wolfhill. There are no policies, 
 properly so-called, attached to the Castle, and almost all the 
 timber worthy of notice is to be found in the woods. The 
 most important of these is Stobhall Wood, to which we have 
 already alluded. It is of considerable extent, and runs along
 
 352 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the side of the Tay, giving to the river a heautiful sylvan aspect. 
 Owing to the favourable situation, all the soft timber trees 
 planted reach an unusual altitude, and are well developed, 
 clean-grown trees. The spruce to which we referred as reaching 
 a height of 120 feet, has a girth of 8 feet 1 inch at 1 foot from 
 the ground and 7 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 80 feet, 
 and a spread of branches of 36 feet. Another spruce has a 
 height of 110 feet, with a girth of 10 feet 5 inches at 1 foot. 
 At 5 feet there is a girth of 8 feet 7 inches — the bole being 80 
 feet, and the spread of branches 33 feet. One with a height of 
 105 feet has a larger girth, the circumference at 1 foot being 10 
 feet 9 inches, and at 5 feet 8 feet 9 inches — the bole being 75 
 feet, and the spread of branches 35 feet. "We saw three 
 splendid trees of the same variety which measured 100 feet in 
 height. The first of these girthed 10 feet 3 inches at 1 foot 
 and 8 feet 4 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 70 feet, and a 
 spread of branches of 36 feet ; the second girthed 10 feet at 1 
 foot and 8 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 85 feet, and a 
 spread of branches of 24 feet ; and the third girthed 9 feet at 1 
 foot and 7 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 75 feet, and a 
 spread of branches of 48 feet. There are a large number of 
 spruce trees in this wood rising to a height of 90 feet, and much 
 greater in girth than any of the higher ones. The girth of one 
 of these at 1 foot is 11 feet 4 inches, and at 5 feet, 9 feet, with 
 a bole of 70 feet, and a spread of branches of 42 feet. A large 
 number of silver firs also reach to a great height, ranging even 
 up to 1 20 feet. One which has attained this height has a girth of 
 10 feet 6 inches at 1 foot and 8 feet 7 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 bole of 85 feet, and a spread of branches of 42 feet. Three of 
 those measured have a height of 100 feet, all well-proportioned 
 trees. The first has a girth of 13 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 
 10 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 60 feet, and a spread 
 of branches of 60 feet ; the second girths 12 feet 9 inches at 1 
 foot and 10 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 45 feet, and 
 a spread of 51 feet; and the third has a girth of 11 feet 7 
 inches at 1 foot and 9 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 
 80 feet, and a spread of 42 feet. The larch has also many 
 noble representatives. The tallest of this variety has a
 
 STOBHALL. 35 
 
 Q 
 
 height of 110 feet, with a girth at 1 foot of 10 feet 2 
 inches, and at 5 feet of 7 feet 6 inches — the length of 
 bole being 90 feet, and the spread of branches 30 feet. Another 
 approaches to very nearly the same height, the exact altitude 
 being 105 feet. The girth of this tree is 9 feet 7 inches at 1 
 foot from the ground, and 7 feet 4 inches at 5 feet — the bole 
 being 90 feet, and the spread of branches 27 feet. There are 
 several measuring fully 100 feet in height, and a good many 
 reach to 90 feet. Scots firs are both numerous and of great 
 size. The largest is 55 feet in height, having a girth of 8 feet 
 2 inches at 1 foot and 7 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 
 40 feet, and a spread of 30 feet. There is a larger one, how- 
 ever, in the Pleasance Wood, the height being 60 feet, the girth 
 at 1 foot, 8 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet, 7 feet 9 inches, with a 
 bole of 22 feet, and a spread of 45 feet. In the same wood 
 there is one girthing 10 feet 3 inches at 1 foot and 9 feet at 5 
 feet, with a bole of 12 feet, a height of 40 feet, and a spread of 
 60 feet. Amongst the hardwood trees in Stobhall Wood there 
 are several very good specimens. A lime tree has a height of 
 90 feet, and a spread of branches of 60 feet — the girth at 1 foot 
 being 10 feet 8 inches, and at 5 feet, 9 feet 6 inches, and the 
 length of bole 20 feet. A poplar tree girths 11 feet 4 inches at 
 1 foot and 8 feet 1 1 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 30 feet, a 
 height of 80 feet, and a spread of 75 feet. There are many good 
 beech, oak, and ash trees, but none of them are exceptionally 
 large. 
 
 Although the heaviest timber is to be found in Stobhall 
 Wood, it is not the most extensive of the plantations, the 
 largest being Strelitz Wood, which consists of 274 acres of 
 splendid larch, fir, and spruce, from 80 to 100 years old. The 
 name of this wood has been derived from a singular circum- 
 stance. In 1763 the Commissioners of the Forfeited Estates, 
 of which Stobhall was one, located at this place a colony of 
 pensioners who had served in the German wars. They desig- 
 nated the township by the name of Strelitz, in honour of the 
 Princess Charlotte, Queen of George III., avIio came from that 
 place. There were altogether eighty of these old warriors pro- 
 vided for here, each having a neat dwelling-hous \ garden, and 
 
 Z
 
 354 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 three acres of ground, fenced in with hedge and ditcb, and 
 sheltered by strips of trees. The holdings were erected in two 
 rows, with a street or open space of 90 feet between them, and 
 a life lease of the holdings was granted to the men at a nominal 
 rent, as a reward for their martial services. Tbey were notorious 
 smugglers, and their carousals were frequently deep and pro- 
 tracted. To keep green the memory of their old campaigning 
 days, they instituted an annual march through the parish to tbe 
 strains of martial music, the demonstration generally ending in 
 not a few bloody Fontenoys on a small scale. As the veterans 
 bade farewell to all scenes of earthly strife, their possessions fell 
 into ruins — no other cottars caring to live amongst them — 
 and they gradually became extinct, leaving few traces behind 
 them. The annual promenade was maintained for some years 
 as a ploughman's festival, which ultimately merged into the Bur- 
 relton Market, which is also now almost extinct, being swallowed 
 up by the Burrelton Games. The site of the old village of 
 Strelitz is now wholly covered by the plantation of which we 
 have been speaking, and the roe-deer, and other wild inhabitants- 
 of the woods, now take up their abode where formerly lived the 
 heroes of a hundred fights. 
 
 Stobhall and district appears to have been well wooded from 
 a very early period, as mention is more than once made of its 
 woods in history. To the north of Stobhall, along the river 
 side, is the historical Shortwood Shaw, where "Wallace hid his 
 booty after the successful raid upon Kinclaven Castle. In tbe 
 middle of the 1 4th century the monks of Coupar-Angus had a 
 religious house and chapel at the Linn of Camp.sie, near Stobhall 
 Castle, dedicated to St Hannand. The monks belonging to the 
 establishment acted as foresters to the abbey at Coupar-Angus, 
 looked after the woods at Campsie, and sent supplies of timber 
 for fuel and other purposes to Coupar. The road communicating 
 between the two places is still called the Abbey Boad. The 
 monks were also proprietors of the fishings at the Linn. In 
 those days the Linn deserved the name of a waterfall, as the 
 rock extended across the whole breadth of the river, with a 
 height of from 20 to 30 feet. The rock, on the Stobhall side, 
 however, has since been blown with gunpowder to permit the-
 
 STOBHALL. 355 
 
 fish the better to ascend to the higher reaches of the river, and 
 also to allow of the floating down of the wood from the Highland 
 forests. According to Sir Walter Scot, the " Fair Maid of 
 Pertli " and the Duchess of Eothesay made this religious house 
 their retreat after the death of the Duke of Eothesay at Falkland 
 Palace. The " Wizard of the North " still furthers throws a 
 halo round those ancient ruins by making them the death-scene 
 of Conacher or Eachin Maclan, the chief of the Clan Kay, after 
 the sanguinary combat on the North Inch, of which he was the 
 sole survivor. The chief of the Kays is described as having fled 
 hither after the fight, and had a conference with Catherine 
 Glover in the garden of the monastery immediately above the 
 falls. Fearing capture by [his enemies, he threw himself, in a 
 fit of frenzy, headlong over the rock into the roaring waters, and 
 was seen to rise no more. 
 
 There are many other matters of interest that might be 
 mentioned in connection with Stobhall which are not properly 
 within the scope of our work. Its relics of antiquity arc 
 specially valuable. Indications have been found of a religion 
 reckoned to be older than the Druid era, and some very 
 important discoveries of sculptured stones have been made by 
 the present schoolmaster of Cargill, Mr Ferguson. Several traces 
 of the Eoman occupation can be pointed to, while its traditionary 
 history is rich in stories of witchcraft. 
 
 A considerable number of new farm-houses and new steadings 
 have been erected by the present proprietrix, the Baroness 
 Willoughby de Eresby, at a cost of over £14,000, and upwards 
 of £9000 have, we understand, been soent by the Baroness in 
 draining the land.
 
 XXIX.— THE CAIRNIES AND GLENALMOND. 
 
 Early Home of the Newer Coniferous Tre s — The History of the Proper- 
 ties — Lord Provost Hay Marshall — The Policies at the Cairnies — The 
 Finest Specimens of Abies Albertiana in the Country — How the 
 Albcrtiana got its Name — Curious Place for a Tree — Progress of the 
 Different Varieties of the Newer Conifers — " The Kirk of the Wood " 
 An Interesting Old Scots Fir — The Plantations. 
 
 The properties of The Cairnies and Glenalmond have long been 
 familiar to arborists as the early home of many of the rarest and 
 most promising varieties of the newer conifers. Originally this 
 part of the country was almost entirely destitute of timber, and 
 it has only been within comparatively recent years that it has 
 assumed that sylvan aspect which excites the admiration of all 
 who pass through the district. Although larch and Scots fir 
 existed to a certain extent previous to the time of the late Lord 
 Justice-Clerk Patton, it is to him that we are entirely indebted 
 for the magnificent collections of the newer conifers scattered 
 over both properties for experimental purposes, and planted out 
 in the Avoods as timber trees. It is impossible to estimate the 
 value of the work which has thus been accomplished by the late 
 laird, as his experiments being upon a most extensive scale, the 
 country has the very best opportunity of judging of the value of 
 the different varieties which have been introduced within the 
 lifetime of many still living. 
 
 Looking, first of all, at the property of Glenalmond, we find 
 that previous to the year 1805, it was in the possession of the 
 Dukes of Athole. One of their titles is derived from this pro- 
 perty, the third Earl of Athole having been created Viscount of 
 Glenalmond in June 1703. In November 1805, however, 
 John, the fourth Duke of Athole, sold a portion of Glenalmond 
 to Thomas Hay Marshall, then Lord Provost of Perth, for the 
 sum of £10,000 sterling. Lord Provost Hay Marshall is noted
 
 THE CAIRNIES AND GLENALMOND. 357 
 
 as the most enterprising citizen of Perth in his day, and as one 
 of the most far-seeing and enlightened men who ever occupied 
 the chief civic chair of the " Fair City." It was under his 
 guidance that the excambion with the Earl of Kinnoull was 
 carried out, by which the size of the North Inch was nearly 
 doubled. By another excambion he was enabled to carry out 
 the feuing of that fine street on the north side of the South 
 Inch which worthily bears his name. He was the proprietor of 
 the lands of Blackfriars, and he it was who laid out these 
 grounds in their present form, the site for the Academy at 
 Pose Terrace being the gift of the Provost. His memory 
 has been honoured by the citizens by the erection of the hand- 
 some monument in George Street, in which are the Perth Li- 
 brary, and the Museum of the Literary and Antiquarian Society, 
 and which bears this brief but expressive inscription : — " T. 
 Hay Marshall, Cives Grati." In June 1808, Provost Marshall 
 purchased a second portion of the Glenalmond estate from 
 the Duke of Athole, at the price of £12,000. He was not 
 destined to enjoy his acquisition for any length of time, as he 
 died in the course of the same year in which he made the latter 
 purchase. He left a deed of settlement in favour of Mr James 
 Patton of The Cairnies, and Sheriff-Clerk of Perthshire, by 
 which he became proprietor of the portion first purchased — 
 Mr Patton also succeeding to the second portion as Provost 
 Marshall's heir-at-law, the deed of settlement having been 
 executed previous to the purchase of the second portion. In 
 December 1808, Mr James Patton, the new laird, purchased 
 the third and only remaining portion of Glenalmond from 
 the Duke of Athole for the sum of £10,750. Mr Patton died 
 in 1831, leaving one portion of Glenalmond to his eldest son, 
 James Murray Patton, afterwards Sheriff-Clerk of Perthshire, and 
 the other to his second son, Thomas Patton — his third son, Mi- 
 George Patton, getting The Cairnies. On the death of Mr 
 James Murray Patton, in December 1853, Thomas his imme- 
 diate younger brother, succeeded to the whole of the Glen- 
 almond property. Mr Thomas Patton died in 1869, leaving a 
 deed of settlement conveying the property of Glenalmond to his 
 brother, the Right Hon. George Patton, Lord Justice-Clerk of
 
 358 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Scotland. Coming to The Cairnies, we find that prior to the 
 year 1691 the property belonged to the Arthurstone family, but 
 in that year Mr John Murray of Arthurstone sold it to the 
 Grahams of Balgowan for 9800 merks Scots. The estate was 
 entailed by the Grahams in 1726, and in 1803 Colonel Thomas 
 Graham, afterwards Lord Lynedoch, succeeded as heir-of-entail. 
 In 1805 Lord Lynedoch obtained an Act of Parliament dis- 
 entailing The Cairnies, and in the following year he sold the 
 property to Mr James Patton, already referred to in connection 
 with the property of Glenalmond. On his death in 1831, as 
 already mentioned, he left a deed of settlement conveying The 
 Cairnies to his youngest son, George, afterwards Lord Justice- 
 Clerk. The Lord Justice-Clerk only held the united properties 
 of The Cairnies and Glenalmond for a very few weeks before he 
 met with his melancholy death, when the properties were again 
 destined to be disunited. His widow, Mrs Malcolm Patton 
 succeeded to Glenalmond in liferent, on the lapse of which the 
 fee of the property was appointed to go to his sister, Miss 
 Margaret Ann Patton. His sister also succeeded to the pro- 
 perty of The Cairnies as her brother's heir-at-law, the house and 
 policies being life-rented by Mrs Malcolm Patton, along with 
 the estate of Glenalmond. Upon the death of Miss Patton in 
 1878, she left a deed of settlement conveying the fee of the 
 property of Glenalmond to her nephew, Colonel Thomas 
 Marshall Harris, until lately commander of the Eoyal Artillery 
 at Gibraltar, the fee of The Cairnies being bequeathed to 
 Colonel Harris' cousin, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry William 
 Harris, formerly of the Bombay Staff Corps, but now, like his 
 cousin, on the retired list. 
 
 While, for our present purpose, the two properties are 
 practically treated as one, and spoken of almost indiscriminately, 
 it will be understood that it is at The Cairnies where the 
 grandest of those newer coniferous trees to which we alluded at 
 the outset are situated. It was only for a very short time that 
 the late Lord Justice-Clerk had an active interest in the Glen- 
 almond property, although his influence was undoubtedly 
 exercised for many years ; but from the time he succeeded to 
 The Cairnies, in 1831, he displayed the spirit of an enthusiastic
 
 THE CAIKNIES AND GLENALMOND. 359 
 
 arborist, and spared neither trouble nor expense in securing 
 specimens of the rarer varieties with the view of testing their 
 adaptability to the climate of this country, either as ornamental 
 <or forest trees. Some of the finest of the trees we have to de- 
 scribe are, consequently, situated in the policy grounds surround- 
 ing the mansion-house at The Cairnies. Conspicuous amongst 
 them all are the two magnificent specimens of the tree which 
 bears the name of the late Prince Consort — Abies Albertiana. 
 The seeds of this tree were first sent home to this country by 
 Jeffrey in his first Oregon expedition of 1850, and some of the 
 earliest cones were sown by Mr Patton in the following year. 
 The tree was at first known under a variety of names, but on a 
 photograph of the two best ones at The Cairnies being shown to 
 Her Majesty, after they were a few years old, she expressed a 
 desire that the tree might be called the Abies Albertiana, in 
 memory of the late Prince Albert — a name by which the tree 
 is now universally known. The two at The Cairnies are not 
 only magnificent specimens, but they are acknowledged to be 
 the grandest trees of the kind in the country. Growing at an 
 altitude of 660 feet, on a poor thin moorish soil, with a subsoil 
 of hard retentive clay, and with a southern exposure, they have 
 thriven amazingly, withstanding all the ravages of the late very 
 severe winters. The tallest one has reached a height of 54 feet, 
 with a girth of 5 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 5 feet at 5 feet 
 from the ground. The other has a height of 50 feet 6 inches, 
 with a girth at 1 foot of 6 feet, and of 5 feet at 5 feet from the 
 ground, one of the trees having a spread of branches measuring 
 42 feet in diameter. Amongst the other noteworthy trees in 
 the policies at The Cairnies are the following : — Picea Lowii, 37 
 feet 6 inches high, with a girth of 5 feet 1 inch at 1 foot and 4 
 feet 1 inch at 5 feet ; Picea grandis, 43 feet 6 inches high, 
 with a girth of 4 feet 7 inches at 1 foot and 3 feet 6 inches at 
 5 feet j Wellingtonia gigantea, 38 feet high, with a girth of 8 
 feet 1 inch at 1 foot and 5 feet 3 inches at 5 feet ; Picea 
 nobilis, on the lawn in front of the mansion, 45 feet high, with 
 a girth of 5 feet 10 inches at 1 foot and 4 feet 7 inches at 5 
 feet. 
 
 Entering Glenalmond on the east side of Buchanty
 
 360 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Bridge, a very few yards takes us into the midst of the 
 woods. The first object to attract attention is an interest- 
 ing larch growing on a rock projecting into the river, and 
 from which the best view of the Buchanty Spout, a very 
 picturesque waterfall, is obtained. It is somewhat surprising 
 to find a large tree of any kind growing upon such a spot, as 
 there are only a few inches of soil, but the story connected with 
 the planting of the tree fully accounts for its presence upon 
 such a peculiar site. The workmen engaged in planting this 
 spot were one day enjoying a smoke after dinner, when one of 
 them, who did not indulge in the weed, was seeking for recrea- 
 tion in some other form. Taking a spade in his hand, he cut 
 out a piece of turf, and, laying it upon the rock, it occurred to 
 him that he might stick in a plant, just for the fun of the 
 thing, and it has been allowed to remain until it has become a 
 tree containing about 70 or 80 cubic feet of timber, girthing 9 
 feet 2 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 7 feet at 5 feet up. 
 It is marvellous to see the exertions the tree has put forth to 
 draw sustenance for itself, the roots stretching over the rock in 
 a most wonderful manner in order to fasten its radicles in the 
 rich soil on the bank of the Almond. Near this place, a fine 
 variegated spruce, a rare tree, was blown down by the Tay 
 Bridge gale, very much to the regret of all who had seen it, the 
 tree being well known throughout the country. It had attained 
 a height of about 50 or 60 feet, and was a great ornament, 
 especially at the fall of the year, when its magnificent foliage 
 was seen to the best advantage. Mr M'Lagan, the forester, 
 planted some seeds taken from cones grown on this tree, but as 
 yet the young plants show no indications of that bright variega- 
 tion of green and yellow which made the parent tree so beautiful. 
 The tree was discovered about 1860, and the forester at that 
 time, Mr A. Robson, grafted a few plants from it, but none of 
 them retained the golden colour of the parent. As we proceed 
 along the haugh below Buchanty, we begin to realise the great 
 attraction which the newer coniferous trees must have had for 
 the late Lord Justice-Clerk. Almost every tree belongs to one 
 or other of the finer varieties of the fir tribe, and many of them 
 being planted in the woods shortly after their introduction into
 
 THE CAIRNIES AND GLENALMOND. 361 
 
 this country, their value as timber trees is well illustrated. 
 Amongst the best of these in the haugh is a magnificent Pinus 
 monticola, which rises to a height of 69 feet, and has a girth of 
 4 feet 10 inches at 1 foot and 4 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. Sur- 
 rounding this tree are some grand specimens of Picea grandis, 
 Abies Menziesii, Abies Douglasii, Picea Fraserii, Abies Alber- 
 tiana, Pinus Cembra, Picea Cephalonica, Cedras Deodara, 
 Taxodiwn sempervirens, Picea Pinsapo, Picea nobilis, &c. 
 There are several specimens of a weeping variety of the silver fir 
 (Pectinata pendida), the branches of which cling close to the 
 stem, and have the pendulous peculiarity very distinct. The 
 largest Abies Douglasii at the haugh girths 6 feet 10 inches at 
 1 foot from the ground and 5 feet 4 inches at 5 feet — the 
 height being exactly the same as the P. monticola, 69 feet. 
 There is a better specimen, one of the original trees, at the 
 eastern entrance to Glenalmond House, the girth being 7 feet 4 
 inches at 1 foot, and 5 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. It is scarcely 
 so tall as the other, the height being 64 feet 6 inches. The 
 neighbourhood of Glenalmond House is enriched by many fine 
 specimens of the more valuable of the newer conifers. The 
 first six pines were planted on the lawn in 1849, the plants 
 being presented to Mr James Patton by the late Mr Turnbull 
 of Bellwood. Directly in front of the house, which is an 
 elegant and substantial mansion, there is a magnificent Welling- 
 tonia gigantea, girthing 9 feet 9 inches at the ground and 5 
 feet 7 inches at 5 feet, with a height of 37 feet 4 inches. 
 Another Wellingtonia has a height of 38 feet 6 inches, but the 
 girth is not so good. A beautiful Cedrns Deodara girths 5 feet 
 1 inch at 1 foot and 4 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. The soil here is 
 rich, inclined to sandy, and seems highly favourable for the 
 finer varieties. A Picea nobilis at the garden has a height of 
 59 feet 6 inches, and girths 6 feet 4 inches at 1 foot and 5 feet 
 at 5 feet from the ground. There are also a number of very 
 fine araucarias. One of the original introductions of Abies 
 Menziesii is growing at the east side of the garden, and is in 
 every respect a grand specimen, although its progress is hampered 
 by being too much confined. The girth at 1 foot from the ground 
 is 1 1 feet 2 inches, and at 5 feet the girth is 9 feet. Its height
 
 362 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 is 56 feet. A beautiful specimen of Picea grandis has a height 
 of 46 feet, and girths 5 feet 7 inches at 1 foot and 5 feet at 5 
 feet from the ground. The largest larch upon the property 
 grows at the edge of the garden, and, along with a few others, 
 is a relic of the original stock, the old stock having been cleared 
 out to make way for oak at a time when oak bark was of con- 
 siderably more value than it is at present. This relic of the 
 Glenalmond larches has a girth of 10 feet at 1 foot from the 
 ground, and 7 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. 
 
 One of the most interesting spots on the property, from an 
 arborist's point of view, is the Pine Haugh at the Tulchan 
 March of The Cairnies, on the south bank of the Almond. 
 Here the late Lord Justice-Clerk laid out between 2 and 3 acres 
 for the purpose of putting the different varieties of the newer 
 conifers to a competitive trial. The pinetum is laid out in 
 groups, thus affording a jjbetter test than single trees, and the 
 present condition of the several varieties is of considerable 
 value, as showing the extent to which they may be expected to 
 become useful timber trees. Abies Menziesii has produced the 
 most timber of all the varieties ; the common spruce is doing 
 very well, but is not equal to the Menziesii as a timber tree ; 
 Picea nobilis is doing very well ; Picea grandis promises to be 
 a grand tree, with magnificent foliage ; Abies Doualasii is doing 
 very well, but the gravelly subsoil is evidently too dry ; the 
 Weymouth pine is not doing very well, being affected by the 
 frost; the same remark applies to Pinus Laricio and Pinus 
 Austriaca, there being a good many deaths every year ; Pinus 
 Cembra is growing well, there being several very fine specimens 
 in the group ; Pinus montana is a first-class crop, but is being 
 cut down to make way for trees that are more valuable for 
 timber; Abies Albertiana grows splendidly, and seems quite at 
 home ; Pinus monticola has done very well up to a certain 
 stage, when it seems to have received a check; Picea Cepha- 
 lonica, Picea Pichta, and the araucarias are too much affected by 
 the early frosts to be favourably reported on. There is also 
 here a very fine Pinus monticola, 57 feet high, with a girth of 5 
 feet at 1 foot and 4 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. The haugh is 
 about 10 feet above the level of the Almond, and is pretty well
 
 THE CAIENIES AND GLENALMOND. 363 
 
 exposed to the north and west. The ground rises abruptly to 
 the south, and, being heavily wooded, the sun is largely 
 excluded, although the pinetum has full advantage of the sun 
 in the afternoon. The soil is sandy, with a gravelly subsoil. 
 Several fine specimens are also to be found at the pinetum at 
 the quarry, including a Picea nobilis, 46 feet 3 inches in height, 
 with a girth of 5 feet 1 inch at 1 foot and 4 feet 4 inches at 5 
 feet ; and a Picea Nordmanniana (a perfect model in size, form, 
 and foliage), 42 feet 3 inches high, with a girth of 4 feet 3 
 inches at 1 foot and 3 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. There is also a 
 very line variegated Abies Douglasii. 
 
 In the Sma' Glen, at Conyachan, three or four miles west 
 from Newton Bridge, there is a solitary old Scots fir with an 
 interesting history, from which it may be inferred that it is the 
 sole survivor of a great wood. It stands near a spot known as 
 " The Kirk of the Wood," or " The Kirk of the Grove," and 
 close to the cave of the notorious Glenalmond robber, Alister 
 Bain, who paid the last penalty of the law at Perth. It is said 
 that at some remote period a rude chapel stood here, the remains 
 of which may still be traced in six huge boulders piled on each 
 other in a singular manner. There is also some evidence of a 
 rough foundation of stones enclosing a small bit of ground 
 immediately in front of the larger stones, but otherwise there is 
 no appearance of a burying-ground, or anything to lead one to 
 suppose that wood had once surrounded the place. It is 
 believed that the last solemnity celebrated in the chapel was the 
 taking of the Communion by a hundred and twenty young men 
 on their way to Culloden to fight for Prince Charlie. The fir 
 stands near the ruins of this old chapel, and in a superstitious 
 age, it was credited with possessing very extraordinary virtues, 
 it being said that if any person cut a branch from this tree he 
 died, while the branch lived. There is no record to show 
 whether it is entitled to this gruesome reputation, but as the 
 tree still stands the curious can test it for themselves. For our 
 own part, we preferred to permit the branches to fulfil their 
 natural functions. The height of the tree is about 50 feet, and 
 the girth is 9 feet 3 inches at 1 foot and 7 feet 2 inches at 5 
 feet. The tree is beginning to get very thin in the foliage, and
 
 364 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 has a blasted appearance, showing unmistakably that age is 
 telling on the solitary sentinel. Although it is not improbable 
 that the tree may be the last of an ancient forest, it may be 
 remarked that the Caledonians are said to have frequently 
 planted a fir tree at the tomb of a warrior, so that the tree may 
 in reality mark the last resting-place of an ancient hero : — " A 
 tree stands alone on the hill, and marks the slumbering Connal." 
 The plantations extend, in all, to about 500 acres at Glen- 
 almond and 300 acres at The Cairnies. The Abies Douglasii is 
 very largely planted, but a good many of them have been blown 
 down or thrown off their feet. They were from 3 to 4 feet 
 high when planted, and the opinion of Mr M'Lagan regard- 
 ing the difficulty of getting the trees to stand upon their own 
 legs, as it were, is that they were too large when planted out. 
 His experience is that small plants root better, and become more- 
 able to withstand the wind. However, large numbers of this 
 variety are in a very healthy state, and growing vigorously, 
 their heights ranging from 10 to 40 feet. The severe winter of 
 1880-81 injured a great many Abies Albertiana, and entirely 
 killed a few. At all events, large numbers were observed in the 
 following summer with their leaders dead, evidently from the 
 effects of the severe frosts, indicating that this beautiful tree is 
 not one of the hardiest additions to our coniferous sylva. 
 Nurseries have been formed both at Glenalmond and at The 
 Cairnies. The latter is the more important, and was formed two 
 years ago by Mr M'Lagan near his own house. It is about one- 
 acre in extent, the exposure is inclined to the north-west, and 
 the soil is loamy clay, with occasional bits of black soil. The 
 nursery at Glenalmond was formed five years previously, and 
 the stock of newer conifers at The Cairnies was transferred 
 from there. While the larger portion of the nursery is occupied 
 by larch, no inconsiderable space is devoted to the less common 
 varieties, almost all of the more promising of the newer coni- 
 ferous plants being largely represented. It may be said, indeed, 
 that there is every prospect of the reputation which this part of 
 the country has secured in the past as the early home of the 
 most recent additions to our forest trees being fully maintained 
 in the future.
 
 XXX.— GORTHY. 
 
 State of the Property Sixty Years Ago — Antiquity of the Family of Mercer 
 — Ancient Connection with Perth — " Merchant Princes "■ — A Famous 
 Provost — Purchase of Gorthy — Remains of the Old Caledonian Forest 
 A Gigantic Sycamore — Other Notable Trees — The Plantations- 
 Struggles with the Beetle. 
 
 There are very few properties in Perthshire which present a 
 better example of what has been done in recent years to give to 
 the land that smiling beauty which has such a charm for lovers 
 of Nature than the estate of Gorthy, the property of Mr Graeme 
 Eeid Mercer. Situated chiefly upon the high lands which over- 
 look the romantic wilds of Glenalmond, the property, until half 
 a century ago, almost entirely consisted of morass and bog, and 
 had everywhere a cold, forbidding aspect — 
 
 " Far as the eye could reach, no tree was seen, 
 Earth, clad in russet, scorned the lively green." 
 
 A plan of the property, dated 1752, shows no wood whatever, 
 with the exception of a few solitary trees on the margin of the 
 Almond, where Tulchan House, the residence of the proprietor, 
 still stands, but only a very few relics of those trees survive the 
 blasts which periodically sweep down the glen with cyclonic 
 force. At this date, almost the entire property was indicated 
 as profitless moorland, although in early times it formed a part 
 of the great Caledonian Forest, gigantic remains of which are 
 frequently met with buried far down in the moss. The barren 
 aspect of the country shown by this plan continued until the 
 family now in possession acquired the property, in the year 1819, 
 after which it underwent a complete transformation, and at 
 present it is literally loaded with timber wherever the land is 
 not sufficiently good for agricultural purposes. 
 
 Although the connection of the Mercers with this property is 
 of very recent date, the family is of great antiquity, and has for
 
 366 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 generations been closely associated with the county and city of 
 Perth. Of the Mercers of Perthshire we possess authentic 
 records from about the year 1300, but the surname was a 
 common one in England from a more remote period, and is 
 associated with several memorable events. The first ascertained 
 ancestor of the family was Aleumus de Mercer of Tillycoutry, — 
 born probably before 1200, — who in 1244 was one of the 
 Scottish magnates who signed the bond by Alexander II. of 
 Scotland to Henry III. of England, by which the Scots bound 
 themselves not to make war on, or annoy the English. His son, 
 Aleumus de Mercer of Tillycoutry, resigned his lands on the 
 19th of June 1261, and embarked in Continental mercantile 
 speculations. He is believed to have been the person whom family 
 tradition asserts to have been Treasurer to the Scottish host 
 which went under the Earls of Carrick and Athole to the Holy 
 Land in 1271. He appears to have had a son Thomas, who by 
 Edward III. is styled "Bonus Homo de Mercer," the "Bonus 
 Homo " being a man who held lands not in capite but of a 
 vassal. He having held lands in Perth under the Abbot of 
 Scone, was territorially designated, " Bonus Homo " (or Good- 
 man). This burgess of the "Pair City" was the common pro- 
 genitor of the family whose branches are represented at the 
 present day by the Marchioness of Lansdowne (in the female 
 line), the Mercers of Huntingtower, and the Mercers of Gorthy. 
 Contemporary with Thomas were Bernard le Mercier, whose 
 name appears among the burgesses of Perth who swore fealty to 
 Edward I. of England at Berwick, on 28th August 1296 ; Austin 
 Mercer, burgess of Eoxburgh, and Walter Mercer, burgess of 
 Montrose, who also swore fealty in 1296 ; Stephen Mercer, 
 burgess of Berwick, who swore fealty in 1291 ; and Duncan 
 Mercer, who founded an altarage in the Church of St Nicholas, 
 Aberdeen, in 1292. It is supposed that ties of relationship 
 existed between all these Mercers. The early Mercers who were 
 burgesses of Perth were extensively engaged in mercantile 
 pursuits ; and as Perth was at that time, being the capital of 
 Scotland, in the enjoyment of a large share of the national trade 
 and commerce, they came to be recognised as " merchant princes." 
 Thomas was succeeded by his son John, who, as a merchant of
 
 GORTHY. 30 7 
 
 Perth, was already on the road to eminence. He married the 
 Lady Ada Murray, daughter of Sir William Murray of Tully- 
 bardine, and granddaughter of Malise, Seneschal of Strathearn. 
 He was repeatedly Provost of Perth. He filled that office in 
 1356, when he was one of the deputies chosen from the four 
 towns of Edinburgh, Perth, Aberdeen, and Dundee, to treat with 
 the English Council at Berwick respecting the liberation, by 
 ransom, of David II. of Scotland, who had been a prisoner-of- 
 war in England since the Battle of Durham on 17th of October 
 1346. He also appears to have been very wealthy, as he ad vanced 
 loans of money for different royal purposes. After the death 
 of his father, he began to acquire various heritable possessions. 
 The lands of Kyncarrouchy passed into his possession by virtue 
 of an indenture with the Abbot of Scone, dated 22nd April 
 1358. In 1362 a charter of confirmation was granted at Perth 
 by Maurice de Drummond to John Mercer, burgess of Perth, of 
 the barony of Meikleour, with its appurtenances, in the Stormont, 
 which belonged to Allan of Kimbucke. In 1374, while John 
 Mercer occupied the position of Provost, his son, Andrew, was 
 First Bailie. Erom the important position which Perth occupied 
 in those days, John Mercer, as Provost, was called upon to 
 discharge manifold public duties. He represented the city as 
 Commissioner in Parliament ; and in 1366-7 was appointed an 
 Ambassador from Scotland to Elanders. At the Court of France 
 he was well known and highly esteemed, and his opinion on 
 commercial and political affairs was greatly valued. In 1376 
 John found occasion to visit Flanders on his own private affairs, 
 remaining in the Low Countries for some time. As the winter 
 drew on. he embarked with his merchandise in a homeward- 
 bound fleet of Sccttish merchantmen. The vessels were wrecked 
 on the Northumbrian coast, and although England and Scotland 
 were at truce, John Mercer was seized as a prisoner, and 
 immured in Scarborough Castle. When this beeame known in 
 Scotland, William, the tenth Earl of Douglas — from whom, as 
 Superior, Provost Mercer held the lands of Pentlands of 
 Strathord — felt himself bound to interfere. His application had 
 the desired effect, although not without reluctance on the part 
 of the English, for we find Walsingham saying he was released
 
 368 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 " to the great loss of the whole realm and people, for had he 
 been held to ransom in the usual manner of prisoners of war, he 
 would have enriched both the King and the kingdom by his 
 vast wealth." No restitution was made of the goods plundered 
 by the Northumbrian wreckers ; but, from his influential position 
 in the State, Mercer was soon enabled to enforce compensa- 
 tion. On his return to Scotland he was by Kobert, Earl of Fife 
 and Monteith (second son of Robert II.), appointed acting Cham- 
 berlain of Scotland, and in his accounts for that year recoups him- 
 self for his losses by shipwreck by deducting £2000 from the 
 £4000 payable for the ransom of David II. The ransom money 
 was carried to Berwick by Andrew, who, anticipating a rejection of 
 his claim for the £2000, went accompanied by a fleet of Scotch, 
 French, and Spanish vessels. Leaving these out of sight in the 
 offing, he went with his own vessel into Berwick. The English 
 Commissioners rejecting the claim, he rejoined his fleet, and 
 swept the seas of the English. At length he appeared before 
 Scarborough, the scene of his father's captivity. Mercer's 
 squadron dashed in among the English vessels, ship after ship 
 being taken to the number of sixteen, which he cut out and 
 towed from their anchorage, in defiance of the onlooking 
 garrison, who durst not descend from their rocky eyrie ; so that 
 the warlike Perth Bailie, without landing to assault the town, bore 
 away with his prizes, trailing the English flag in the sea. He 
 again scoured the coast, alarming the ports and capturing every 
 English vessel he encountered. The Perth Bailie, however, did 
 not long enjoy his triumph. While on his way homewards, and 
 hampered by his prizes, he was attacked by a large English 
 fleet sent in pursuit, under Philpot, the London merchant, and 
 was defeated, after a stubborn engagement. Most of the 
 Scottish rovers were taken, including Mercer's own ship, with 
 himself on board. This occurred about 1377. Andrew might 
 have been detained for ransom, but the English Council found 
 it expedient to release him, and grant him a safe conduct across 
 the Border, which was dated 1st January 1378, and in which 
 he is styled " Esquire of the King of Scotland." An embassy 
 to England is the last trace of John Mercer, the Provost, whose 
 busy and eventful life seems to have closed about the year
 
 GOKTHY. 369 
 
 1380. The fortunes of Andrew continued to prosper. He in- 
 herited all his father's property, — new acquisitions being 
 occasionally added, — and about the year 1384 he'received the 
 honour of knighthood. In the award granted by him in the 
 dispute between Eobert, Earl of Fife and Monteith and Logie 
 of that Ilk, he styles himself "Dominus de Meiklour." This is 
 admitted to be the oldest document extant in the Scottish 
 vernacular, and is dated 14th of May 1385. It is not impossible 
 that Sir Andrew fell with his liege Lord, the Earl of Douglas, at 
 the Battle of Otterburn, in August 1388, as he appears from 
 the Exchequer Rolls to have died in that year. He was 
 succeeded by his son, Michael Mercer, who married Elizabeth, 
 daughter of Sir Robert Steuart of Durrisdeer, a cousin of the 
 Royal Family of Scotland. It is from these redoubtable 
 merchants and patriots that the Mercers of Gorthy, and the 
 others of the name we have mentioned, have sprung, and 
 although the family pedigree contains many illustrious names, 
 none have occupied a more prominent position in the country 
 than the famous Perth Provost and his First Bailie. 
 
 The estate of Gorthy appears to have been held by the 
 heralds of the Earl of Strathearn as their official fee, and passed 
 from them to a junior branch of the Lundys of Lundy, and 
 from them to Sir David Moray, a brother of Sir William Moray 
 of Abercairny, and from him to George Moray, Bishop of 
 Orkney, whose grandson, General Graeme, dying in January 1 797, 
 the property was purchased by David Stewart Moncreiffe of 
 Moredun, in Midlothian. The name of Moredun was originally 
 Goodtrees or Gutters, but was called Moredun after the Hill of 
 Moncreiffe, on the banks of the Tay, the property of Sir 
 Thomas, his brother. After Sir David's death, his trustees 
 executed an Instrument of Resignation of the lands and barony 
 of Gorthy in favour of Sir Thomas Moncreiffe, a grand-nephew 
 of the deceased. Sir Thomas married Lady Elizabeth Ramsay, 
 daughter of George, ninth Earl of Dalhousie, and her dower 
 was settled on the barony of Gorthy. Sir Thomas died on 26th 
 March 1818, and a dispute arising as to his succession between 
 Sir David, his successor, and George Augustus, second Earl of 
 Bradford, who, on 5th March same year, had wedded Georgina, 
 
 2 A
 
 370 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the only daughter of Sir Thomas, matters could only he adjusted 
 hy another sale of Gorthy. A private Act of Parliament was 
 passed in 1819 providing for the sale, and in one of the 
 Schedules appended the extent of the estate is given as 1330 
 acres Scots, and the rental at £1320. The lands and harony of 
 Gorthy were then purchased by Mr George Mercer, father of 
 the present laird, at the sum of £36,000. Mr George Mercer's 
 descent was from the ancient house of Aldie and Meikleour. 
 He was the eleventh in direct lineal descent from John Mercer, 
 the celebrated Provost of Perth. Mr George Mercer was the 
 youngest son of William Mercer of Pitteuchar and Potterhill, 
 Avho held the office of Sheriff-Substitute of Perthshire. He had 
 been a merchant in Calcutta, and was one of the original 
 founders of the Colony of Victoria. He married in 1810, 
 Prances Charlotte, daughter of John Reid, Esq., of the Bengal 
 Medical Service. The children of this marriage were six sons 
 and six daughters. In Mr Mercer's time — 27th July 1846 — 
 an Act of Parliament was obtained repealing that of 9th 
 October 1696, and appointing, as Commissioners for draining 
 the Pow, the following Commissioners, viz. : — Lord Elibank ; 
 Sir William Keith Murray of Ochtertyre ; William Moray, Esq. 
 of Abercairny ; George Mercer,. Esq. of Gorthy ; and Alexander 
 Henry, Esq. of Woodend. Mr Mercer died on the 7 th 
 December 1853, and was succeeded by the present proprietor, 
 Mr Greeme Reid Mercer. 
 
 We have already alluded to the fact that the estate of Gorthy, 
 although originally a part of the old Caledonian Forest, had 
 degenerated to a howling wilderness before it came into the 
 hands of the family presently possessing it. Remains of the 
 old forest are frequently met with in the course of estate 
 operations. Trunks of birch and oak trees have been got from 
 time to time, buried six feet under the moss, and bearing 
 unmistakable marks of the axe. The wood of the disembedded 
 oak is remarkably hard and sound, and as black as jet — several 
 articles of furniture which have been made of it having a very 
 beautiful appearance. 
 
 Although there are not many trees of considerable size upon 
 the property, there are a few that rank amongst the most
 
 GORTHY. 371 
 
 remarkable of their kind. The most notable of all is a gigantic 
 sycamore near the site of old Gorthy Castle, a stronghold of 
 which not a vestige now remains. At 1 foot from the ground 
 this tree girths 22 feet 4 inches, at 3 feet it girths 20 feet, 
 and at 5 feet, which is the narrowest part of a bole of 1 7 feet, 
 it girths 17 feet. The branches are numerous and heavy, 
 giving the tree, which is in perfect health, a magnificent top. 
 The two heaviest branches girth 10 feet 7 inches and 10 feet 3 
 inches respectively at 3 feet from the bole. The tree is slightly 
 disfigured through two large branches being broken by people 
 swinging upon them. The spread of branches is 70 feet, and 
 the height of the tree about 70 feet. There is another very 
 large sycamore in the cow park at Tulchan, the girth above the 
 swell of the roots, 3 feet from the ground, being 22 feet 3 
 inches. It breaks into two stems, the one being 10 feet 9 
 inches in girth, and the other 10 feet — the boles being each 
 about 20 feet. An oak close beside the first of these sycamores 
 girths 14 feet 9 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 11 feet 4 
 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 15 feet, and a height 
 of about 70 feet. ' There is also, at old Gorthy Castle, a very 
 fine tulip tree, girthing 9 feet 7 inches at 3 feet from the ground, 
 being the narrowest part of a bole of 6 feet. It has been a good 
 deal destroyed by having the bark peeled off by animals grazing 
 in the park, but it has now been fenced in to prevent further 
 destruction. There are some very beautiful trees in Gorthy 
 Den, in the same neighbourhood. Amongst these, we measured 
 the following: — beech, 12 feet 5 inches at 1 foot from the 
 ground and 10 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 20 feet; Scots fir, 
 8 feet 10 inches at 1 foot and 7 feet 4 inches at 5 feet • several 
 oaks about 10 feet in girth, and lime trees about 8 feet in girth. 
 There is a very nice oak tree in front of Tulchan House, having 
 a girth of 10 feet 7 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 9 feet 
 7 inches at 5 feet, with a fine bole of about 30 feet. There is 
 also here a beautiful wych elm, girthing 7 feet 1 1 inches at 1 
 foot from the ground and 6 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. There is a 
 beech girthing 14 feet 4 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 
 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 20 feet. These are 
 pretty large trees, considering that the soil is gravel on the top
 
 372 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 of red sandstone. One of the roost interesting spots at this part 
 of the property is the grass walk leading from the public road to 
 the cemetery, and which was planted in April 1878, with an 
 avenue of Cupressus NutTicensis. The trees are planted 20 feet 
 apart, and the width of the avenue, from tree to tree, is fully 
 30 feet. The trees are now from 8 to 10 feet high, are fine 
 healthy plants, and are carefully trained to run into single 
 leaders. The old wood by which they are surrounded is cut 
 down as the young trees grow up, so that in a few years the 
 beauty of this avenue, with its fine beechdiedge background, 
 will be fully disclosed. In planting these trees, the pits were 
 dug 3 feet 6 inches across, and trenched about 3 feet,— a cartload 
 of leaf mould being divided between every three plants. The 
 upper part of the avenue consists of made-up soil, the remaining 
 portion being a light loam on the top of gravel. The plants are 
 found to thrive best where there are about 18 inches of black 
 loam, with an open, gravelly bottom. An avenue to the west 
 of Tulchan House contains some well-grown silver firs about 50 
 years of age. 
 
 In the plantations, we found a good deal that is interesting. 
 These extend to about 550 acres in all, the large wood of Gorthy 
 being about 400 acres and Tulchan Wood 150 acres. The 
 young plants are now being largely supplied from a nursery of 
 an acre and a half in extent, situated at the Home Farm at 
 Glentulchan. It was laid out in 1878, and at present it is 
 stocked with about 100,000 plants, principally Scots fir and 
 spruce, with a few larches. All kinds are thriving very well. 
 Several of the plantations have been terribly infested with 
 Hylobius Abietis, and an examination of the damaged parts 
 proved most instructive. The Splitters Wood, Glentulchan, 
 about 60 acres in extent, was especially badly affected. In the 
 summer of 1877, about 40 acres were cut, the refuse branches 
 being burned in the fall of the same year. In the autumn of 1878 
 and spring of 1879 a start was made with the replanting of this 
 portion with Scots fir, spruce, and larch, — a few of the newer 
 coniferous trees being also introduced. Owing to the ravages 
 of the beetle, considerable difficulty has been experienced in bring- 
 ing up these plants. The insects, together with the severe weather
 
 GORTHY. 373 
 
 of 1880-81, killed all the newer conifers, with a few exceptions. 
 In the course of the season immediately preceding that during 
 which the wood was replanted, clumps were planted at intervals 
 to test whether there were heetles in the ground, when it was 
 found that these pests were so abundant that one clump was 
 entirely destroyed, and another clump injured, but not very 
 seriously. It was thought, however, that the damage was not 
 so serious as to prevent replanting, but in the course of the same 
 spring — that of 1880— the beetles again made their appearance 
 where the clumps had been previously destroyed, and have 
 since spread over the greater part of the plantation. It is 
 worthy of note that where the young plants have had the 
 shelter of the old wood, comparatively little damage has been 
 done, but in the open the plants have been almost entirely 
 eaten up. A portion was again replanted in the spring of 1881, 
 and is doing well. We were a little surprised to find upon an 
 examination of the plants destroyed in the spring of 1880, that 
 they bore fresh marks of the beetle, thus showing that these 
 voracious insects eat the dead wood as readily as the living. In 
 another part of this wood a number of Abies Menziesii have been 
 planted upon deep moss, and are thriving splendidly. They 
 show a great superiority of growth to the spruce and Scots fir, 
 but they have the advantage of being planted along the top of a 
 ditch, so that they did not require to struggle with the heather, 
 and were, besides, larger trees when planted. But, making full 
 allowance for these advantages, there is a marked superiority of 
 growth. 
 
 In Gorthy Wood the beetle has also made considerable 
 havoc. In the year 1873, 45 acres of this wood were cut down, 
 the branches being all burned off the ground in the same year. 
 The land was afterwards well grazed with cattle. In the last 
 week of April 1878 a few clumps were planted with the view 
 of testing the ground as to the presence of the beetle, but these 
 pests, notwithstanding the measures adopted to eradicate them, 
 still existed in such numbers that every plant was totally 
 destroyed after being two weeks in the ground. In the spring 
 of the following year the ground was replanted — the plants 
 again meeting with the same fate, with one or two exceptions.
 
 374 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 In the month of May 1880 the whole of the 45 acres were 
 burned, and in the following year experimental clumps were 
 again planted, and it is of importance to know that, as yet, there 
 is no appearance of the return of the beetle. The wood consists 
 of larch, spruce, and Scots fir, nearly the whole of which is 
 ready for the axe. The timber is of fine quality, the trees being 
 nearly all straight-grown and clean. The amenities of the pro- 
 perty have been further enhanced by the planting, in the spring 
 of 1879, of Newton Den, with hardwood trees, larch, and a few 
 Abies Douglasii, which, in a few years, will give the Den a very 
 ornamental appearance, and afford much-needed shelter. 
 
 The whole of the property, as may be judged from the 
 improvements which have been effected during the past half 
 century, is managed with great care. The arable land is highly 
 cultivated, as far as the soil and climate will permit ; while the 
 moorland, wherever practicable, is planted with the most suit- 
 able softwood trees. Fencing and draining have also been 
 extensively carried out, and farm and other buildings kept in 
 first-rate order. Altogether, as we stated at the outset, there are 
 few places where more really good work has been done in the 
 same period of time, the effect of these improvements being that 
 since the present proprietor came into possession the rental has 
 been trebled. .
 
 XXXI.— MEIKLEOUR 
 
 Meikleour House — The Mercers of Meikleour and Aldie — The Policies — 
 Remarkable Trees — Kinclaven Castle — Village of Meikleour — The 
 Great Beech Hedge — The Plantations. 
 
 Meikleour House, the seat of the Dowager-Marchioness of 
 Lansdowne, occupies a delightful situation on the north-east 
 bank of the Tay, about half a mile above the place where the 
 Isla mingles its waters with those of the more rapid and more 
 majestic river. Shrouded by many stately trees, its great 
 proportions and elegant design are not fully revealed until we 
 stand directly in front of it, when the beauty of its architectural 
 style, and its commanding position, are abundantly apparent. 
 The plans were supplied by the late Mr Bryce, Edinburgh, 
 and the architecture is of the mixed French style, the principal 
 features being; a magnificent circular staircase, and a commodious 
 and tasteful balcony. To make the surroundings suitable for so 
 noble a mansion, considerable alterations were effected on the 
 policies. The garden was removed from a position close to the 
 house to a spot about 500 yards to the west. Here a very 
 extensive range of vineries, extending to upwards of 300 feet in 
 length, was erected by Mr Scrimgeour, the well known hothouse 
 builder at Methven, the vineries being built on the unique 
 curvilinear style designed by the late Mr William Grorrie, the 
 celebrated landscape gardener, Edinburgh. Several new drives 
 were also formed, the stables were remodelled, and a new dairy 
 and byre erected in a style harmonising with the main edifice. 
 "While these improvements were being effected upon the mansion 
 and its surroundings, the other parts of the property were not 
 neglected, as during the past twelve years almost the whole of the 
 steadings have been renewed, and a large extent of fencing erected. 
 Although the family of Lansdowne derives its name and 
 principal honours from Ireland, it represents, in the female line,
 
 376 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 one of the oldest of our Perthshire families — the Mercers of 
 Meikleour and Aldie. We have already traced the history of 
 the Mercers in the chapter on Gorthy, and it only remains now 
 to show their connection with the noble family which presently 
 holds the property of Meikleour. In 1362, as we formerly 
 pointed out, a charter of confirmation was granted at Perth by 
 Maurice de Drnmmond to John Mercer, burgess of Perth, of 
 the barony of Meikleour, with its appurtenances in the Stor- 
 mont, which belonged to Allan of Kinibuckie. The oldest 
 document extant in the Scottish vernacular, which is dated 14th 
 May 1385, is one in which 'Andrew Mercer, whom we have 
 described as the " warlike Perth Bailie," styles himself " Dominus 
 de Meikleour." The present proprietress of Meikleour is lineally 
 descended from Sir Laurence Mercer of Melgins, who married 
 Margaret Mercer of Aldie. Marriage also gave the Mercers of 
 Meikleour and Aldie the blood of the two noble houses of 
 Nairne and Elphinstone. Their connection with the famous 
 Jacobite house of Nairne was brought about by the marriage of 
 Jean Mercer, heiress of Aldie, with the Hon. Robert Nairne, 
 second son of William, second Lord Nairne, who had been for- 
 feited for his share in the Rebellion of 1715. Robert Nairne fell 
 at Culloden, and by his death the estate of Aldie was saved from 
 forfeiture. His eldest son, William, who succeeded, entered the 
 army, and rose to the rank of Colonel. He, again, married Mar- 
 garet Murray, heiress of Pitkeathly, and died in 1790, leaving 
 three daughters, the eldest of whom, Jane, became the wife of the 
 Hon. George Keith Elphinstone, second son of Charles, tenth 
 Lord Elphinstone. This marriage also allied the Mercers to the 
 two noble Jacobite houses of Fleming and Keith-Marischal, the 
 mother of George Keith Elphinstone being Clementina Fleming, 
 only surviving child and heiress of John, sixth Earl of Wigton ; 
 while her mother, again, was Lady Mary Keith, eldest daughter 
 of William, ninth Earl of Marischal. George Keith Elphinstone 
 afterwards became the celebrated Admiral Sir George Keith 
 Elphinstone, K.B., Viscount Keith, G.C.B., K.C., F.R.S., &c. 
 He purchased the estate of Tulliallan, where he carried out 
 gigantic improvements, but frequently resided at Meikleour, his 
 only child and daughter, Margaret Mercer Elphinstone, being 
 the heiress of Meikleour and Aldie. In 1817 the heiress of
 
 MEIKLEOUR. 377 
 
 Meikleour married Count de Flauhault de la Bellarderie, aide- 
 de-camp to Napoleon Bonaparte, and latterly French Ambassador 
 at the Court of St James. "We have heard a very good story 
 regarding Napoleon's aide-de-camp, when he was first intro- 
 duced at Meikleour. His lady, according to custom, instructed 
 the piper to play round the room after dinner, but the French- 
 man found the music of " the great Highland bagpipe " to be so 
 excruciating, that he peremptorily ordered the piper to stop, upon 
 which Dougal retorted, " I suppose she'll have heard too much 
 of that music at Waterloo !" On the death of Admiral Keith in 
 1823, his daughter succeeded him as Baroness Keith of Stonehaven 
 — Marischal in the Peerage of Ireland— and as Baroness Keith of 
 Banheath in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. On the death 
 of the last Lord Nairne, in 1837, she claimed the title of Baroness 
 Nairne, and her claim was sustained by the House of Lords. The 
 Baroness and Count had five daughters, and in November 1843, 
 their eldest daughter, the Hon. Emily Jane Mercer Elphinstone 
 de Flauhault (Baroness Nairne in her own right) married Henry, 
 fourth Marquis of Lansdowne,and their son is the fifth and present 
 Marquis of Lansdowne, who is well known as having held several 
 important offices of State, and is at present Governor-General of 
 Canada. It may be added that the proprietors of Meikleour are by 
 an old Act of Parliament bound to adopt the name of Mercer. 
 
 The sight of the new mansion-house of Meikleour, to which 
 we have alieady adverted, has been admirably selected so as to 
 take full advantage of one of the chief arboreal features of the 
 policies — a grand sylvan Gothic arch, formed by a double row 
 of sycamore, beech, and li;na trees. The centre of the house is 
 directly opposite this unique and beautiful feature, and through 
 the opening the eye is carried along a splendid avenue directly 
 to the top of Dunsinane Hill, which is clearly discernible in the 
 distance. Looking up from the bottom of the avenue, the view 
 is even more pleasing, as the house is viewed at the top of the 
 arch as if it were through a gigantic telescope. The arch reaches 
 a height of from 70 to 80 feet, and is 80 yards in length. 
 Several of the trees, particularly the beeches, which form the 
 avenue terminating in this arch are of gigantic size, — the largest 
 of the beeches girthing 20 feet at 1 foot and 13 feet 9 inches at 5 
 feet from the ground. It is regularly pruned on the inside so as to
 
 378 WOODS, FOREST , AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 maintain the view from the mansion, hut, notwithstanding this, 
 the "branches of the largest tree have a spread of $6 feet in diameter. 
 
 The grounds immediately surrounding the mansion are 
 studded with several trees of more than average proportion. 
 One of the first to attract attention is a superb silver fir fully 
 90 feet high, and having a diameter of branches of 60 feet, 
 sweeping the ground all round the tree. Beside it is a rare 
 golden American oak, which in spring sparkles like a hall of 
 fire, and imparts a brilliant glow to the whole neighbourhood. 
 It is about 40 feet high, with a fine round bole of 12 feet, and 
 has a girth at 1 foot of 10 feet 3 inches and at 5 feet of 
 8 feet 6 inches. In the same grove there is also a very fine 
 larch girthing 12 feet at 1 foot from the ground and 10 feet 4 
 inches at 5 feet. Travelling further afield, we meet with many 
 trees of respectable size in the parks. A very fine ash, for 
 instance, has a girth of 15 feet 5 inches at 1 foot and 13 feet 
 7 inches at 5 feet ; and within a short distance of it there is a 
 vigorous old Spanish chestnut, girthing 14 feet 4 inches at the 
 narrowest part of the bole, and sending forth such tremendous 
 branches that all the lower ones have to be supported by heavy 
 props. A fine lime, a very nice park tree, but with rather a short 
 bole, girths 13 feet 9 inches at the narrowest part, and another, 
 having nearly the same girth, spreads its branches to a diameter of 
 70 feet. Several very fine trees also grow on the south bank of 
 the river — one of the grandest of which, a silver fir, grows close be- 
 side the ferry landing-place. Along with a number of other giant 
 firs, it shoots its top to a height of fully 120 feet, and has a girth 
 of 15 feet at 1 foot from the ground and 14 feet at 5 feet. 
 
 On our way to Kinclaven Manse, where there is a really good 
 sycamore, we pass the ancient Castle of Kinclaven, the history 
 of which we have already narrated in describing Methven. It 
 was this castle which Wallace attacked with a handful of men, 
 putting the entire garrison to the sword, including Sir James 
 Butler, the governor. This exploit is commemorated at the castle 
 by an iron plate bearing the following inscription : — " Wallace 
 took this fort in the year 1299. Placed a.d. 1869." In its palmy 
 days the castle must have been a place of much importance, as 
 the ruins show it to have been a place of great size and strength. 
 It was erected by Malcom Canmore (1057-1093), and for centuries
 
 MEIKLEOUE. 379 
 
 it was a favourite residence of the monarchs of Scotland. In its 
 decay the spacious court has heen turned into an orchard, and its 
 walls give support to innumerable creepers, which give a touch of 
 the picturesque to the extensive ruins. The sycamore to which 
 we have referred as growing at Kinclaven Manse reaches a height 
 of fully 80 feet, and has a grand bole of 25 feet. The girth above 
 the swell of the roots is 18 feet, and at 5 feet from the ground the 
 girth is 13 feet. Two old lime trees growing at the gate leading 
 to the walk from the ferry to the church are worthy of being 
 noted, the girth of each of them being 13 feet 4 inches at 1 foot 
 and 12 feet 7 inches and 11 feet 7 inches at 5 feet respectively. 
 
 Leaving the policies on our way to the famous beech hedge 
 on the Perth and Blairgowrie Road, we pass through the 
 interesting village of Meikleour, nestling amidst the woods a 
 little to the north-east of the mansion. In ancient times the 
 village seems to have been a centre of rural merchandise, as the 
 Tron for weighing wool and other bulky articles still stands in 
 the old market-place, with the jougs attached to which offenders 
 used to be fastened. The ancient cross, bearing the date 1698 
 (the second last figure, however, now broken off), also stands in 
 the centre of the village square, with a neat iron railing round 
 it. The village itself is one of the most beautiful in Perthshire, 
 and its proximity to the great beech hedge, which may justly be 
 described as one of the arboreal wonders of the world, gives it 
 an air of some little importance. This hedge is so remarkable 
 that parties have been known to travel from the most remote 
 parts of the country for the express purpose of seeing it. The 
 trees composing the hedge, which is neatly trimmed, reach an 
 average height of about 80 feet, and the length of the hedge 
 is 580 yards, or exactly one-third of a mile. Through- 
 out its entire length the hedge is as compact and perfect 
 as it could possibly be, and looking down upon it from the 
 corner of the road leading to the village, it appears as a 
 great arborous wall, shutting out everything behind it, and ex- 
 tending as far as the eye can reach. The hedge is believed to 
 have been planted in the year 1746. An old inhabitant, who 
 died about 1878, remembered of his father telling him about 
 the building of the dyke in front of the hedge, which was im- 
 pressed upon his memory by the fact of a number of the men
 
 380 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIEE. 
 
 engaged in the work having left to take part in the Battle of 
 Culloden, which was fought in 1745. The dyke was completed 
 that year, and, in accordance with the usual custom, the hedge 
 was planted in the following year. The hedge bears evidence 
 of having been annually pruned and trimmed for the first forty 
 or fifty years. For about twenty years afterwards the trees 
 
 THE GREAT BEECH HEDGE AT MEIKLEOUB. 
 
 appear to have been allowed to grow wild, until their wide- 
 spreading branches became an obstruction on the highway. For 
 the last fifty years or more the hedge has been regularly cut on 
 the side next the road, but the side next the wood has not been 
 trimmed for thirty or forty years, there being no necessity for 
 interfering with that side. It is absolutely necessary, however, 
 that the side next the road be regularly pruned, and the result
 
 MEIKLEOUK. 381 
 
 of this is not only to keep the road clear, hut to give to the 
 row a truly hedge-like character. The operation of pruning the 
 hedge is carried out every five or six years, and, from its great 
 height and extent, the work is one of no ordinary lahour and 
 difficulty. The operation, however, is now much facilitated "by 
 the adoption of an ingenious, hut simple, method, which the 
 Dowager Marchioness of Lansdowne observed in use upon the 
 tall lime hedges at Versailles. Her Ladyship was so much 
 struck by the machine in use there, that she procured a plan 
 of it, and had one constructed hy Mr Scrimgeour, Methven, 
 under the superintendence of Mr Matheson, the land steward. 
 The machine is simply a double ladder, 30 feet high, supported 
 on four wheels, and by means of which the heavier branches 
 are cut with a single stroke saw. The twigs are then cut by an 
 averuncator to the height of 45 feet. Up to this point the 
 work is comparatively easy, but beyond that height there is not 
 a little difficulty and danger. One of the foresters climbs as 
 near to the top as possible, fastening himself to the strongest 
 branch he can get, by means of a belt round his waist, and 
 holding on to another branch by his left hand. With his right 
 hand he wields a light billhook reaching to a height of 75 feet, 
 which is as high as can be trimmed with safety, and which is 
 quite high enough, as the uppermost branches gradually taper 
 towards the apex of the trees. The hedge is, altogether, the most 
 wonderful thing of the kind in existence. Every tree throughout 
 its entire length is in perfect health, and the height throughout 
 is as uniform as it well could be, the hedge having every appear- 
 ance of being trimmed at the top as well as on the side. 
 
 The plantations extend to 1050 acres, and consist chiefly of 
 oak, beech, Scots fir, larch, and lime. One of the finest of the 
 plantations is that at the Court Hill, — a very fine oak forest of 
 between 300 and 400 acres. Very few of the newer coniferous 
 trees have been planted in the woods, but a number of thriving 
 young specimens are scattered throughout the policies, the most 
 notable of which are Abies Albertia?ia, the best specimen being 
 a promising young plant 20 feet high. The other varieties 
 include Abies Menziesii, Abies Douglasii, Picea nobilis, Picea 
 Nurdmanniana, and Welliugtonia gigantea.
 
 XXXII.— TAYMOUTH. 
 
 The Character and Extent of the Property — Poetic Allusions — The 
 Campbells of Breadalbane — The Approaches to Taymouth — The 
 Castle — The Policies — The Early Planters — Remarkable Trees — 
 Trees Planted by Royalty — Drummond Hill — The Great Vine at 
 Kinnell — Plantations in other parts of the Property. 
 
 The Breadalbane country is so extensive and so varied that 
 
 there is not one of those characteristics for which our Scottish 
 
 scenery is famous which it does not embrace. In Loch Tay, 
 
 the salmon loch, par excellence, of Scotland, — we have one of 
 
 the finest sheets' of water in the country, whde its outlet gives 
 
 rise to our grandest river. In fertile plain and wooded height 
 
 its charms are inexhaustible, and these are heightened in no 
 
 small degree by an abundance of moor and mountain, which, 
 
 while not shutting out the Lowland beauties, give the district 
 
 an essentially Highland character. In extent the property 
 
 stretches from Aberfeldy to the Atlantic Ocean, — a distance of 
 
 upwards of one hundred miles, making it the longest property, 
 
 we believe, in Britain. Within its extensive bounds there is, 
 
 indeed, everything which can gratify the lover of Nature, and 
 
 fire the imagination of the poet. The extent to which it has 
 
 touched the poetic chord can never be known, as even the 
 
 effusions which have seen the light are almost endless. In the 
 
 presence of the Muse of our National Bard, however, all others 
 
 sink into insignificance, especially as the impromptu which he 
 
 left iu pencil over the chimney-piece of Kenmore Hotel in 1787, 
 
 is as expressive as it is beautiful: — 
 
 . " Admiring 'Nature in her wildest grace, 
 
 These northern scenes with weary feet I trace ; 
 O'er many a winding dale and painful steep, 
 Th' abodes of covey'd grouse and timid sheep, 
 My savage journey, curious, I pursue, 
 'Till famed Breadalbane opens to my view —
 
 TAYMOUTII. 383 
 
 The meeting cliffs each deep-sunk glen divides, 
 The woods, wide scattered, clothe their ample sides. 
 Th' outstretching lake, embosom'd 'mong the hills, 
 The eye with wonder and amazement tills ; 
 The Tay, meand'ring, sweet in infant pride, 
 The palace, rising on its verdant side ; 
 The lawns, wood-fring'd in Nature's native taste ; 
 The hillocks, dropt in Nature's careless haste ; 
 The arches, striding o'er the new-born stream ; 
 The village, glittering in the noon-tide beam — 
 
 Poetic ardours in my bosom swell, 
 
 Lone wandering by the hermit's mossy cell ; 
 
 The sweeping theatre of hanging woods ; 
 
 Th' incessant roar of headlong tumbling floods — 
 
 Here Poesy might wake her heaven-taught lyre, 
 
 And look thro' Nature with creative fire ; 
 
 Here, to the wrongs of Fate, half-reconcil'd, 
 
 Misfortune's lightened steps might wander wild ; 
 
 And, Disappointment, in these lonely bounds, 
 
 Find balm to soothe her bitter-rankling wounds ; 
 
 Here heart-struck Grief might heavenward stretch her scan, 
 
 And injured Worth forget and pardon man." 
 
 Professor John Stuart Blackie is one of the most recent of those 
 ■whose depth of feeling upon seeing Taymouth has found vent 
 in verse, and he gives us his impressions as follows : — 
 
 " A piece of England, ramparted around 
 
 With strength of Highland Ben and heather brae, 
 Art thou, fair Taymouth, with thy long array 
 
 Of stately trees and stretch of grassy ground, 
 Soft with ancestral moss, and thy fair flow 
 
 Of the clear amber stream in winding reaches, 
 
 That laves the roots of smooth wide-branching beeches, 
 With swirl of waters murmuring deep and low. 
 
 Who lauds not these is blind." 
 
 Neither prose nor poetry, however, can adequately express the 
 "beauties of Taymouth. These are simply ineffable, and must 
 be seen to be realised. 
 
 Taymouth Castle is the seat of the Earl of Breadalbane, who 
 belongs to a branch of the Argyle stock, the Campbells of 
 Breadalbane being descended from Duncan, first Lord Campbell 
 of Lochow, and ancestor of the Dukes of Argyle. The family 
 can boast of having royal blood in its veins, Duncan's wife
 
 384 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 having been Marjory Stewart, daughter of Robert, Duke of 
 Albany, Regent of Scotland, and brother of King Robert II. 
 The chiefs of the house of Breadalbane embrace seven earls, six 
 knights, four baronets, and two marquises. The first knight was 
 Sir Colin, third son of Duncan, Lord of Lochow, who settled 
 Glenorchy upon the new knight. James III. afterwards 
 bestowed the barony of Lawers upon Sir Colin, for his success 
 in bringing the murderers of James I. to justice. The Castle 
 of Kilchurn was built by him in the year 1440. The second 
 knight, Sir Duncan, was made Hereditary Bailie of the King's 
 lands of Discher, Foyer, and Glenlyon, and received charters of 
 the King's lands of port of Loch Tay, of Glenlyon, of Finlarig, 
 and other places in Perthshire. Sir Colin, the third knight, had 
 strong ecclesiastical inclinations. He is noted as a reformer, and 
 sat in the Parliament of 1560, by which Protestantism was 
 established. He was the builder of the Chapel of Finlarig, to 
 be " ane burial for himself and his posteritie." It was him also 
 who, in 1580, built the old Castle of Balloch, now Taymouth, and 
 regarding whom the familiar story is told about " birzing yont." 
 The Castle was built close to the eastern boundary of the pro- 
 perty, and on being asked why he erected it at the extremity of his 
 lands, he replied " We'll birze yont," meaning that he intended 
 that the Castle would stand nearer the centre of his territory. 
 The extensions, however, have been in the opposite direction 
 from Aberfeldy. He also built the Castle of Edinample, a seat 
 of the family on the side of Loch Earn. His eldest son, Sir 
 Duncan, was the first baronet of the family, and was a great 
 favourite of James VI. and Charles I. Both he and the second 
 baronet, Sir Colin, did a vast amount of work in improving the 
 property, arboriculture and agriculture owing much to their skill 
 and exertions. The third baronet, Sir Robert, is chiefly 
 remembered for his sufferings and resolute adherence to the 
 Covenanting cause. The family was ennobled in the person of 
 Sir John, the only son of the fourth baronet, born about 1635, 
 who was created Earl of Breadalbane and Holland, Viscount of 
 Tay and Pentland, Lord Glenorchy, Benderaloch, Ormelie, and 
 Weik. The second Earl, John, Lord Glenorchy, was Lord- 
 Lieutenant of Perthshire, and was repeatedly selected as one of
 
 TAYMOUTF. 385 
 
 the sixteen representatives of the Scottish Peerage. The third 
 Earl distinguished himself at a very early age, having been sent 
 as an Ambassador to the Court of Denmark when only twenty- 
 two years old. He held various other important offices and repre- 
 sented Saltash, in Cornwall, in the Parliaments of 1724 and 
 1734, and Orford in Oxford, in the Parliament of 1741. John, 
 the eldest son of Colin Campbell of Carwhin, succeeded as fourth 
 Earl of Breadalbane, and sat as a Representative Peer from 1784 
 to 1806. He was afterwards made a Peer of the United King- 
 dom by the title of Baron Breadalbane, and was created a 
 Marquis at the Coronation of William IV., in 1831, by the title 
 of Marquis of Breadalbane and Earl of Ormelie. It was he who 
 raised the Breadalbane Fencibles. When a battalion of these 
 was enrolled as the 116th Regiment in the regular service, he 
 was appointed its Colonel, and in 1809 he was raised to the 
 rank of Major- General. He was more distinguished, however, as 
 an improving landlord than as a statesman or soldier, many of the 
 most extensive and tasteful of the improvements upon the policies 
 of Taymouth having been effected by him. His only son be- 
 came the second Marquis, succeeding his father in the year 
 1834. He was chosen Lord Hector of the University of Glas- 
 gow in 1831 ; was Member of Parliament for Perthshire from 
 December 1832 to May 1834; and was made a Knight of 
 the Thistle in 1838. When Her Majesty and Prince Albeit 
 visited Taymouth in 1842, he gave them a most magnificent 
 reception, Her Majesty stating in her Journal that she "never 
 saw anything so fairy-like." When he died in 1862, the 
 titles of Baron Breadalbane and Marquis of Breadalbane and 
 Earl of Ormelie became extinct. He was succeeded, as Earl of 
 Breadalbane, by John Alexander Campbell, Esquire of Glen- 
 falloch, whose son, Gavin Campbell, is the present Earl. 
 
 The various approaches to Taymouth Castle are singularly 
 beautiful. The road from Aberfeldy is for several miles almost 
 completely under a thick leafy shade, with openings here and 
 there, revealing the char, sparkling waters of the Tay, culti- 
 vated fields and grazings, the tree-clad heights of Weem and 
 Drummond Hills, and the dark blue mountains lying against 
 the sky in the distance. A fine row of oak trees on the south 
 
 2 B
 
 386 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 side of the road was planted by the late Marquis in 1842, on 
 the suggestion of Her Majesty. Many of the trees which skirt 
 the road are of considerable size. At Croftmoraig a very com- 
 plete Druidical circle is easily seen from the road. The approach 
 from Kenmore is even more attractive. The broad expanse of 
 Loch Tay, with its picturesque isle, on which are some ecclesi- 
 astical ruins, is spread out before us, and on crossing the bridge, 
 the pretty village, with its tastefully-kept flower-plots, powerfully 
 strikes the imagination. A splendid view of the Castle is 
 obtained from the road between Aberfeldy and Kenmore, but it 
 
 TAYMuUl'H CASTLE. 
 
 requires a nearer view fully to realise the princely magnificence 
 of the pile. It is built of a fine blue stone found on the estate, 
 and consists of four storeys, with round towers at the angles, an 
 airy central pavilion, and a quadrangular tower rising in the 
 centre to a considerable height above the main building, carrying 
 up a spacious and ornate staircase. The interior — particularly 
 th^ Queen's Room, the Baron's Hall, the Chinese Room, the 
 drawing-room, and the dining-room — is gorgeously fitted up, 
 and contains paintings by Titian, Rubens, Salvator Rosa,
 
 TAYM0UT1I. 387 
 
 Carracci, Teniers, Vandyke, and other great masters. The 
 Library is another magnificent apartment, and contains many 
 very rare and valuable works. Picturesquely situated in a 
 beautiful valley, the Castle is surrounded by a landscape of 
 exquisite beauty. One writer, accurately describing it, says : — 
 " The vale is not spacious enough to admit of that apparently 
 boundless contiguity of park which constitutes such a charm 
 around the baronial residences of England ; but the very hills 
 which confine it may be said to present a still superior charm. 
 These hills are abrupt, luxuriantly wooded, and broken into 
 every sort of picturesque and varied outline ; while the level 
 alluvial space below is as green as the gown of Spring herself, 
 and at the same time adorned in the richest manner by fine old 
 trees." The bold rock of Drummond Hill, with its steep and 
 richly-wooded sides, presents a grand background to the Castle, 
 and a glance around reveals the proximity of Schiehallion, Ben 
 Lawers, Ben More, and many other mountain Goliaths. The 
 view from the Castle is greatly enlivened by a glimpse of the 
 blue waters of Loch Tay, and a view of Kenmore, nestling 
 among groves of stately trees. 
 
 The policies are remarkable for the size and number of their 
 gigantic old trees. The newer conifers have not yet found much 
 favour, although specimens are to be met with occasionally 
 which promise to become as noteworthy as the trees which now 
 excite our admiration. The first systematic attempt at planting 
 the Breadalbane property, and perhaps the first systematic 
 attempt at planting in Scotland, was made by the first baronet, 
 Sir Duncan Campbell, known as " Black Duncan," who suc- 
 ceeded in 1583 and died in 1631. During this period of forty- 
 eight years he did an immense amount of planting. Drummond 
 Hill was partly planted by him, and it is to his forethought that 
 the policies are indebted for the grandest of their trees. It was 
 him to whom we referred as being held in great esteem by 
 James VI. and Charles I., and amongst the favours he received 
 from the former monarch, was an appointment in 1617 as 
 Heritable Keeper of the Forests of Mamlorn, Bendaskerlie, &c. 
 The third baronet also appears to have taken some interest in 
 the planting of the property, as Dr Walker notes in his essays
 
 :>88 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 that the lime tree was planted at Taymouth in 1664. The 
 third Earl planted a large portion of Drummond Hill, extending, 
 as is "believed, from the east and west to above Taymouth Gar- 
 dens. John, the fourth Earl of Breadalbane, who succeeded in 
 1782, was distinguished as one of the three largest planters of 
 the period, sharing this honour with the Duke of Athole and 
 Sir J. Grant of Strathspey. The work of the fourth Earl 
 attracted so much attention at the time that in 1805 he was 
 awarded the ^old medal of the Society of Arts. The policies 
 were at this time greatly improved, and the plantations much 
 extended, including the completion of Drummond Hill to the 
 west end. The north end was planted by the late Marquis. 
 
 The largest of the trees upon the property are all within an 
 easy walk of the Castle, and chiefly in the deer park. The 
 largest of all is an enormous beech, which girths 27 feet at 1 
 foot from the ground before one of its great limbs was broken 
 off about ten years ago. Even at present the girth round the 
 top of the roots is 24 feet 6 inches, and 21 feet at 5 feet from 
 the ground. It has a fine bole of about 15 feet, and an entire 
 height of about 60 feet. There are many fine lime trees. The 
 largest of these girths 19 feet 4 inches at 1 foot and 18 feet 6 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground, after which it swells out to a 
 still greater girth. It has a bole of 12 feet, and an immense 
 spread of branches. Another lime close beside it, although not 
 so large in girth, has a much greater spread of branches, and 
 presents a grander appearance. The girth at 1 foot is 18 feet 8 
 inches, and 17 feet at 5 feet from the ground, with a bole also 
 of 12 feet. The tree, which is about 90 feet high, breaks out 
 into a great many huge branches, richly loaded with foliage — 
 the diameter of the tree being about 100 feet, and the circum- 
 ference 288 feet. Another very fine lime has a girth of 15 feet 
 6 inches at one foot and 14 feet 8 inches at 5 feet, with a bole 
 of 12 feet. Opposite the Castle there is a grand old ash with 
 a <nvth of 19 feet 8 inches at 1 foot and 16 feet 10 inches at 5 
 feet from the ground — the bole being 20 feet, and the entire 
 height about 90 feet. At the Rail Bridge, which spans 
 the Saw-mill Burn, in front of the Castle, there are four famous 
 Spanish chestnuts. They are situated between the wooden and
 
 TAYMOUTH. 389 
 
 the stone bridges, and, counting from the former, the girths of 
 the four are as follows : — No. 1, 18 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 
 the same at 5 feet from the ground ; No. 2, 17 feet 8 inches ;it 
 1 foot, and 16 feet 4 inches at 5 feet ; No. 3, 14 feet at 1 foot, 
 and 1 3 feet 7 inches at 5 feet ; No. 4, 1 7 feet at 1 foot, and 1 6 
 feet 5 inches at 5 feet. The height of these trees is from 70 to 
 80 feet, and each contains about 460 cubic feet of timber. At 
 Newhall, where a handsome iron bridge has been erected by the 
 present Earl, there is a nice sycamore, girthing 14 feet 7 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 1 3 feet at 5 feet ; and an old and picturesque 
 •elm, close by, girths 17 feet at the narrowest part of the bole. 
 Immediately to the south, and overlooking the Castle, is a fine 
 walk cut out of the face of the hill below the fort, and known 
 as the Surprise Walk. On the north side of this walk is a row 
 of splendid larches, about the oldest in Taymouth park, and 
 containing from 80 to 100 cubic feet of timber. The following 
 are the girths of the three largest, the height in each case being 
 about 100 feet : — -No. 1, 17 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 
 6 inches at 5 feet from the ground ; No. 2, 15 feet 3 inches at 
 1 foot, and 13 feet at 5 feet ; and No. 3, 15 feet at 1 foot, and 
 13 feet at 5 feet. In the Flower Garden, close to the Castle. 
 are four trees of more than ordinary interest, having been 
 ] 'hinted by royal hands in 1842 — 
 
 " When Scotland's loved and loving Queen 
 Was gay in Taymouth's gayest hall." 
 
 They consist of two oaks and two Scots firs, one of each variety 
 having been planted by the Queen and by Prince Albert. 
 'They are all thriving very well. Both of the oaks are about 
 •25 feet high. The Scots fir planted by the Queen is the taller 
 of the two, the height of the one being 40 feet and of the other 
 30 feet. To the south of these trees are other two, also an oak 
 and a Scots fir, planted by the Empress Eugenie when on a 
 visit to Taymouth about twenty years ago. They are also 
 thriving well, and are each about 15 feet high. Behind the 
 Castle there is a double row of grand lime trees, forming an 
 avenue in the shape of the letter I). The places of a number 
 •of those which have been blown down from time to time have 
 been replaced by saplings of the .same variety.
 
 390 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Crossing the river by the Chinese Bridge immediately 
 behind the Castle, we reach the Hill of Drummond. Start- 
 ing near the junction of the Tay and Lyon, about a mile 
 from the Castle, this hill extends westwards to the hamlet 
 of Fernan, a distance of 7 miles, with about 1 mile in 
 breadth, and the greater part of it is clothed with a heavy 
 crop of valuable timber, — principally larch and Scots fir, — the 
 lower portion of the hill containing a mixture of hardwood trees, 
 including oak, beech, elm, and sycamore. Ascending a steep 
 passage from the river side, we reach the North Terrace Walk, 
 a splendid promenade 3 miles in length, and 50 feet in width, 
 — the walk extending all the way from Kenmore Bridge to 
 the junction of the Tay and Lyon. The entire north side of 
 this beautiful walk is planted with a line of beech trees, stand- 
 ing about 10 or 12 feet apart, and girthing from 6 feet to 9 feet, 
 the height of the trees being from 70 to 80 feet. The south 
 side is planted with a strip of mixed wood. The two heaviest 
 larches on Drummond Hill girth as follows : — 23 feet 6 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 16 feet 3 inches at 5 feet ; and 19 feet 10 inches- 
 at 1 foot, and 1 3 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. They are both grand 
 trees, and contain about 90 feet of measurable timber, both 
 trees being clean bole to the top. What may be accepted as a 
 fair specimen of the Scots firs girths 11 feet at 1 foot and 10' 
 feet at 5 feet. The spruce trees girth from 12 to 15 feet, the 
 oaks from 8 to 10 feet, beeches from 11 to 12 feet, and there 
 are several Spanish chestnuts about the same size as those at 
 the Rail Bridge. There is a lime tree girthing 17 feet at 
 1 foot and 15 feet at 5 feet from the ground. The hill 
 contains altogether about 4000 acres of woodland, the age 
 of the crop varying from 80 to 160 years. The trees are 
 generally well matured, and on the west shoulder beginning 
 to deteriorate in some instances. At the old house of Kinnell, 
 Auchmore, there is a vine celebrated for its great size, filling 
 as it does a glass house 170 feet long. It is about fifty years 
 old, and still in fine bearing condition. When Professor 
 Blackie saw this tree he was so affected that he has written, 
 " I made a vow on the spot, whenever I might be troubled with 
 low and vulgar imaginations, to think upon this vine." He
 
 TAYMOUTH. 391 
 
 also wrote the following lines as a memorial of so elevating a 
 spectacle : — 
 
 Lines to the Kinnell Vine, Auohmore. 
 
 " Come hither all who love to feed your eyes 
 
 On goodly sights, and join your joy with mine, 
 Beholding, with wide look of glad surprise, 
 
 The many-branching glory of this vine, 
 Pride of Kinnell ! The eye will have its due, 
 
 And God provides rich banquet, amply spread, 
 From star-lit cope to huge Bens swathed in blue, 
 
 And this empurpled growth that overhead 
 Vaults us with pendent fruit. Oh, I would take 
 
 This lordly vine, and hang it for a sign 
 Even in my front of estimate, and make 
 Its presence teach me with a voice divine — 
 
 Go hence, and in sure memory keep with thee, 
 To shame all paltry thoughts, this noble tree !" 
 
 The plantations at other parts of the property are very 
 extensive, being, in fact, as extensive as any to he met with in 
 Scotland. There are also several noteworthy specimens of 
 different varieties of trees in other parts of the property. In the 
 grounds at Moness House, near Aherfeldy, there is a fine group 
 of larches — one specimen girthing 18 feet at 1 foot from the 
 ground and 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet ; and another 15 feet at 
 1 foot and 10 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. They vary in height 
 from 94 feet to 100 feet, and are very symmetrical throughout. 
 On the road leading to the celebrated Falls of Moness, the scene 
 of Burns' song " The Birks of Aberfeldy," there is a splendid 
 cluster of Scots firs, of large size. Within the " Birks of 
 Aberfeldy " there is also some magnificent timber. Groups of 
 spruce trees are met with varying from 11 feet 10 inches at 1 
 foot, and 9 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, to 12 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 9 feet 8 inches at 5 feet. There are also many stately 
 larches, girthing close upon 10 feet at 5 feet from the ground. 
 Ash, elm, and beeches of large dimensions are also to be met 
 with. In the Killin district there are several large plantations 
 of great value. The soil, almost everywhere, is congenial to the 
 growth of timber, and especially so with regard to larch, which 
 grows more luxuriantly than any other variety. Extensive as 
 the plantations are, — reaching close on 11,000 acres, — much yet
 
 392 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 remains to be done, and the present Earl contemplates planting 
 extensively. His Lordship has already done much to beautify 
 and enhance the property by having considerable tracts planted 
 under the superintendence of Mr William Dunn, the land 
 
 VlTEIl FALL OF M.ONESS, 
 
 steward. A nursery has been formed for the rearing of forest 
 trees, and these are being planted out at intervals. Many of 
 the barer parts of the property are thus being clothed gradually, 
 to the immense improvement of the landscape, and the ultimate 
 benefit of the proprietor.
 
 XXXII r.— CASTLE MENZIES. 
 
 The Present and Former Castles — The Policies — Remarkable Chestnut, 
 Sycamore, Beech, Oak, and Elm Trees — The Newer Conifers — The 
 Largest Wcllingtonia gigantca in Britain — Comparison between the 
 Growth of the Wcllingtonia and the Cedrus Dcodara — The Castle 
 Menzies Gean Trees— Weem Rock and Woods— The ' ' Black Watch. " 
 — St David's Well — The Plantations — Spring versus Autumn Planting 
 — Great Improvements at Rannoch. 
 
 Castle Menzies has long been justly famed for the magnificent 
 timber which surrounds its ancient Walls. Indeed, there is no 
 place in Scotland, far less Perthshire, where so many gigantic 
 specimens of most of the ordinary varieties of trees are to be 
 seen in more luxuriant growth and beauty. All the larger 
 •specimens are to be met with in the rich and extensive lawn at 
 the foot of Weem Rock, under whose shelter the castle is built. 
 The present castle is a very old structure, but it is not the first 
 odifice which has been built upon these grounds. The original 
 residence of the Menzies family in this part of the country was 
 at a Castle built on the Rock of Weem, north-west from the 
 present one. There was also, as one of the residences of the 
 family, Comrie Castle, on the banks of the Lyon, the name 
 being derived from the lands upon which the Castle was built. 
 The latter was destroyed by fire in 1487 ; after which, the then 
 baronet, Sir Robert de Menyrs, built the old Castle of Weem, 
 Comrie Castle being repaired as a residence for the second son. 
 At tins time the laird of Weem had a new grant of his whole 
 lands from the Sovereign, the property being erected into a free 
 barony, under the title of the Barony of Menzies. In conse- 
 quence of a family quarrel about the lands of Rannoch, the old 
 Castle of Weem was burned by a relative, Neil Stewart of 
 Fortingall in 1502 ; and in return for this the Menzieses burned
 
 394 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the Stewarts of Fortingall's stronghold at Garth Castle. These 
 fires proved to be a great misfortune to the family, as many 
 valuable private papers, which threw much light upon the 
 history of the Clan, were consumed. The existing Castle 
 appears, from the date upon it, to have been built in 1571, and 
 is a fine old Scottish baronial edifice. Extensive additions were 
 made to it in 1840, in keeping with the original design, ren- 
 dering it one of the most commodious and picturesque castles 
 in Perthshire. The present Castle is also the centre of some 
 interesting historic incidents. The Clan Menzies took the side 
 of Parliament and the people in the Civil War of the seven- 
 teenth century. When the Marquis of Montrose began his 
 march from Athole into the Lowlands in 1644, he was the 
 cause of some trouble to the Menzieses. The Marquis sent a 
 trumpeter with a friendly message to the Chief of the Clan,, 
 intimating that he purposed passing through the Menzies lands 
 with his army on his way south. The Menzieses, with that 
 defiant spirit which characterised the Highlanders of the age,, 
 ill-treated the messenger of Montrose, hung on the rear of the 
 Eebels, and did all in their power to harass them. This was a 
 game, however, at which two could play, and the Eebels re- 
 taliated by plundering the country, destroying the crops, and 
 giving the roofs of the inhabitants to the flames. The Clan 
 Menzies fought on the side of General Mackay at Killiecrankie, 
 and after his defeat the General found refuge within the walls 
 of Castle Menzies. A good story is told regarding the fidelity 
 of the individual members of Clan Menzies, in connection with 
 the Rebellion of the next century. The Chief, at this time, Sir 
 R. Menzies, was lame, but he sent 200 of the Clan to fight for 
 Prince Charlie, and these were led by Menzies of Shian, being 
 present at Culloden. One of the Clan, Menzies of Meggernie, 
 having been pardoned for his share in the rising of 1715, was 
 restrained from personally taking part in the Rebellion of 1745, 
 but he showed his sympathy with " bonnie Prince Charlie " by 
 sending him a splendid charger as a present. The servant en- 
 trusted with the conveyance of the horse had the misfortune to 
 be apprehended, but, with the noblest fidelity to his Chief, he 
 preferred to die rather than betray his master. Castle Menzies
 
 CASTLE MENZIES. 395 
 
 can boast of having been dwelt in by Mary, Queen of Scots, 
 who came here after the hunting excursion with the Duke of 
 Athole, when she lived in a lodge put up for the occasion at 
 Loch Long, of which all traces have now disappeared. In 1745 
 Prince Charlie spent a night in the Castle. 
 
 Many of the more remarkable trees which surround the castle 
 were evidently planted about the date of the building of the 
 original castle, and it is rather marvellous how they escaped 
 destruction during the distracted period which supervened. 
 Having survived the ravages of war, and eluded the attentions 
 of the Vandal, they have been able to reap the full advantage 
 of their tine situation and the rich soil in which they luxuriate, 
 living to reach a green old age, and attain dimensions that 
 provoke the wonder of all who see them. The lawn upon which 
 the Castle and its arboreal treasures stand is about 300 feet 
 above the level of the sea. It is finely sheltered on the north 
 by the Rock of Weem, which presents a most magnificent 
 background, the many -tinted woods rising boldly out of its 
 steepy slopes, with huge masses of grey rock peeping out at 
 intervals, and contributing to the embellishment of the sylvan 
 picture. 
 
 Leaving the hospitable roof of the Castle, a walk of a very few 
 yards brings us into contact with the monarchs of the forest. 
 The first tree to which we directed our attention is a grand old 
 Spanish chestnut, situated in the washing-green. The tree is 
 much decayed, and carries a good many " growths," but it is 
 noteworthy from its extraordinary girth. At 6 inches from the 
 ground it girths 26 feet 6 inches; at 2 feet, 22 feet 2 inches; 
 at 3 feet, 20 feet 6 inches ; at 5 feet, 19 feet 2 inches ; at 7 feet, 
 18 feet 4 inches. It has a bole of about 12 feet, and an entire 
 height of 60 feet. At the top of the bole it breaks into two 
 very large limbs, each of which is equal in size and girth to 
 ordinary well-developed trees of this species. Behind the 
 garden there is another large Spanish chestnut, girthing 19 feet 
 2 inches at 2 feet from the ground and 15 feet 10 inches at 5 
 feet from the ground. It has a good bole of about 20 feet, and 
 an entire height of about 80 feet. An additional charm is lent 
 to its hoary, massive trunk by one side of the bole being
 
 396 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 beautifully and completely covered with a profusion of the 
 pretty fern, Polypodium vulgare. From a record, dated 1867, 
 we find the size of this tree stated as : — Height, 74 feet ; girth 
 at 6 feet from the ground, 13 feet 10 inches; diameter of 
 branches, 42 feet ; contents, 297 cubic feet. The soil is a rich 
 sandy loam, the exposure southern, and the tree is well sheltered 
 by others which surround it. Several large branches have been 
 cut off. 
 
 Although no traces of the old Castle of Weern are now to be 
 found, there are not wanting indications pointing to the site 
 upon which it stood. These consist of the remains of the 
 avenues which evidently led to the front entrance, and many of 
 the largest of the trees were originally units in these avenues. 
 Soine of the trees in the avenues are not so large as might be 
 expected from their great age, having been allowed to grow too 
 close, but wherever the trees have had full sway, they have 
 grown into veritable giants. A little to the west of the Castle 
 there is a very fine sycamore tree, which, although now some- 
 what isolated, was at one time within the avenue leading to the 
 Castle which was burned by Neil Stewart of Fortingall. The 
 girth at 1 fuot from the ground is 23 feet 11 inches, and at 5 
 feet 17 feet 11 inches. It is 80 feet in height, and has a 
 splendid bole of 40 feet. There are a few branches striking out 
 from the main trunk, but they do not interfere with the value 
 of the bole. A great limb was broken off during the memorable 
 gale of 28th December 1879, but the tree is very little disfigured 
 in consequence. The spread of branches is 85 feet, and it 
 contains upwards of 1000 cubic feet of timber. A short distance 
 from this sycamore we find the avenue, of which it originally 
 formed part, so far complete, but the trees are not nearly so 
 large, on account of their having been allowed to grow only 
 about 6 feet apart. About 100 yards east from the Castle there 
 is a sycamore of even larger dimensions than the one already 
 mentioned. The girth at 1 foot from the ground is no less than 
 28 feet 6 inches, and at 5 feet from the ground the girth is 19 
 feet 3 inches. It is a most symmetrical and picturestpue tree, 
 but, like many of the others, it is rather decrepit, and pretty 
 knotty. It also appears to have formed part of an avenue lead-
 
 CASTLE MKNZIES. 
 
 
 ing to the old Castle at the foot of the rock. The trees in this 
 avenue have heen planted wider, and they are consequently of 
 larger size and more uniform growth. The sycamore adjoining 
 the tree we have just mentioned girths 19 feet 3 inches at 3 feet 
 above the ground, being immediately above the roots. The whole 
 of the trees in this avenue are about the same size, with an 
 average height of 80 feet, and are noble and symmetrical 
 specimens of this fine park tree, which is among the first k> 
 cheer the spring with its vivid green. 
 
 SYCAMOKK AT (JASTLli All'.^ZUv- 
 
 The beech is represented by several remarkable specimens. 
 Some very good ones are to be seen quite close to the Castle, — 
 one of them having a very peculiar growth, being, in point of 
 fact, a vegetable " Siamese Twins." The roots are completely 
 joined together, but about 1 foot above the ground the trunk 
 separates for 3£ feet, and then unites again, leaving an opening 
 through which an ordinary-sized person might pass. One of the 
 separate limbs girths 9 feet 10 inches, and tho other girths 7
 
 398 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 feet 3 inches. At the point where the two limhs reunite the 
 <nrth is 14 feet 2 inches. It would seem as if two trees had 
 heen planted and had agreed to amalgamate the hetter to resist 
 the storms of life, in accordance with the old motto, " Union is 
 strength." An adjoining tree has grown up in much the same 
 way. Although there is virtually one trunk, there can be little 
 doubt that there were originally two trees, as the connection is 
 perfectly visible. At 1 foot from the ground this double tree 
 girths 16 feet 3 inches, and at 5 feet from the ground the girth 
 is 13 feet 2 inches, with a fine bole of 20 feet, after which the 
 tree splits into two branches. There is another very fine beech 
 girthing 16 feet 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 12 feet 
 8 inches at 5 feet from the ground, with a grand bole of 18 or 
 20 feet. 
 
 There are several very good oaks. One of these, growing 
 close to the public road between Weem and Fortingall, girths 
 15 feet at 1 foot from the ground and 12 feet 6 inches at 5 
 feet from the ground. There are also a number of very fine 
 elms on the property. One of these, near Camserney Mill, has 
 a girth of 22 feet at 1 foot from the ground and 15 feet 2 
 inches at 5 feet. An ash in the policies girths 17 feet 5 inches 
 at 1 foot and 13 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, and another ash at 
 Boltachan has a girth of 18 feet 3 inches at 1 foot and 13 feet 
 at 5 feet up. A larch at the west end of the garden girths 16 
 feet at 1 foot and 10 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from the ground. 
 
 Having detailed the more remarkable specimens of the 
 common hardwood trees at Castle Menzies, we shall now proceed 
 to describe the rarer and newer varieties of timber for which 
 this property is no less distinguished. Amongst the more 
 prominent of these is a splendid Wellingtonia gigantea, believed 
 to be ■ about the largest specimen in Great Britain. It was 
 amongst the first batch sent out from London, and, although it 
 was then no bigger than a man's finger, it cost the extravagant 
 sum of £3, 3s. It was kept in a pot for a couple of years, and 
 planted out in the garden in 1858. When measured in May 
 1879 it had a girth at the ground of 11 feet 1 inch. In Sep- 
 tember 1880 the girth was 12 feet. In May 1883 the girth 
 at the ground was 13 feet 7 inches, at 1 foot from the ground
 
 CASTLE MENZIES. 399 
 
 the girth was 1 2 feet 1 inches, and at 5 feet from the ground 
 the girth was 9 feet 3 inches. The height was 44 feet, and the 
 spread of branches 25 feet. There are many splendid specimens 
 of Cedrus Deodar a, and, as they are about the same age 
 as the Wellingtonia, we have a good opportunity of con- 
 trasting them with the more rapid-growing tree. There 
 is a very fine avenue of the Cedrus Deodar a lining a grass 
 walk a little distance from the Castle, and planted about 
 twenty-five years ago to commemorate the natal day of Mr Neil 
 Menzies, younger of Menzies. One of these trees, taken as a 
 fair sample of the lot, girths 4 feet 6 inches — a very striking 
 contrast to the girth of the Wellingtonia of much the same age. 
 The trees in this avenue range from 30 to 35 feet in height. 
 They are all exceedingly beautiful specimens, although one or 
 two have lost their leaders. About two years ago a quantity of 
 Cedrus Deodara seed was obtained from India, and planted 
 throughout the garden. The seed has sprung up beautifully, 
 and now there are about 500 thriving young specimens planted 
 out. There is also a very good specimen of Cryptomeria 
 Japonica of the same age as the Wellingtonia, but it is not 
 making much progress, although it is in perfect health. One of 
 the most curious trees in the grounds is a specimen of Arbutus 
 Menziesii, planted about twelve years ago. It is a large shrub, 
 the leaves of which have a strong resemblance to the laurel. It 
 casts its bark, — which is only the thickness of writing paper, — 
 exposing underneath a very fine quality of wood, of a beautiful 
 clean cinnamon colour. The height is about 12 feet, and the 
 plant is well spread. It does not seem to suffer in any way 
 from the weather, but as yet it has yielded no fruit. It is a 
 very ornamental plant, and has a somewhat tropical appearance. 
 Abies Albertiana promises to do very well in this part of the 
 country. One specimen in the policies — raised from seed, and 
 planted by Sir Robert Menzies about thirty years ago — has 
 attained a height of 60 feet. A Picea grandis close beside it 
 has also proved to be a fast-growing and very promising tree. 
 It was planted about ten years ago, and has been known to add 
 three feet in the course of one year. There is also a very 
 shapely specimen of Picea Lowii. We next directed our
 
 400 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 attention to a large and handsome tulip tree. At 1 foot from 
 the ground the girth is 10 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet from 
 the ground the girth is 10 feet 1 inch. The bole is fully 8 feet, 
 — the tree breaking out into two limbs, which grow wide apart 
 and have to be bound by an iron loop. It is believed to be the 
 largest specimen in Scotland. A hornbeam close beside the 
 one just mentioned, is also a notable tree. It has a bole of 25 
 feet, and the girth at 1 foot from the ground is 8 feet 6 inches ; 
 and at 5 feet from the ground the girth is 8 feet 4 inches. 
 Abies Menziesii is also found to luxuriate in the deep rich soil 
 and sheltered situation at Castle Menzies. One of the best 
 specimens is fully 70 feet high, with a girth of 10 feet 6 inches 
 at 3 feet from the ground. The branches are very dense, and 
 so close to the ground that there is some difficulty in measuring 
 the tree. It is altogether a most shapely plant, and as good a 
 specimen as can be seen anywhere. There are several remarkably 
 good specimens of the black Italian poplar. What is understood 
 to be the best of these rises to a height of about 90 feet, and 
 has a splendid bole of 40 feet. At 1 foot from the ground, it 
 girths 12 feet 5 inches, and at 5 feet from the ground the girth 
 is 11 feet. There are several others that may claim to be 
 almost equally good. There are a number of fine specimens of 
 Picea Cephalonica, Pinas Nordmanniana, Abies Douglasii, 
 Pinus Benthamiana, and Pinus ponder 'osa. A large variety of 
 the newer conifers, principally from Japan, have been intro- 
 duced in recent years, and, so far, are thriving as well as could 
 be wished. These newer importations include Picea polita, a 
 beautiful ornamental tree ; Abies orientalis, a very handsome 
 variety of the spruce ; Abies Alcoqniana, which attains a height 
 of 1 00 feet under favourable conditions ; and Picea bifida, also 
 a very promising variety. Sir Robert does not possess what 
 can be called a pinetum, the exotic conifers being planted all 
 over the property, and in all sorts of situations as to soil and 
 climate. This, we need hardly say, would have been a very 
 expensive proceeding if the plants had been procured from 
 nursery grounds in the ordinary way. Sir Robert, however, has 
 been enabled to adopt this plan from having subscribed to two 
 Associations, organised for the purpose of sending out properly
 
 CASTLE MENZIES. 401 
 
 qualified men to California and British Columbia as seed- 
 collectors, and in this way he received a share of all the new- 
 plants imported by Jeffrey and Browne. In addition to the 
 Douglasii, the Menziesli, and the Albertiana — which Jeffrey 
 sent home as Mertensiana — and Browne's grandis, which are 
 all proving useful additions to the timber trees of Scotland, we 
 found that the Thuja Craiglana sent home by Jeffrey, and 
 otherwise known as the Thuja gigantea and Libocedrus decurrens, 
 is also doing very well indeed, growing quite as fast, and thriving 
 quite as favourably, as any of the others. If the wood should 
 ultimately prove to be good and useful, this variety will have to be 
 added to the others that will be extensively planted in the future. 
 
 Throughout the whole policies, something attractive may be 
 seen at every turn. Here we meet with an old avenue of elm 
 or sycamore, reminding us of the more ancient Castle ; and there 
 we pause to admire some of those newer varieties which will 
 undoubtedly become the timber trees of the future. The rich 
 loamy soil of the extensive lawn surrounding the Castle, and 
 the splendid shelter which is afforded by the Rock of Weem, 
 present a combination which is most favourable to the growth 
 not only of all varieties of timber which can resist the baneful 
 influences of the climate, but many plants thrive here in a way 
 which they can do in few other places in Scotland. All the 
 fruits capable of being reared in the open air grow in abundance, 
 and more than one variety can be seen in perfection. From a 
 very early date the Castle Menzies gean trees obtained celebrity 
 all over the country. So famous, indeed, were these trees at 
 one time, that their seed was sought for from all parts of Great 
 Britain, and large quantities were even sent abroad by request. 
 
 Leaving the lawn, of which we have had so much to say, we 
 bend our steps towards Weem Rock, which rises to a height of 
 600 feet immediately behind the castle. Its bold sides are 
 richly covered with a good deal of old and young timber, 
 presenting a very picturesque object in the landscape. From the 
 summit a most extensive and charming prospect is opened up, 
 the eye looking down upon 
 
 " A blending of all beauties — streams and dells, 
 Fruit, foliage, crag, wood, cornfield, mountain, vine. 
 
 2c
 
 402 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Straight beneath us lie the romantic old castle and the peaceful 
 village of Weem. At one glance the eye takes in almost the 
 whole of Strathtay, with its highly-cultivated fields, tastefully 
 scored with lines of well-nourished trees, principally oak. We 
 trace the Tay from its source, and mark the lines of birch and 
 oak, with an occasional fir, which grace its banks, and then 
 direct attention to the items which go to make up the magnificent 
 scene. Two miles distant we have a full view of the pretty 
 village of Aberfeldy. A little higher up the slopes of the south 
 side of the Tay we see the famous " Birks of Aberfeldy," im- 
 mortalised by Burns. Not the least interesting item in the scene 
 immediately before us is the substantial stone bridge, with its 
 four large obelisks, built by General Wade in 1733, as part of 
 his great military road from Stirling to Inverness. At the 
 point where the bridge crosses the Tay, the river is no 
 inconsiderable size, and is frequently so much flooded that 
 the adjoining fields are sometimes under water to the depth 
 of several feet. A little to the north of the bridge we see the 
 field on which, in 1739, the famous " Black Watch" was first 
 embodied, this title being acquired from their dark tartan 
 uniform.' Although the regiment was embodied here in 1739, 
 half a dozen companies were raised some years previously. The 
 independent companies known as the " Black Watch " came by 
 two different routes to the " Loblen Mor," or the large field north 
 from Tay Bridge ; — those from Braemar via Kirkmichael and 
 Pitlochry ; and those from Lochaber and Badenoch by Dalna- 
 cardoch and Coshieville, and having been formed there into a 
 regiment, they marched across Tay Bridge, and encamped on 
 the field to the north of it at Aberfeldy, where they remained 
 for ten months. In May 1740 the regiment was raised to an 
 aggregate of over 1000 men, who were quartered on this field 
 for nearly eighteen months. At that period the regiment was 
 known in the Line as the 43rd ; but on the reduction of the 
 original 42nd Regiment in 1749, they were gazetted as the Royal 
 42nd Highlanders. Many of the men, we are told, who com- 
 posed this fine Regiment, were drawn from a higher station in 
 society than is ordinarily the case with soldiers, being principally 
 connected with the families of gentlemen and farmers, which
 
 CASTLE MENZIES. 403 
 
 may have not a little to do with the distinction which they 
 gained in their earlier hattlefields, and which has stimulated them 
 ever since. Casting our eyes westwards from the historic field 
 of which we have been speaking, we obtain a view of the 
 eastern end of Loch Tay, its blue waters sparkling in the 
 sunshine, and looking in the distance, with the great hills on 
 either side more like a winding river than a great lake. At 
 the western end we see the mighty Ben More frowning down 
 upon the bright expansive waters, as if it were commissioned to 
 confine them to their present basin. There, too, is the huge 
 Ben Lawers, and the pine-capped Drummond Hill. Taymouth 
 Castle we cannot see — embowered, as it is, amidst umbrageous 
 trees. On the south side of the Tay, the ground gradually 
 rises from the river side, until it attains an almost mountainous 
 height. The land is cultivated for a considerable distance up 
 the slopes, varied here and there with battalion-like strips of 
 timber, and a grand fir plantation along the crest of the hill 
 directly opposite the rock from which we look upon this grand 
 panorama, reminding one forcibly of the lines in Goldsmith's 
 Traveller — 
 
 " Its uplands sloping deck the mountain's side, 
 Woods over woods in gay theatric pride." 
 
 In exploring Weem Rock we find a good deal more that is 
 interesting than we could anticipate. Disturbing in our passage 
 the capercalzie, the hawk, and the roe-deer, by which it is much 
 frequented, in addition to the more familiar inhabitants of the 
 woods, we proceed to examine the nature of the wood which 
 clothes its slopes and imparts so much that is beautiful to the 
 surrounding landscape. About 150 or 200 feet above the 
 Castle we come across an avenue of large-sized beeches. One 
 which we measured as a fair sample of the lot girthed 13 feet 
 5 inches at the narrowest part of the trunk. The avenue is of 
 considerable length, but is broken here and there by trees that 
 have fallen and been removed. This avenue, like some of those 
 we noticed on the lawn, has evidently had some connection with 
 the old Castle. The timber upon the Rock consists principally 
 of oak, beech, larch, and Scots fir. Some of the hardwood
 
 404 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 trees throughout the wood are of large size, particularly the 
 beeches. A very fine one which we measured girths 14 feet 
 7 inches at the narrowest part, being 3 feet from the ground, 
 and in every respect a very shapely tree. An oak girths 
 13 feet 2 inches at 5 feet from the ground. A larch at 
 1 foot from the ground girths 13 feet 11 inches, and at 5 feet 
 from the ground 10 feet 2 inches. The bole tapers very little 
 until it reaches a height of 35 feet, — there being altogether a 
 splendid trunk up to the top of the tree, which is about 100 
 feet in height. There are a number of very good Weymouth 
 pines. One of these girths 11 feet 10 inches at 1 foot from the 
 ground and 10 feet 1 inch at 5 feet from the ground. Another, 
 close beside the one just referred to, girths 10 feet 11 inches at 
 
 I foot from the ground and 9 feet 8 inches at 5 feet. A good 
 many of these trees immediately at the back of the garden wall 
 have boles averaging 25 feet. There are a few Scots firs of fair 
 proportions. One which we measured girths 7 feet 3 inches 
 at 5 feet from the ground, tapering very slightly until the bole 
 reaches a height- of about 40 feet. A spruce close beside the 
 latter girths 7 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the ground, the bole 
 being quite as good as that of the fir. Another which we saw 
 was much larger, the girth at 1 foot from the ground being 1 1 
 feet 4 inches, and at 5 feet 10 feet 8 inches. There are also a 
 few very fine silver firs, — one near the garden girthing 14 feet 
 
 II inches at 1 foot from the ground and 12 feet 9 inches at 5 
 feet. A good manv of the newer coniferous trees have been 
 planted throughout the .Rock, including Pinus Austriaca, Abies 
 Douglasii, Abies Albertiana, &c. A large quantity of rhodo- 
 dendrons have been planted over the Rock, principally as cover 
 for game. Although the soil in many parts is not very deep, 
 and the trees have but a slight grip of the ground, there are 
 some portions where the soil is of a very superior quality ; and 
 all along the brow of the hill, the land, which is a light loam, is 
 under cultivation, and capable of producing very fine crops. At 
 some places the Rock is marked by dangerous-looking fissures, 
 and occasionally great masses of stone break away and rush 
 down the slopes with terrific force. 
 
 One of the great attractions to ordinary visitors is the spring
 
 CASTLE MENZIES. 405 
 
 known as St David's Well. This is one of those ancient 
 " wishing Wells" into which the devotees used to drop money or 
 valuables, and invoke the blessing of the patron saint, and 
 which proved a rich mine to the priests in the district. The well 
 occupies a most romantic situation, and one which would readily 
 stir the superstitious feelings of the ignorant devotees. The 
 water, cool and bright, percolates through the rock in one of the 
 corners of a large cave, capable of accommodating fifty people 
 under the immense overhanging rock. Some time ago the ground 
 in front of this great hollow was dug up, with the result that a 
 quantity of bones was discovered. 
 
 "When we come to consider the plantations, we find that the 
 lairds of Castle Menzies are entitled to rank amongst the great 
 planters of their day. A good deal of waste land was planted 
 during the time of the late Sir Neil Menzies, Sir Eobert's father, 
 but by far the larger portion of those miles of woodlands which 
 now adorn the Menzies property was the work of the present 
 laird. Since Sir Robert came into possession in 1845, he has 
 planted no fewer than two millions of trees ; and the great 
 improvement which this has effected upon the appearance of a 
 country that was previously bleak, barren, and cold-looking, can 
 scarcely be imagined. The first work of this nature which he 
 undertook was the planting of the sides of the Hill of Tgarmuchd, 
 which marches with the Wood of Dull on the west. The Wood 
 of Dull itself consists of about 300 acres of mature wood, prin- 
 cipally Scots fir. The hill of Tgarmuchd was planted in 1847, 
 and extends to about 100 acres — about 230,000 trees being 
 utilised in the planting. The wood here is mostly Scots fir and 
 larch, intermixed with hardwood, principally oak, beech, and ash. 
 The wood has not grown so well here, as in some other parts of 
 the property. At Foss a large acreage was also planted about 
 thirty years ago, Scots fir and larch predominating. Within the 
 last twelve years a very fine plantation has been laid down 
 above Weem Rock. The wood here is also principally larch 
 and Scots fir, the plants being obtained from Perth Nursery, 
 Dundee, and Aberdeen. There are altogether about one million 
 trees in this plantation. Taken as a whole, the young trees are 
 thriving vigorously, and promise to yield a very fine crop.
 
 406 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 The hand of the improver is perhaps most apparent at 
 Eannoch. Even when the present baronet entered into 
 possession, there was scarcely a tree to be seen throughout 
 this extensive part of the property, almost the only relief to the 
 dull monotony of great mountains, acres of stone, — " the 
 riddlings of creation," — and the blue waters of the loch, being 
 the famous " Black Wood of Kannoch," on the Dall property. 
 Even at present, the district of Eannoch has a wild and barren 
 aspect ; but it is still a veritable " Garden of Eden," compared 
 with what it was thirty-six years ago, when Sir Walter Scott's 
 description of another part of Scotland was equally applicable 
 here — 
 
 " By my halidome, 
 A scene so rude, so wild as this, 
 Yet so sublime in barrenness, 
 Ne'er did my wandering footsteps press, 
 
 Where'er I happ'd to roam. 
 • • ..... 
 
 Above, around, below, 
 
 On mountain or in glen, 
 Nor tree, nor shrub, nor plant, nor flower, 
 Nor ought of vegetative power, 
 
 The weary eye may ken. 
 
 For all is rocks at random thrown, 
 
 Black waves, bare crags, and banks of stone. 
 
 As if were here denied 
 The summer sun, the Spring's sweet dew, 
 That clothe with many a varied hue 
 
 The bleakest mountain -side." 
 
 Indeed, " The Wizard of the North " had a keen perception of 
 
 the barren loneliness of Eannoch in his day, and embodied 
 
 his observations in the opening stanzas of the Fourth Canto of 
 
 The Lord of the Isles — 
 
 " Stranger, if e'er thine ardent steps hath traced 
 The northern realms of ancient Caledon, 
 Where the proud Queen of Wilderness hath placed, 
 By lake and cataract, her lonely throne ; 
 Sublime, but sad delight thy soul hath known, 
 Gazing on pathless glen and mountain high, 
 Listing where from the cliffs the torrents thrown 
 Mingle their echoes with the eagle's cry, 
 And with the sounding lake, and with the moaning sky.
 
 CASTLE MENZIES. 40 7 
 
 Yes? 'twas sublime, but sad. — The loneliness 
 Loaded thy heart, the desert fired thine eye ; 
 And strange and awful fears began to press 
 Thy bosom with a stdrn solemnity. 
 
 Such are the scenes where savage grandeur wakes 
 
 An awful thrill that softens into sighs ; 
 
 Such feelings rouse them by dim Rannoch's lakes." 
 
 Now, however, such gloomy thoughts are hardly likely to arise 
 on visiting Rannoch, where, although the railway has not 
 penetrated within twenty miles of its beautiful loch, large 
 numbers of tourists, in search of health and of the " savage 
 grandeur" in Nature, annually find their way to the foot 
 of Schehallion, and traverse the shores of Loch Rannoch. All 
 over this extensive track of almost barren country, — where only 
 the deer, the grouse, and, in some parts, the hardy blackfaced 
 sheep or Highland cattle, can find a picking — several miles of 
 woodlands have been laid down at intervals during comparatively 
 recent years, with the view of at once improving the aspect of 
 the country, and turning the more barren spots to a profitable 
 purpose. In some parts, the planters have evidently been 
 actuated more by a love of the beautiful than by pecuniary con- 
 siderations. Along the sides of the loch, and by the banks of 
 the burns and streams which flow into it, Sir Robert has added 
 greatly to the beauty of the landscape by planting birch very 
 extensively, — a tree which Coleridge has described as the 
 
 " Most beautiful 
 Of forest trees — the lady of the woods." 
 
 All the plantations at Rannoch appear to have been laid 
 down in the course of the present century. At Aulich, 15 acres 
 of Scots fir were planted in 1802 by Sir John Menzies, who 
 also planted 10 acres of the same variety at Killiechonan in 
 1806. In 1809, Sir Robert Menzies planted 40 acres of Scots 
 fir, larch, oak, and ash at Kinaclachair ; and his successor, Sir 
 Neil Menzies, father of the present proprietor, extended this 
 wood in 1816, by adding other 60 acres. All of these older 
 plantations have thriven remarkably well, and now contain very 
 fine trees for their age. At Kinaclachair, the wood suffered
 
 408 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 severely by the Tay Bridge gale. No planting was done 
 between the years 1816 and 1845, when the present proprietor 
 came into possession, and commenced his extensive improve- 
 ments. The first of Sir Robert's plantings took place at 
 Craiganour, where, in the autumn of 1845, 70 acres of Scots 
 fir and larch, with a few oaks, were laid down. This plantation 
 has also thriven very well, and in 1860 it was extended by 
 about 25 acres of the same varieties of timber. Sir Robert 
 brooked no delay in the work of improvement, and in the 
 spring of 1846, 120 acres were planted at Tirchardie, the wood 
 being of the same varieties as planted at Craiganour, in the 
 autumn of 1845. By laying down the one plantation in 
 autumn and the other in spring, an opportunity has been pre- 
 sented of contrasting the merits of the two systems. In both 
 cases, the woodlands are at the lochside, and are exactly the 
 same as to soil and climate, and yet we find that the spring 
 plantation is apparently ten years behind the one planted in 
 autumn. In 1873, 60 acres of fir and larch were planted at 
 Culvullin, and are doing very well. In the later plantations — 
 those laid down since 1845 — some of the larches have not done 
 so well ; but still there are many fine specimens throughout the 
 woods. Other plantations, more or less extensive, have been 
 laid down during the past few years. 
 
 It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of such 
 work as this. Since the year 1802 about 500 acres of planta- 
 tions have been laid down in the Rannoch district, and of these 
 more than 350 acres have been planted by the present Sir 
 Robert Menzies. Within the last thirty-eight years, then, an 
 alteration has been made upon the face of this part of the 
 country of which the younger generation can have but a very 
 slight conception, and which will become even more marked in 
 the future. "Where formerly nothing was seen but unproductive 
 moorland, we have now the waving pine tree, the hardy fir, and 
 the graceful birch, adding a new beauty to the face of the earth, 
 and yielding a rich return to the planter. Experiments are 
 also being made with varieties of the newer conifers, which may 
 serve as guides for future planters in such unpromising situations. 
 Picea grandis is planted throughout the woods, and is thriving
 
 CASTLE MENZIES. 409 
 
 very well. Abies Albertiana is very extensively planted at 
 Iiannoch, and is also growing in a most satisfactory way. 
 
 Although Sir Eobert takes a very great interest in the wood- 
 lands, and personally directs their management, he is equally 
 solicitous regarding the improvement of his agricultural holdings. 
 Everywhere, throughout his vast domains, the hand of the 
 improver is visible ; and although, from the general character 
 of a great part of the Country, he has had enormous difficulties 
 to overcome, he has been rewarded with such a measure of 
 success as to encourage him to persevere in the same commend- 
 able direction.
 
 XXXIV.— THE BLACK WOOD OF RANNOCH. 
 
 Origin of Name — Relic of the Original Forests of Scotland— Age of the 
 Trees — Buried Remains of the i Ancient Forest — A Forest Fire — 
 Destruction of a Portion of the Wood by a Public Company — 
 Difficulties Connected with the Removal of the Timber — Scarcity of 
 Food at the Time — Natural History Items — Rannoch Fir as an 
 Illuminator — Remarkable Trees. 
 
 Allusion has already been made to the picturesque effect of the 
 Black ..Wood of Rannoch upon the southern shores of the 
 magnificent loch which takes its name from the district. This 
 wood is certainly a most conspicuous object in the landscape of 
 a district which cannot boast of a superabundant wealth of 
 timber, although, as we have previously shown, improvements 
 of considerable magnitude have already been effected, and are 
 still in progress in Rannoch. The Black Wood, in all proba- 
 bility, derives its name from its peculiar sombre appearance ; but 
 this is one of those characteristics which contribute to its charm, 
 its sable shade presenting a perpetual contrast to the lighter 
 tints of the surrounding woods, as they change their hues with 
 the returning seasons. But while its waving branches and 
 gloomy aspect enrich the landscape with a beautiful and imposing 
 picture, there is another circumstance which increases our 
 interest in this celebrated wood. The Black Wood of Rannoch 
 is a valuable relic of the original forests of Scotland, being the 
 only important remains of the great Caledonian Forest. From 
 it we gather some faint idea of what Rannoch may have been 
 like when the whole surface of the country was one unbroken 
 stretch of woodlands, the haunt of the hungry wolf and the 
 ferocious wild boar, of which many traditional stories are still 
 related in the district ; or, more recently, when it was the refuge 
 of the unsubjugated freebooter.
 
 THE BLACK WOOD OF KANNOCH. 411 
 
 The bulk of the present growth of timber does not appear to 
 be particularly old, although its age cannot be determined with 
 anything like certainty. It has evidently, however, grown up 
 in succession to a wood which had been almost consumed by fire 
 at a period not very remote ; at least, at a time long subsequent 
 to that when the woods of the country generally are supposed to 
 have been cleared by the same agency. Whether oak or fix was 
 most plentiful in the ancient forests, it is now very difficult to 
 say, but tracts of both may have predominated in the same 
 district at intervals according to the nature of the land. The 
 remains of fir, however, are chiefly turned up in the mosses of 
 Rannoch, the boglands being largely studded with the stocks of 
 fir embedded in cinders, the trunks being of somewhat similar 
 dimensions to their modern representatives. But the remains 
 of oak are not unfrequently discovered. A few years ago a fine 
 log of oak, measuring 5 feet 9 inches in diameter, was dug up 
 in this wood. 
 
 The Black Wood of Rannoch is on the estate of Dall, the 
 property of Mr T. V. u Wentworth, an enthusiastic arboriculturist. 
 Mr Wentworth has displayed commendable taste in planting 
 very extensively all over an already well-wooded estate, and in 
 the transplantation of trees of various sizes from the native stock. 
 Within the last twenty years Mr Wentworth has advantage- 
 ously put about 200 acres under plantation, the wood being 
 confined to the proprietor's favourite, the old Scots fir — 
 
 " The pine which for ages has shed a bright halo." 
 
 In a short time this will very considerably enlarge the aspect of 
 the Black Wood, which, at the same time, carries on its own 
 work of propagation and extension. A few years ago, a very 
 promising plantation of about 80 acres was almost destroyed by 
 fire, which seized the heather among which the trees were 
 planted. The tire, unfortunately, speedily obtained a strong 
 hold upon the wood, and, although many willing hands used 
 their utmost efforts to preserve it the fire was not extinguished 
 until the greater part of the plantation was destroyed. The 
 trees which were saved are of fine growth and great beauty, and 
 as the trees consumed have been carefully and successfully
 
 412 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 replaced by wholesale transplantation from the Black Wood, 
 the ravages of this great fire will, within a short time, scarcely 
 be visible. 
 
 The area of the Black Wood is not quite so large as it must 
 have been in the last century, but it is still of considerable size, 
 its total extent being about three miles long by two miles 
 broad. In addition to this, there are many detached clumps 
 scattered round about, but not connected with the main thicket. 
 
 Oak, ash, and other native varieties, are interspersed all over 
 the Dall estate, while the indigenous birch flourishes in great 
 abundance. The old knotted birch, unrivalled for cabinet 
 work, is very abundant ; while the weeping variety, with its 
 fine trailing locks, is also plentiful, and meets with much 
 merited admiration in the balmy days of summer, when this 
 tree appears in all its graceful beauty. We have mentioned 
 that the area of the Black Wood is not at present so extensive 
 as it was during last century. This is greatly to be regretted, but 
 it is matter for profound satisfaction that the famous wood was 
 not completely obliterated, as at one time was being rapidly 
 accomplished by contract. About the beginning of the present 
 century, a portion of the wood was sold to a Public Company 
 belonging to the south, who felled a great part of it, and would 
 have carried off considerably more timber, but for the lucky 
 circumstance, at least for the country, that the enterprise failed 
 to prove remunerative owing to the difficulty of transit, &c. 
 Although the Company did not prosper, it was the means of 
 doing some little good to the district while the operations 
 lasted. At that time the country was in a very bad state, 
 bordering almost on famine. Meal could scarcely be procured 
 at any price, work was scarce, and labourers only too plentiful. 
 The cutting down of the Black Wood was, accordingly, looked 
 upon at the time as a providential circumstance, and proved a 
 great blessing to many of the poor people in the district, as the 
 Company imported provisions from the south to supply the 
 workers in a way that was impossible for the natives to do 
 without extraneous aid. Indeed, so great was the poverty at this 
 time, and the scarcity of oatmeal, — the staple food of the people of 
 this and other parts of Scotland, — that no more than one half-
 
 THE BLACK WOOD OF EANNOCH. 413 
 
 boll of meal was distributed at a time to a single family, the rest 
 of their supplies having to be made up with sea biscuits. 
 
 The wood actually borders on the loch, but, owing to its 
 great extent inland, the Company was compelled to adopt a 
 rather ingenious method for conveying the timber to its 
 expansive waters, thence to be carried out to sea. Canals were 
 formed along the brow of the hill, with locks or basins at fixed 
 intervals on each level, into which the timber was floated for 
 collection. About one mile from the loch, a long sluice was 
 constructed, down which the heavy trees were slipped one by 
 one, a man being perched upon a tree to signal by a loud 
 whistle when the log was launched. The trees sometimes came 
 down this great incline with such force that they broke into 
 splinters on the passage, many went into the loch with such 
 tremendous precipitation that they stuck as fast as stakes in 
 deep water, while the sheer weight of not a few caused them to 
 sink to the bottom, never to rise again. The trees which found 
 their way in safety into the loch, were bound into rafts, to 
 undergo a dangerous passage down the Tummel and the Tay. 
 Even some of the rafts which reached the Firth of Tay in safety, 
 floated away to the German Ocean and were lost, some of them 
 being found stranded on the shores of Holland. With such 
 enormous difficulties to contend against, it is not surprising that 
 the Company became seriously embarrassed, and had to give up 
 the undertaking. It was thus that the famous Black Wood of 
 Iiannoch has been preserved till this day. 
 
 The state of the wood is now considerably changed, although 
 the canals are still to be seen in green or heather-covered ditches. 
 Beautiful drives are now opened up in every direction, and a 
 finer drive or promenade cannot be enjoyed in this country than 
 here in the bracing days of autumn, amidst the sweet-scented 
 heather and the fragrant birks, and under the shadow of the 
 old Scots fir. It is worthy of note that this natural wood has 
 not destroyed the heather, as plantations have a tendency to do. 
 Indeed, the wood rather seem to have stimulated the heather, 
 for its strength and luxuriance of growth is such as can be 
 excelled nowhere in Scotland. No trace has been found of any 
 habitation having ever been attempted within the wood, although
 
 414 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 there are not a wanting evidences of the time when seclusion and 
 quiet were highly necessary conditions for distilling a "good 
 drappie." In the centre of the wood there is a fine green open- 
 ing of about 25 acres, called Inniscalden. This was once under 
 cultivation, but it is now given up to the use of game, with 
 which the wood necessarily abounds. The strong red-deer of 
 the forest seeks shelter here, and the spot is the favourite haunt 
 of the roe. Grouse are plentiful on the higher parts of the wood. 
 There are also plenty of blackgame, while the capercailzie are so 
 much at home, and have become so numerous, that they seem 
 to some extent to have driven the blackgame outside. A great 
 number of these fine birds, of enormous weight and splendid 
 plumage, are shot every season. Hares and the ubiquitous 
 rabbits also roam over the entire wood in great numbers. 
 The industrious ants, too, are seldom seen to greater advan- 
 tage than in the Black Wood of Rannoch, where they con- 
 struct pyramidical mounds rising to a height of four or five feet. 
 So great is their rapacity, that a single community will consume 
 a rabbit amongst them in a night, and polish its skeleton to a 
 nicety. One of the most interesting features connected with 
 natural history in the Black Wood, is the large numbers of rare 
 lepidopterous insects to be found, in search of which entomo- 
 logists annually come from all parts of the country. Their 
 exertions are frequently rewarded by the capture of some of the 
 most valuable flies, and specimens have been occasionally 
 secured that were hitherto unknown. We have heard of speci- 
 mens being captured so rare that their value was set down at 
 from £25 to £30. 
 
 The timber of the Black Wood is so rich in resin and 
 turpentine that before the days of paraffin oil, the whole of 
 Northern Perthshire depended on the stocks of the Rannoch fir 
 alone for the illumination of their dwellings. Many thousand 
 tons of these stocks were regularly sent to the different fairs in 
 the county for sale, the purchasers breaking up the stocks into 
 splinters, which were used not as substitutes for the candle, but 
 as the indispensable domestic light. One of the most noticeable 
 characteristics of the Rannoch firs is the enormous weight of the 
 limbs in proportion to the body of the trees, and their general
 
 THE BLACK WOOD OF EANNOCH. 415 
 
 uniformity. Taking, as most convenient, two fine trees at the 
 curve of the approach west of the mansion-house, we found that 
 they were almost identical in size and structure. The first one 
 is exactly 14 feet in girth at 1 foot, and 10 feet at 10 feet from 
 the ground, continuing at this girth for ahout 20 feet up. The 
 tree then divides into several ponderous branches, from which 
 less heavy, but by no means light, branches again break out — 
 the top of the tree being rich in that bushy finish peculiar to 
 the native fir. The second tree is almost similar to the first. 
 The girth at 1 foot from the ground is exactly the same, but at 
 5 feet the girth is 11| feet, this measurement being obtainable 
 up to a height of about 30 feet. The diameter of the ground 
 covered by these two trees is no less than 50 and 51 feet respec- 
 tively. Along the loch side, near the public road, there are a 
 few trees worthy of being tested with the tape line. About one 
 mile west from Dall Bridge, where the denser part of the wood 
 begins, there are three very remarkable " sister trees." At a 
 little distance they present the appearance of having sprung from 
 the same stem, but a closer inspection demonstrates their indi- 
 viduality. They are so near to the lake that their roots spread 
 into the water, and draw their nourishment directly from the loch. 
 They are apparently of the same age as the majority of the trees 
 in the wood. There is nothing particularly striking about them 
 as individual specimens, but it is very unusual to meet with 
 three such fine trees so close to each other in a wood of Nature's 
 own planting. On being measured, they were each found to girth 
 9 feet at about 5 feet from the ground, this girth being maintained 
 up till a height of about 25 feet from the ground. They have 
 a very beautiful palm-like appearance. About half a mile farther 
 up the loch side, and close to the margin of the water, there is a 
 magnificent sample of the oldest stock of trees in the wood, 
 although it has reached no great height. It is situated a little 
 below the private road leading to Inniscalden opening, and iseasily 
 reached. Its gigantic limbs and beautiful symmetry combine to 
 render it a grand specimen of the native fir. At 1 foot from the 
 ground it girths 16 feet, at 16 feet from the ground it girths 12 
 feet, and at 20 feet high the girth is 9 feet. The first branch, 
 which breaks out at 8 feet from the ground, girths 5 feet close
 
 416 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 to the trunk. Before the tree reaches more than 20 feet in 
 height, there are as many as ten similar branches, varying only 
 one or two inches in girth. The lowest branches, too, are by 
 no means the heaviest. Up to the height of 30 feet there are 
 no fewer than twenty strong branches. Above this height the 
 leader almost loses its individuality, and combines with the 
 other branches in forming a magnificent top — the whole tree 
 presenting the appearance of a gigantic beehive. On leaving 
 this tree, and proceeding to the middle of the wood, we come 
 across another fir of a most unique appearance. In some 
 aspects it presents a strong similarity to the Irish yew. Start- 
 ing out about 3 feet from the ground, the branches, within a 
 couple of feet from the leader, turn upwards and inwards, 
 causing the tree to assume a form which we can only compare 
 to the ordinary paraffin-lamp glass. The shade of this tree is 
 more than usually dark, although the foliage is similar to the 
 rest of the firs in the wood. Cones from this tree have been 
 looked for, but none have yet been procured ; so there has been 
 no way of testing whether the tree would reproduce its own' 
 kind, or whether its unique formation and peculiar singularities 
 are due to one of those " freaks of nature," which are as common 
 in the vegetable as in the animal kingdom. Although all the 
 fir in the Black Wood is undoubtedly native, there is appa- 
 rently more than one variety. Whether this difference, which 
 is shown by the length and colour of the foliage, is owing to 
 such accidental circumstances as variation in the character of 
 the soil, and diversities in the age or condition of the trees, we 
 cannot determine, but the separate shades are quite easily dis- 
 tinguished. 
 
 The measurements of other trees might be given, but we have 
 said enough to show the general character of the timber which 
 prevails throughout almost the entire wood. The whole of this 
 remarkable native wood is thriving most luxuriantly, and has 
 every appearance of continuing to remain and increase in all its 
 pristine glory, and be the mother of forests for ages yet to 
 come.
 
 XXXV.— DUNALASTAIR. 
 
 The Amenity of the Property — The Mansion — Dunalastair Wood — 
 " Macgregor's Cave" — Crossmount — Relics of King Robert The 
 Bruce — Notable Trees — Plantations — General Improvements — The 
 Macdonalds of Dunalastr.ir. 
 
 Dunalastair, in many respects, presents a striking contrast to 
 
 the surrounding country at Rannoch. It may be described as 
 
 a veritable oasis in the wilderness. Not that Eannoch is devoid 
 
 of those qualities which give richness to a country and beauty 
 
 to a landscape, but the richness and the beauty consist chiefly 
 
 of examples of Nature in her wilder and bleaker moods — 
 
 " Forlorn hill slopes, and grey, without a tree ; 
 And at their base a waste of stony lea." 
 
 Heather and stones are the characteristic features of a great part 
 of Rannoch, whether we roam by the valleys or climb the 
 mountains, but at Dunalastair the wildness of Nature is com- 
 pletely subdued by Art, or blended so as to harmonise most 
 •effectually with its milder surroundings. The cold and cheerless 
 aspect of an almost treeless district gives place, at Dunalastair, 
 to a landscape singularly warm and bright — the lower lands 
 yielding average crops of golden grain, and the higher parts 
 clothed with a " silent sea of pines." Until about eighty years 
 ago, Dunalastair shared in the general bleakness of Rannoch, 
 since the destruction of its natural woods ; but the improving 
 spirit which was then moving across the country breathed upon 
 the blasted heath, and its influence has never ceased to operate. 
 Since that period, improvement has followed improvement, 
 until at the present day this is one of the most delightful High 
 land properties in Scotland. The beauties of the situation are 
 greatly enhanced by their unexpected development. Immediately 
 after leaving Struan Station, the traveller enters the heather 
 region, diversified by glimpses of the foaming Errochy, as it rushes 
 
 2 D
 
 418 WOODS, FORESTS, A.ND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 down its rocky channel, or flows through a narrow strip of 
 meadow land, while here and there a belt or clump of planta- 
 tion breaks the monotony of the scene. At Auchleeks we have 
 an agreeable variety in the umbrageous surroundings of this fine 
 shooting lodge, but afterwards the road lies directly 
 
 " O'er the moor amaug the heather," 
 until we catch sight of the verdant fields of the Vale of 
 Rannoch, and the bright sparkle of the Tummel winding its 
 way from the loch between gigantic hills of deepest blue. 
 Shortly before entering the policies, — which we do by a splendid 
 new road made at the sole expense of the proprietor, and 
 extending for several miles, — we pass through a deep gorge, 
 from which nothing is for some time visible but the "bonnie 
 blooming heather," and the cone of quartz which tops Schie- 
 hallion. Then we come to rich green parks, and dark, distant 
 woods, relieved by glimpses of the glittering waters of Loch 
 Rannoch. The approach is beautifully lined with thriving 
 beech, oak, and larch trees ; and the fields on either side are 
 fringed with fine young timber, and surrounded by romantic 
 crags. The house is reached somewhat suddenly — a circum- 
 stance which materially heightens the effect of the scene, and 
 fixes it indelibly upon the memory. 
 
 The site of the mansion is particularly well chosen. It is 
 sheltered from the north by Ben Hualach, and looks straight 
 across to Schiehallion. Brightness is the prevailing charac- 
 teristic. The east wind does not reach it disagreeably, and the 
 sun beats pleasantly upon the south windows of the house, 
 receiving in winter reflected help from the glacial snows of 
 Schiehallion. The climate is further modified by extensive 
 drainage, — the air being free from dampness, and most invigorat- 
 ing. The particular spot upon which the mansion is built is 
 exceedingly dry, and mostly of rock. The house — which was 
 erected in 1859 by the late General Sir John Macdonald from 
 designs by Mr Heiton, Perth — is Scotch baronial in style, and 
 is built of a beautiful whinstone, with Dunmore freestone 
 facings. It presents a highly-decorated and imposing exterior, 
 while the interior is comfortable and modern in arrangement. 
 The terrace in front of the garden is one of the prettiest spots
 
 DUNALASTAIR. 419 
 
 imaginable, commanding magnificent views in every direction. 
 Ail around are waving woods of spruce, larch, and fir, which 
 the hilly character of the country shows to great advantage. 
 Both east and west charming peeps are got of the Tummel, with 
 its boiling rapids and deep, still pools. Looking westwards, 
 Loch Eannoch is the focus of a splendid picture, backed by the 
 Black Mount, and the Glen Etive and Glencoe mountains. 
 The chief scenic attraction, however, is the view towards the 
 south, embracing the great mountain of Schiehallion, rising 
 symmetrically to a height of 3547 feet above the level of the 
 sea, and belonging to the Dunalastair estate. Irs precipitous 
 face is scored with many deep gorges, down which the rain 
 rushes in torrents, and forms numerous pretty cascades. The 
 lower hills round the foot of the mountain are well clothed 
 with natural timber of fair size, which contributes a good deal to 
 the general effect. In wandering over the policies we learned 
 that there are several rings — or " castles," as they are called in 
 the neighbourhood — about which very little seems to be known. 
 One near the home-farm is 60 feet in diameter, and looks as if 
 it had been the site of some ancient sentinel station. It is at 
 present used as a burial-place for favourite animals. 
 
 Where so much has been done in comparatively recent years 
 to improve and beautify the property, it is not disappointing to 
 find that gigantic trees are conspicuous by their absence. The 
 most of the timber is within 100 years old, but, for trees of 
 this age, many magnificent specimens are to be met with. The 
 best of the timber adorns Dunalastair Wood, on the top of the 
 Black Rock — a really beautiful crag, commanding a view of 
 the whole of the glorious scenery of the district from a large 
 stone table, erected for the convenience of visitors. This wood 
 was planted about eighty years ago by Colonel Alexander 
 Kobertson of Struan, whose family then possessed the property. 
 The Scots firs predominate, and, as these have been raised from 
 Kannoch seed, their excellence as to size and quality need not 
 be enlarged upon. There are also several oak, ash, and beech 
 trees of respectable dimensions. Shortly after entering this 
 wood our way lies along the banks of the Tummel, by a fine 
 new road constructed in 18S0 by the proprietor, Major-General
 
 420 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Alastair Macdonald. At a prominent part of the road the 
 following inscription is carved in large letters upon a huge 
 boulder, additional prominence being given to the notice by the 
 letters being painted black : — " This road was made by Major- 
 General Alastair Macdonald. 1880. Distance to East Lodge, 
 1884 yards." Some of the best of the trees on the Dunalastair 
 property are in this neighbourhood. At the river side, near the 
 bottom of the garden, there are some very nice beech trees, with 
 an average girth of 8 feet at 5 feet from the ground. Round 
 the Silver Well, a fountain of the brightest and coolest of waters, 
 there is a beautiful clump of good ash and gean trees. There 
 are several clumps of aged yew trees, probably about 200 years 
 old, with a girth of from 5 to 7 feet. A number of larches 
 reach about 100 feet in height, and several of the spruce trees 
 have boles of 80 feet, one of the latter which we measured girth- 
 ing 9 feet 3 inches at 1 foot and 7 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from 
 the ground. 
 
 At the west end of the river side drive an elegant and sub- 
 stantial iron girder bridge — 12 feet wide, and nearly 100 feet 
 long — was erected by General Macdonald in 1876, in order to 
 connect Dunalastair with his property of Crossmount, on the 
 opposite bank of the Tummel, and which was purchased from 
 Colonel Macdonald of St Martins in 1875. The bridge must 
 have cost a large sum of money, as an immense rock had to be 
 blasted on the Dunalastair side before a start could be made with 
 the bridge itself. The road leads to Aberfeldy, Kinloch- 
 Rannoch, and to Craig-an-Tuathanich, and " Macgregor's Cave," 
 by what is perhaps the most beautiful walk upon the property. 
 Here and there are glimpses of the river, fine trees, open spaces, 
 views of the house and mountains, glades and rocks, distant 
 peeps of water and valley, and ultimately of Loch Rannoch and 
 its weird background. At one point the road is continued over 
 a ravine by a novel bridge or conduit, made with enormous 
 labour by the water being allowed to pass through masses of 
 stone, covered with earth to the height of about 40 feet, giving 
 the whole the appearance of an ordinary road, with a tunnel 
 for the passage of the burn below. On the south side of the 
 burn there is a very pretty waterfall, and the burn itself runs
 
 DUNALASTAII!. 
 
 421 
 
 in a north-easterly direction through a dell of great beauty, the 
 water being completely hid from view by over-hanging woods of 
 natural birch and oak. Continuing this road for a few hundred 
 yards further, " Macgregor's Cave," the historical retreat of 
 the outlaw, is reached. Here a neat house, shielded by rocks, 
 so as to be scarcely visible, has been built at considerable 
 expense, and is of some utility for pic-nicing purposes. Every- 
 thing has been done at this point to heighten the scenic effect, 
 
 QTTEKN S VIEW AT LOCH XUMMEL. 
 
 the view being almost unrivalled for variety and extent. Two 
 hundred feet beneath, the Tummel surges and roars as it passes 
 through " Macgregor's Leap," another of those places where the 
 celebrated outlaw is s:iid to have jumped the river when hotly 
 pursued. The ledge on which he is believed to have alighted 
 has been cut away to provide for the better drainage of the 
 Eannoch Valley, but the height from which he is said to have 
 leaped is from 20 to 30 feet above the stream. The whole
 
 422 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Valley of Kannoch, with the giant hills surrounding it — from 
 the top of the loch to the " Queen's View " at Loch Tummell — 
 is seen at a glance from the seat at " Macgregor's Cave," and 
 almost the entire extent of the Dunalastair property is spread 
 out hefore us — the mansion appearing as a gem in the most 
 gorgeous setting. The road to " Macgregor's Cave " was only 
 made in 1878, so that it is quite a new attraction to the 
 property. Although the whole course of the Tummel is 
 sufficiently beautiful to make it one of the most notable rivers 
 in Perthshire, the famous Falls of Tummel, as well as the 
 
 FALLri OF TUMMEL. 
 
 •' Queen's View" of the loch, are best known. The falls, which 
 are a few miles below the loch, are ranked amongst the most 
 picturesque in the country, and are a favourite resort with 
 tourists. 
 
 At Crossmount — which, as we have stated, was acquired by 
 purchase in 1875 — there is a wood of historic interest, it having 
 afforded a safe hiding-place to King Eobert the Bruce when he
 
 DUNALASTAIR. 423 
 
 was a fugitive in Iianuoch. The names of several places about 
 Dunalastair, Dalchosnie, and Crossmount — which are all united 
 in the one property — bear testimony to the district being a 
 regular resort of Bruce and his followers. The " Queen's Pool," 
 in the Tummel, a short distance from Dunalastair House, takes 
 its name from its having been a ferry used by the Queen of 
 Eobert the Bruce, when she, along with her Royal husband, were 
 secreted in a hut erected in a gully just opposite the pool, and 
 to which they fled after the King had slain Bed Corny n at 
 Dumfries, and after his defeat at the Battle of Methven. The 
 remains of the hut are still visible, and the Gaelic name by 
 which it is known (" Seomar-an-righ") signifies the "King's 
 Hall." In another portion of the estate, the remains of a rude 
 circle are to be seen, supposed to have been the ruins of the 
 Castle of Bruce, or some of his fortifications. General Mac- 
 donald came upon this ancient fortification by accident, and has 
 had considerable excavations carried out about the ring, but 
 without any special results. The place appears to have been of 
 some strategetic importance in defending Bruce from surprise in 
 his place of concealment by the river side. On one occasion 
 Bruce gained a notable victory over the English and renegade 
 Scots at Dalchosnie, or about three miles from Dunalastair. 
 Indeed, the name of Dalchosnie is derived from this circum- 
 stance, signifying as it does " The Field of Victory," in the 
 same way as Innerhadden signifies the point where the battle 
 began ; and Glen Sassein, the glen by which the English 
 approached to the scene of conflict. Wallace was also a 
 frequenter of the district, but no place seems to be specially 
 identified with his exploits. The timber at Crossmount is much 
 superior to that in other parts of the property, — the larches, in 
 particular, being exceptionally good. Outside the garden wall 
 there are several above the ordinary size. The largest has a 
 eirth of 10 feet 3 inches at 1 foot and 8 feet 3 inches at 5 feet, 
 with a height of 1 20 feet. Another girths 1 1 feet at 1 foot 
 from the ground and 9 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the ground, 
 with a clean stem of about 90 feet. In the policies there are 
 many beautiful park trees, although none of them are particu- 
 larly heavy. The largest of the beeches girths 11 feet 3 inches
 
 424 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 at 1 foot from the ground and 9 feet 3 inches at 5 feet. Ash, 
 sycamore, and Scot fir trees have a circumference of ahout 8 
 feet ; oaks, about 9 feet ; and silver firs, about 7 feet. In front 
 of the house there is a nice purple beech, and a splendid Abies 
 Menziesii about 40 feet high. The plantations extend to about 
 900 acres, and are iu a most thriving condition. 
 
 Besides the extensive improvements in the way of road-mak- 
 ing, a large outlay has also been incurred by the present 
 proprietor in fencing. During the last five years between seven 
 and eight miles of Morton's patent wire-fences, with straining- 
 post«, have been erected. Several thousands of pounds have 
 
 KINLOCH-RANNOCH. 
 
 also been spent in drainage since General Macdonald came into 
 possession ; and, in addition, a large sum of money has been 
 expended upon river embankments, &c. In the village of Kin- 
 loch-Iiannoch, — a very quiet and pretty summer resort, — of which 
 General Macdonald is proprietor, a very extensive addition 
 has been made to the Macdonald Arms Hotel, and many 
 other improvements are still in progress or in contempla- 
 tion.
 
 DUNALASTAIK. 425 
 
 All of these improvements are being carried out at a time 
 when the military duties of General Macdonald are exceedingly 
 arduous, he being at present the Commander of the Forces in 
 Scotland. The General, we may add, belongs to a family which 
 has long been distinguished for the gallant military services of 
 its members, being descended, through the Macdonalds of 
 Keppoch, from Alexander, son of John, Lord of the Isles, by 
 the Lady Margaret, daughter of King Kobert II. of Scotland. 
 Alexander Macdonald of Dalchosnie, the great-great-grandfather 
 of the present representative of the family, fell at Culloden. 
 One of his sons was also killed in action ; another, John Mac- 
 donald, was an officer in the Highland Army of 1745-6 ; and a 
 third, Donald Macdonald, distinguished himself at Waterloo as 
 the officer commanding the 92nd Highlanders. The father of 
 the present laird, Sir John Macdonald, .K.C.B., of Dalchosnie 
 and Dunalastair, was a distinguished General in the Army, and 
 Colonel of the 92nd Highlanders. The present laird himself has 
 had a distinguished military career. When barely sixteen years 
 of age he received his commission as Ensign in the 92nd High- 
 landers ; became a Lieutenant in the same regiment in the 
 following year, 1847 ; and in March 1848, was appointed aide- 
 de-camp to his father, a position which he held till 1854. In 
 the latter year he was appointed aide-de-camp to General Sir 
 John Pennefather, and served with him in the Crimean cam- 
 paign ; was present at the Battle of Alma, where he was 
 wounded ; and at the battle of Inkermann, where he was again 
 severely wounded ; and at the siege and fall of Sebastopol. He 
 was appointed Major of the Bine Depot Battalion at Winchester, 
 and afterwards became its Lieutenant-Colonel. He was 
 Assistant Adjutant-General at Dover, and afterwards aide-de- 
 camp to H.B.H. the Duke of Cambridge, until his promotion to 
 the rank of Major-General in 1877. He has the Crimean 
 medal, with clasps for Alma, Inkermann, and Sebastopol, and 
 the fifth clasp of the Medjidie and Turkish medal. He is now 
 Major-General Commanding the Forces in Scotland, and, as 
 such, took a prominent part in organising the Eoyal Beview in 
 August 1881, when he received the very highest compliments 
 for the way in which the troops were handled ; and had the
 
 426 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 honour of entertaining the Duke of Cambridge for several days 
 at the beautiful place which we have been endeavouring to 
 describe. His Royal Highness visited the village of Kinloch- 
 Rannoch and the mausoleum of his comrade-in-arms, the late 
 Sir John Macdonald, and sailed to the head of Loch Rannoch, 
 the little village being decorated with flags, and the royal 
 salutes being fired from the quarries above the pier in a most 
 effective manner. The Royal Standard floated on the Rannoch 
 waters for the first time on the occasion of this visit, which was 
 the first that one of the members of the reigning Royal Family 
 has paid to this beautiful valley.
 
 XXXVL— GLENLYON. 
 
 Garth— The Ancient Castle—" The Wolf of Eadenoch "— Fortingall— 
 The Birthplace of Pontius Pilate — The Roman Camp— The Fortingall 
 Yew, the oldest tree in Europe — Extent of the Glen — The First 
 Improver — Troup and Glenlyon — The Macgregor's Leap — The Black 
 Wood of Chesthill — Protecting the Road with Trees — The Castle of 
 Carnban — A Bleak Spot — Arboreal Milestones — Culdares — Meggernie 
 Castle and Policies — The Plantations — What might yet be done in 
 Glenlyon, 
 
 Leaving the property of Sir Kobert Menzies at Coshieville, our 
 journey naturally lies in the direction of Glenlyon, where, as 
 we hope to be able to show, there is much that is interesting in 
 connection with our present inquiry. Before entering the glen, 
 there is also a good deal to command our attention. On leaving 
 Coshieville, we turn to the left, cross Keltney Bridge, and enter 
 the property of Garth, recently purchased from Mr Thomas 
 Duff by Sir Donald Currie, the Member of Parliament for the 
 county of Perth. Garth is intimately associated with our 
 national history. Here may still be seen the fine remains of a 
 very ancient stronghold, known as Garth Castle, which, for 
 solidity of construction, and strength of position, is not to be 
 surpassed. The keep or tower, of which only three sides 
 remain, stands on a sloping triangular hill, about 100 yards 
 long, facing the south, and on a bold promontory (of which the 
 base is about 60 yards) formed by two branches of the Keltney 
 Burn, deeply sunk in rocky channels, which thus constituted 
 formidable moats ere joining each other some 60 yards below 
 the Castle, where the noisy torrent proceeds, in a similarly 
 rocky bed, for about 2 miles, when it flows into the Eiver 
 Lyon, a mile and a half from the junction of the latter with 
 the Tay. The walls of the keep still remaining are from 60 to 
 70 feet high from the ground inside, but the earth has accumu- 
 lated through the debris of the masonry falling in from time to
 
 428 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 time. A sloping passage of about 2 feet wide, which served as 
 the staircase, is formed in the centre of the wall, and which 
 evidently also went round the centre of the south and west 
 walls, affording access to the different storeys of the building. 
 The remains of the arches of the different storeys are still 
 plainly visible, and the walls throughout are from 6 to 7 
 feet thick. The very fact of the staircase being in the thick- 
 ness of the walls indicates, to the opinion of competent anti- 
 quaries, an extreme antiquity, for no such arrangement is met 
 with in those Castles built at a comparatively later age. It 
 is concluded therefore that " Garth Castle " was built at least 
 500 years ago, in the period when the Norman Barons 
 exercised such independent sway far north of the Border ; 
 and it is believed that the Castle was erected by Alexander 
 Stewart, Earl of Buchan and Lord Badenoch when, in 1379, 
 he obtained the lands of Garth, and lands in Rannoch and 
 elsewhere within the Athole district, by charter from his father,. 
 Robert II. , for had the Castle been built at a later period 
 by one of his descendants, there would certainly have been 
 found evidence of the fact, considering the number of deeds still 
 extant relating to each of them. It is also known to this day 
 as " Caisteal-a'-Chuilein-Churta " or " The Castle of the Fierce 
 Wolf," which quite accords with Lord Badenoch's historic 
 appellation of " The Wolf of Badenoch." Mr Charles Poyntz 
 Stewart in his handsome work, Historic Memorials of the 
 Stewarts of Forthergill, recently printed for private circulation, 
 and from which the above details have been gathered, considers, 
 after a critical examination of the evidence, that he is fully 
 justified in arriving at the conclusion that this stronghold owed 
 its origin and name to " The Wolf of Badenoch." A tradition 
 still exists in the district that Garth Castle, formed the prison 
 house to which Lord Badenoch was consigned by his father, 
 the king, as a punishment for burning Elgin Cathedral, and 
 until he performed the penance enjoined by the Bishop, and 
 made peace with the church. It would appear that he was n,ot 
 released from this imprisonment till his brother, Robert III., 
 succeeded to the throne. Of the fact of his imprisonment there 
 is no doubt, but as to Garth Castle being the actual prison.
 
 GLENLYON. 429 
 
 house, there is only the tradition to support it. " The "Wolf " 
 •appears to have sincerely repented of his lawlessness, for he 
 was thought worthy of being interred in Dunkeld Cathedral, 
 Avhere a handsome monument to his memory is still to be seen. 
 Major-General David Stewart, was a most distinguished member 
 of the race of Stewarts descended from "The Wolf." Besides 
 being the author of the familiar Sketches of the Characters, 
 Manners, and Present State of the Highlands, with Details of the 
 Military Service of the Highland Regiments, he is well known 
 as a celebrated soldier. He was born in 1772 at Drumacharry 
 House, Sir Donald Currie's residence, now called by him " Garth 
 Oastle." General Stewart was the head of the Drumacharry line 
 of Stewarts claiming descent from "The Wolf." The direct 
 male line of John Stewart of Garth and Fothergill, grandson of 
 "The Wolf," and who died in 1475, through his eldest son, 
 Neil Stewart of Garth, failed in 1577, and the succession 
 devolved on the descendant of the above John's second son, 
 Alexander Stewart of Bonskeid, whose male representative in 
 the Athole district is now Mr Stewart Robertson of Edradynate, 
 on whose property are the remains of an old castle having the 
 same topographical characteristics as Garth Castle, and which is 
 believed to have also been one of the strongholds of " The 
 Wolf." The property was in the possession of the above- 
 mentioned John Stewart in 1465. General Stewart entered 
 the army in 1789 as an Ensign in the 42nd Regiment, 
 and served in it with the highest distinction, rising step 
 by step till he retired in 1814 with the rank of Colonel. 
 On the death of his father and elder brother he succeeded 
 to the family property in 1822, and three years afterwards 
 he was promoted to the rank of Major-General. He was 
 shortly afterwards appointed Governor of St Lucia, where he 
 succumbed to fever in 1829. With the death of General 
 Stewart, his branch of the Stewarts became extinct in the direct 
 male line, and the property ultimately came into the hands of 
 Sir Archibald Campbell, Bart., of Ava. He was also a dis- 
 tinguished soldier. After having seen a good deal of active 
 service, he was, in 1824, appointed Commandant of the expedi- 
 tion against the Burmese, in which service his laurels were
 
 430 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 chiefly won. At the close of the war he received the thanks of 
 both Houses of Parliament, of the Governor-General of India, 
 and of the Court of Directors of the Honourable the East India 
 Company, besides getting from the latter the handsome pension 
 of £4000 a year, along with a gold medal. He became the laird 
 of Garth, by purchase, and built the house of Drumacharry, 
 which has recently been much enlarged by Sir Donald Currie, 
 from plans prepared by Mr Heiton, Perth. In 1831, Major- 
 General Sir Archibald Campbell was appointed Governor of New 
 Brunswick, where he remained for about six years. He died in 
 the year 1843, and the property was afterwards purchased by 
 Colonel Macdonald Macdonald of St Martins, by whom it was 
 sold to Mr Duff, who in turn sold it to Sir Donald Currie. 
 
 Although the property is not very extensive, there is some 
 fine timber upon it. There are a number of very good larch 
 and hardwood ornamental trees round Garth House. The 
 Lombardy poplars, although not so numerous as they once were, 
 are worthy of a passing notice. Several pretty large trees, 
 principally larch, Scots fir, and ash, are to be found growing by 
 the side of the burn, near the mansion-house. About six years 
 ago, a very nice plantation was laid down by Mr Duff, a little 
 to the north-west of the mansion-house, the wood being chiefly 
 larch and Scots fir. A little further on, near the Free Church, 
 there are a few large and aged sycamores. We next pass 
 Glenlyon House property, belonging to Colonel Garden 
 Campbell of Troup and Glenlyon House, and reach 
 
 " Famed Fortingall, whose aged yew- 
 Still braves the tempest's shock.'' 
 
 Even apart from its " aged yew," Fortingall is a place of very 
 great interest, as here we meet with the most northern known 
 works of the Konians, and many valuable discoveries have been 
 made bearing upon the Roman invasion of the country. It is 
 even said, with some show of authority, that no less a personage 
 than Pontius Pilate was born in this remote Highland district. 
 The story told concerning it being the birthplace of the Eoman 
 Governor of Judea in the days of our Saviour is very circum- 
 stantial, and there is no reason to believe that it may not be 
 absolutely true. We are told that a short time previous to the
 
 GLENLYON. 431 
 
 birth of Christ, Csesar Augustus sent an embassy to Scotland, as 
 well as other countries, with the view of endeavouring — what 
 has been so often tried since — to effect a universal peace. 
 The Roman ambassadors are said to have met Metellanus, 
 the Scottish King, in this region, one of the ambassadors 
 being the father of Pontius Pilate. As the story goes, a 
 son was born to the ambassador at Portingall while he 
 was sojourning there on his laudable mission, and it is 
 asserted that the son was the veritable Governor of Judea 
 whose name is handed down to us in Holy Writ. It is, at 
 all events, certain that such a mission was sent to Scotland by 
 Caesar Augustus about the time of the birth of Pontius Pilate, 
 and that Metellanus received the ambassadors at Fortingall, 
 where he was hunting and holding Court. The ambassadors 
 brought rich presents with them, and the Scottish King, who 
 was desirous of friendly relations with the Masters of the World, 
 sent valuable gifts to the Emperor in return, and was successful 
 in obtaining " an amitie with the Romans, which continued 
 betwixt them and his kingdome for a long time after." The 
 tradition may, therefore, be perfectly true. The remains of the 
 Roman Camp are pointed out by the natives, with no small 
 pride, although it requires some examination to trace its outline — 
 
 " No towers are seen 
 On the wild heath, but those that fancy builds, 
 And, save a fosse that tracks the moor with green, 
 It nought remains to tell of what may there have been. 
 And yet grave authors, with no small waste 
 Of their grave time, have dignified the spot 
 By theories to prove the fortress placed 
 By Roman hands to curb the invading Scot." 
 
 The camp is traditionally said to have been formed by Agricola, 
 who fought a battle with the Caledonians in the neighbourhood. 
 Many interesting Roman remains have been found from time to 
 time in and about the site of the camp. Of these may be men- 
 tioned a Roman standard, the shaft of which encloses a five- 
 fluted spear, and which is preserved at Troup House. In the 
 prsetorium of the camp was found a vase of curious mixed 
 metal, and in shape resembling a coffee-pot. This was found 
 about 1733, and is preserved in Taymouth Castle. Of late
 
 432 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 years a number of urns and flint arrow-heads have been picked 
 up in and around the camp. The camp is situated about a 
 quarter of a mile west of the village, the outline of the camp 
 being about 1^ acre. The ramparts are almost entirely levelled 
 with the ground, but can still be traced. The praetorium is 
 remarkably complete, as also the marks of a deep fosse, which is 
 supposed to have surrounded Agiicola's headquarters. The 
 ditch or outer trench is now in many places filled in, so that its 
 course is not so easily followed. 
 
 The great object of interest to us in the meantime is the old 
 yew in the churchyard. It is believed to be the oldest tree in 
 Europe, and its age is estimated as high as 3000 years ! The 
 earliest accounts of this wonderful tree were given almost simul- 
 taneously, but independently, by the Hon. Daines Barrington, 
 a Barrister, afterwards on the English Bench, and by Pennant. 
 Barrington's account appears in a letter published in the Tran- 
 sactions of the Royal Society for 1769, in the course of which 
 he says : — " I measured the circumference of this yew tree, 
 and therefore cannot be mistaken when I inform you that it 
 amounted to 52 feet. Nothing scarcely now remains but the 
 outward bark, which hath been separated by the centre of the 
 tree's decaying within these twenty years. "What still appears, 
 however, is 34 feet in circumference." Pennant also saw it in 
 1769, and in his description, published in 1771, he states that 
 when he saw the tree its remains measured 56 feet in circum- 
 ference. The middle part was decayed to the ground, but he 
 states that, within memory, it was united to the height of 3 feet, 
 Captain Campbell of Glenlyon having assured him that when 
 a boy he had often climbed over or rode on the then connecting 
 part. " Our ancestors," he proceeds, " seem to have had a 
 classic reason for planting these dismal trees among the reposi- 
 tories of the dead ; and a political one for placing them about 
 their houses. In the first instance they were the substitute of 
 the Cupressus sempervirens ; in the other, they were the designed 
 provision for the sturdy bows of our warlike ancestors, 
 
 " Who drew 
 And almost joined the horns of the tough yew." 
 
 Strutt, in his Silva Britannica, also refers to the Fortingall
 
 GLENLYON. 433 
 
 yew, and one of his etchings represents the tree with a much 
 greater amount of foliage and branches than in the rough 
 illustration given by Pennant ; so that the branches of the two 
 divisions of the tree intertwine, and form oue grand leafy head, 
 resting on two hollow shells of trunk, which face one another. 
 The gap in the trunk, however, is represented to be greatly 
 larger than by Pennant, and with a funeral passing through it 
 ■ — the remark being made that this was the practice when 
 funerals entered the churchyard. The late Mr Patrick N"eill, 
 who saw the tree in 1833, has given an account of its condition 
 at that time. Prom this description, the tree appears to have 
 undergone lamentable destruction during the few years which 
 had elapsed since the date of Strutt's draAving. This observer 
 says that large arms had been removed, and even masses of the 
 trunk carried off, to make drinking-cups and other curiosities. 
 In consequence, " the remains of the trunk present the appear- 
 ance of a semi-circular wall, exclusive of traces of decayed wood, 
 which scarcely rises above the ground. Great quantities of new 
 spray have issued from the firmer parts of the trunk, and 
 young branches spring up to the height perhaps of 20 feet. 
 The side of the trunk now existing gives a diameter of more 
 than 15 feet; so that it is easy to conceive that the circumfer- 
 ance of the bole, when entire, should have exceeded 50 feet. 
 Happily, further depredations have been prevented by means of 
 an iron rail, whith now surrounds the sacred ohject." The 
 Rev. Robert Macdonald, parish minister of FortingalL in the 
 New Statistical Account of Scotland, gives some additional 
 information regarding the partial destruction of this venerable 
 tree. Writing in 1838, he says: — "At the commencement of 
 my incumbency, thirty-two years ago, there lived in the village 
 of Kirkton a man of the name of Donald Robertson, then aged 
 upwards of 80 years, who declared that, when a boy going to 
 school, he could hardly enter between the two parts ; now a 
 coach and four might pass between them ; and that the dilapida- 
 tion was partly occasioned by the boys of the village kindling 
 their fire at Baeltainn at its root." It is very sad to think that 
 a tree which has survived the storms and vandalism of 3000 
 years, and concerning which so much interest is felt, should 
 
 2 E
 
 434 
 
 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 suffer at the hands of mischievous hoys. The tree, we are glad 
 to say, is now thoroughly protected, and is taken charge of hy 
 the parish minister, the Rev. David Campbell. 
 
 The latest scientific writer on the Fortingall yew is Sir 
 Robert Christison, Bart, who, in the course of a paper on " The 
 Exact Measurement of Trees," read at the Edinburgh Botanical 
 Society on 1st July, 1879 and appearing in their Transactions 
 gives a very minute description and measurement of the tree. 
 The result of his examination is to convince him that the 
 present apparently inconsistent condition of the ruins of the 
 tree may be reconciled with the old descriptions. " Little 
 
 S=»i-j»i»rf^— * 
 
 
 FORTINGALL YEW. 
 
 1_ v 'A|V*ns-./ 
 
 information as to its rate of growth is to be got from sections 
 of the Fortingall yew itself. The only available parts remain- 
 ing are the outermost portions of the old trunk, — representing 
 its growth probably long after it had become a shell, and con- 
 sequently impaired in vitality, — or the branches, in which in 
 all trees the annual rings of wood, for the same periods of time, 
 are much narrower than in the trunk. In all parts of the tree 
 which . '. have examined the rings are very fine, so fine in
 
 GLENLYON. 435 
 
 general as not to be counted without the aid of a lens." In 
 concluding his paper, Sir Robert remarks : — " It is better to use 
 the general rules formerly arrived at, according to which the 
 tree, in the first place, may be assumed to have attained a girth 
 of 22 feet in a thousand years. After that age, no information 
 yet got warrants a rate of more than an inch in 35 years 
 Taking the lowest measurement of Harrington at 52 feet, the 
 difference will thus add 2000 years to the age of the Fortingall 
 yew, making it in all 3000 years old when measured in 1768-9. 
 The result is startling, but not so improbable as may at first be 
 thought, if it be considered that several English yews of scarcely 
 half the girth are not without good reason held to surpass 
 materially a thousand years of age, yet still appear to be in 
 vigorous health, and steadily increasing ; and that upwards of 
 3000 rings have been actually counted on the stump surface of 
 a Calif ornian Sequoia." 
 
 The wasted shell of this venerable tree still supports a 
 wonderful amount of vigorous vegetation. The larger of the 
 two shells of the ancient trunk forms about a third of a circle, 
 measures 6 feet from one corner to the other, and bears crowded 
 branches, which are covered with dense foliage, and form a 
 head of 24 feet high. The other shell has a most fantastic 
 form, and bears a vigorous head 16 feet in height. Outside 
 the church wall, but almost touching it, is a fine young tree. 
 It is about 28 feet from the nearest part of the old trunk, and 
 is usually spoken of as the product of a shoot from the root of 
 the old tree. Sir Robert Christison, however, says that he is 
 not aware that the yew is prone to throw up suckers from its 
 distant root-branches, and is disposed to believe that the 
 younger tree sprung from a seed. It is a handsome, thriving 
 tree, at least 150 years old, with a cylindrical trunk somewhat 
 grooved, 53 inches in girth at 5 feet from the ground, branch- 
 ing at 8 feet, bearing a fine leafy head pointed like the pines in 
 form, and 35 feet in height. 
 
 The history of the Fortingall yew can only be matter of con- 
 jecture. It is not unlikely that it may have been a venerable 
 object of heathen worship before the introduction of Christianity, 
 and that this led to the selection of the site of the building for
 
 436 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Christian worship. The yew has for very many ages been 
 associated with funereal solitude ; and, for all we know to the 
 contrary r the ground surrounding the Fortingall yew may have 
 been a burying-place for a very great period. The yew is so 
 associated in men's minds with ideas of death, that the poets 
 hardly ever refer to it without giving expression to some 
 ghostly sentiments. Blair, for instance, addressing himself to 
 the grave, says — 
 
 " Well do I know thee by thy trusty yew, 
 Cheerless, unsocial plant, that loves to dwell 
 'Midst skulls and coffins, epitaphs and worms, 
 Where light-heeled ghosts and visionary shades, 
 Beneath the wan cold snow (so fame reports), 
 Embodied thick, perform their mystic rounds : 
 No other merriment, dull tree, is thine." 
 
 Gray's lines on the same sepulchral theme are more familiar : — 
 
 " Beneath those rugged elms, that yew tree's shade, 
 Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, 
 Each in his narrow cell securely laid, 
 The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep." 
 
 Sir Walter Scott, and almost every one of our best-known 
 poets, speak of the yew in the same dismal tone ; and in the 
 most ancient records we find it venerated as an emblem of the 
 abode of the dead. As still further illustrative of the sacred 
 character of the yew, a writer in Notes and Queries recently 
 brought under public notice a superstitious belief which existed 
 in some parts of the North of Scotland. " The yew," says this 
 writer (Mr Edwin Lees, F.L.S., Worcester), "from its position 
 in churchyards in proximity to the church, would seem to have 
 been considered a consecrated tree, symbolical of eternal life. 
 A curious Scottish superstition in reference to the yew as a con- 
 secrated tree is mentioned in the ' Eecollections of O'Keefe,' 
 published in Ainswortlis Mar/azi?ie t vol. iii., as related by him. 
 It is stated to be an idea in the north of Scotland that a person, 
 when grasping a branch of churchyard yew in his left hand, may 
 speak to any one he pleases, if he desire to do so, but, however 
 loud he may call, the person spoken to will not be able to hear 
 what is said, though the words will be audible to all around. 
 O'Keefe mentioned that a man who wished to prejudice the clan
 
 GLENLYON. 4o7 
 
 against their chief without receiving punishment for his rash- 
 ness, approached the chief when all his people were around 
 him, and, bowing profoundly, as if to show his devotion, with 
 the branch of yew in his hand, spoke in the most insulting and 
 defiant manner for all around to hear. The result of this 
 strange experiment may be easily conceived, but it is not stated." 
 Whether the Fortingall yew was originally worshipped by the 
 heathen natives of the district, and preserved to us from super- 
 stitious veneration, is now of little account. "We have the fact 
 before us, that so far as can be ascertained it is the most aged 
 vegetable growth in Europe, and may probably have put forth 
 its infant shoots as far back as the time of King Solomon. On 
 this account it is one of the most interesting objects in Perth- 
 shire, and we trust that no thoughtless person will ever have it 
 in his power to lay violent hands upon it, or disfigure it any 
 further. 
 
 Glenlyon is not only the longest, but it is one of the grandest 
 of those secluded valleys which abound in our Scottish High- 
 lands. It extends in a westerly direction from the head of 
 Fortingall to near Tyndrum, a distance of close upon 35 miles. 
 The glen is indebted for its name to the Eiver Lyon, which 
 Hows through it, and which rises on the south-east side of Ben- 
 a-chastle, in a long south-westerly projection of the parish of 
 Fortingall, close on the boundary with Glenorchy, in Argyleshire- 
 The river runs for nearly 2 miles across the projection, and 
 then describes the segment of a circle over a distance of 5| 
 miles, between Fortingall on its left bank, and the most westerly 
 section of Kenmore on its right. At midway of the 5| miles 
 the river expands into Loch Lyon, which is 2£ miles long by 
 nearly 1 mile broad. On issuing from the loch, which is well 
 stocked both with salmon and trout, the river continues its 
 course through the glen till it joins the Tay, 1\ miles from its 
 cognominal lake, the entire length of the course of the Lyon 
 being nearly 40 miles. As the whole of the glen is exceedingly 
 narrow, the breadth of the river is at no place very great, and 
 at some points the mountains encroach so much upon the 
 struggling river, that there is only a space of 8 or 10 feet for 
 its passage. Throughout its entire course, the river — now
 
 438 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 boisterously careering over rocky impediments, and now gliding 
 joyously aloug its pebbly bed — flows amidst scenes of romantic 
 grandeur and peaceful beauty, affording to the artist inex- 
 haustible sketching ground, and to the poet an everlasting theme. 
 History and tradition lend their valuable aid to increase the 
 enchantment. The remains of numerous forts testify to the 
 importance of the glen at a former period, and tradition speaks 
 of many bloody encounters within its rugged defiles. The Lyon, 
 which now sparkles so brightly, once ran red with the blood of 
 the Macgregors, when, after a terrible struggle, the conquering 
 Stewarts of Garth drove the kinsmen of Rob Eoy out of the 
 territory, wailing as they fled, 
 
 " Glenstrae and Glenlyon no longer are ours." 
 
 Up till a comparatively recent date, say less than 150 years ago, 
 Glenlyon appears to have been almost destitute of timher, and, 
 although it cannot yet be said to be as extensively planted as it 
 might be, a very great improvement has been effected. As we 
 shall afterwards endeavour to show, the credit of having first 
 directed attention to the planting of Glenlyon is due to the same 
 Mr Menzies of Culdares with whose name is associated the intro- 
 duction of larch into this country. He was the proprietor of 
 the greater part of the glen, and judging from the many noble 
 trees which now embellish the property, and the system upon 
 which they have been planted, he appears to have been a 
 gentleman of superior taste, and possessed of a knowledge of 
 arboriculture much beyond the age in which he lived, although 
 very little information can now be gleaned regarding him. But 
 he was not the only proprietor who, at this time, sought to 
 utilise the waste land by planting, although there can be little 
 doubt that the exertions of the other landowners in the glen 
 were turned in this direction mainly through the influence and 
 example of Mr Menzies. On the property of Colonel Garden 
 Campbell of Troup and Glenlyon there is some very fine timber. 
 On the hill-side above Fortingall there is a nice plantation con- 
 sisting principally of hardwood of 50 or 60 years' standing. At 
 Glenlyon House there are several fine ash and sycamore trees ; 
 and along the east bank of the river there is a fine strip of
 
 GLENLYON. 439 
 
 plantation, principally larch about 20 or 25 years old, extend- 
 ing from the Eridge of Lyon to the " Macgregor's Leap." 
 " The Macgregor's Leap " is reached shortly after entering the 
 glen, and claims attention, not so much on account of the 
 distance which the haunted fugitive had to spring, as from the 
 rugged footing on both sides of the river. At this point the 
 glen opens up beautifully, and exposes, in front the Black 
 Wood of Chesthill, which, with its timber of rich and varied 
 tints, covering the slopes and heights, the dark recesses and the 
 walls of rock, contributes in no small degree to the grand 
 picturesqueness of this part of the glen. The wood extends to 
 127 acres, consisting principally of hardwood, Scots fir, spruce, 
 and larch. The quality of the timber, especially the larch, is 
 of the very best. Near Blackwood Cottage there is a remarkably 
 good beech, girthing 17 feet 3 inches at 3 feet from the ground, 
 and having a bole of 20 feet. There are several other large 
 clumps of wood and single trees, principally beech, ash, and elm, 
 scattered over the property. The larger single trees skirt the 
 roadside, and the plantations rise from the river side almost up 
 to the summit of mountains about 1700 feet above the level of 
 the sea. The greater part of this wood was planted between the 
 years 1730-40 by the Mr Menzies of Culdares of whom we have 
 been speaking, and whose work of improvement in the glen here 
 commences, Chesthill having then been part of his property. 
 
 At this place, and afterwards all along the road to Meggernie 
 Castle, we were much struck with the systematic manner in 
 which Mr Menzies appears to have gone about his work. The 
 road is frequently cut on the face of precipitous hills, and 
 we noticed that wherever the road w r as the least likely to be 
 dangerous to travellers, he planted a row of trees for their pro- 
 tection. At that time, the land along the roadside was without 
 fences, and but for the forethought of this keen arborist, there 
 would not have been the slightest protection against accidents 
 in those parts where they were likely to prove most serious. 
 Many of these trees have now been cut down, but those that 
 remain are sufficiently numerous to indicate the object of their 
 being planted at such a spot. Although the greater part of the 
 wood at Chesthill was planted by the gentleman to whom we
 
 440 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 have referred, some fine clumps of Scots fir and spruce were 
 planted recently by the late Mr Stewart Menzies of Chesthill. 
 
 A little farther on we come to the ruins of the Castle of 
 Carnban, formerly held by the Macgregors, whose stronghold is 
 said to have been at Eoro, farther up the glen. There is no 
 authentic history connected with these ruins. It is said, how- 
 ever, that the Castle had a thatched roof, which was set on fire 
 by a hot arrow during one of the many conflicts with neigh- 
 bouring clans. The ruins are situated on a prominent spot at 
 the top of the hill, on the side of which there is a round mound 
 beautifully clothed with hardwood trees, with a few Scots firs 
 intermixed. Continuing our journey, we soon reach Invervar, 
 one of the most delightful spots in the whole glen, and which 
 has been transferred to canvas by Mr Smart, E.S.A. The Lyon 
 here assumes the character of a pretty broad stream, having a 
 little island in the centre, covered principally with spruce and 
 birch, while on either side of the river the bank is lined with 
 tall, graceful birch trees. A. steep heath-clad hill rises on the 
 south side, and on the north there is a fine plateau. Looking 
 up the glen, one ridge of dark, bleak mountains is seen project- 
 ing beyond another, until the view culminates in the rounded 
 Craigellich, which seems to block the western passage. At this 
 part of the glen a small plantation w r as laid down by the late 
 Mr Stewart Menzies of Chesthill about twenty years ago, and 
 contributes very much to the beauty of the scene. 
 
 We next come to Euskich, — signifying " To Strip," — where 
 the wild Highlanders are said to have, at a critical moment in 
 a fight, divested themselves of their habiliments, that they 
 might continue the combat unencumbered. Here, at Duin 
 Euskich ("The Knoll of Euskich"), we have a clump of spruce 
 trees, but which have suffered severely from the great " Tay 
 Bridge storm." There is also a very nice row of beeches along 
 the roadside, planted for protection. To the west of Euskich 
 there is another small knoll in a very thriving condition, the 
 wood consisting principally of larch between 40 and 50 years 
 old. After this the country becomes comparatively barren for 
 a few miles, so far as timber is concerned — the low-lying lands, 
 however, being under cultivation. The absence of timber is
 
 GLENLYON. 441 
 
 here most noticeable, and although we occasionally meet with a 
 solitary fir or birch 
 
 " Moor'd in the rifted rock, 
 Proof to the tempest's shock," 
 
 it only serves to make the aspect more cold and melancholy. 
 A few strips of plantations would be a very great improvement 
 to the landscape, and might not be unprofitable. The bleakness 
 of this part of the glen is somewhat relieved by the arboreal 
 " milestones " planted by Mr Menzies of Culdares, who intro- 
 duced the larch. These trees, which are very good beeches, 
 were planted so as to indicate the distance from Meggernie 
 Castle — one tree signifying one mile, two trees two miles, and 
 so on until within two miles of Fortingall, where eleven trees 
 were planted. At Cambusvrachan we enter what was, until 
 27th September 1883, the property of William George Steuart- 
 Menzies of Culdares, by whose family it had been held since 
 1659. At the date mentioned, however, it was sold to Mr 
 Bullough, cotton manufacturer, Accrington, Lancashire, for 
 .£103,000, exclusive of the timber, which has yet to be valued. 
 It is the most interesting estate, from an arboricultural point of 
 view, in the glen. There is no part of the glen where the im- 
 proving hand of Mr Menzies of Culdares is more apparent, and 
 there is no part of the glen where these improvements have been 
 more enthusiastically continued throughout the past century. 
 On entering the estate we immediately notice a beautiful little 
 strip of Scots fir and larch planted alongside the Cambusvrachan 
 Burn, and stretching well up the hill. Along the roadside there 
 are many handsome beeches, and on a small island in the Lyon 
 is a very large solitary ash tree girthing about 22 feet at about 3 
 feet from the ground. 
 
 Behind the shooting lodge at Innerwick there are several 
 acres of a thriving plantation of Scots fir and larch planted ten 
 years ago by the Trustees of the late E. Steuart-Menzies. At 
 Bridge of Balgie there are several notable beech trees, for which 
 we are indebted to Mr Menzies of Culdares. There are also 
 many large natural weeping birches, one of which girths 8 feet 
 4£ inches at 5 feet from the ground, with 20 feet of a bole. The 
 wood in the plantations is very good, there being 50 acres of
 
 442 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 larch and 50 acres of Scots fir about 70 years of age. Immedi- 
 ately above the Bridge of Balgie, which connects the Killin 
 Eoad with Glenlyon at a particularly rocky part of the river, 
 the hillsides are thickly clothed with natural birch, many of the 
 specimens being very large. 
 
 Leaving the public road at Bridge of Balgie, we enter the 
 policies of Meggernie Castle, now the seat of Mr Bullough, 
 and drive along a truly magnificent avenue of lime, beech, 
 elm, and spruce trees of great size, and whose wide spreading 
 branches form a complete arch over the approach which 
 skirts the banks of the Lyon. This avenue was planted by 
 Mr Menzies of Culdares, and is about 2 miles in length, 
 circling beautifully round Meggernie Castle, which occupies a 
 splendid situation in a park about 700 feet above the level of 
 the sea. The measurements of several of the trees in this 
 avenue are worthy of being recorded. One of the elms girths 19 
 feet 2 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 16 feet 5 inches at 
 5 feet from the ground. Another girths 16 feet 3 inches at 1 
 foot from the ground, and 12 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. The lime trees in the avenue, with their knotty and 
 leafy trunks, present a singularly beautiful and picturesque 
 appearance. Several of them are of large size, one, which may 
 be taken as a fair average of the whole, girthing 13 feet 3 inches 
 at 2 feet from the ground, and 10 feet 5 inches at 5 feet from 
 the ground. The beeches are also of respectable dimensions, 
 one of them girthing 1 1 feet 3 inches at 5 feet from the ground. 
 The Castle, round which this grand avenue circles, is about 300 
 years old, and is a fine specimen of the old Scottish baronial 
 mansion. The older portion is a large square block of four 
 storeys, with walls 5 feet thick, and the interior is fitted up 
 with all the ancient requisites in the shape of dungeons, secret 
 apartments, strongly barred gates, &c. One of the former places 
 of horror has been converted into a commodious and well-filled 
 wine-cellar. There is still, however, some evidence of the 
 dreadful uses to which these dungeons have been put in the 
 olden times ; for there hangs the ugly hook to which many a 
 Highland plunderer or poor prisoner of war has been suspended : 
 and there is still the hideous cell, with the little feeding-hole in
 
 GLENLYON. 443 
 
 the door, where criminals of the deepest dye were wont to be 
 confined The entrance to the older part of the Castle is 
 guarded by a ponderous iron gate, and an oaken door 3 inches 
 thick. This older portion was slated as far back as 207 years 
 ago, it having been previously thatched with heather. In this 
 part of the building some beautiful pieces of tapestry, in splendid 
 preservation, adorn the walls. In the entrance-hall there is a 
 peculiar old bog-oak cabinet, elaborately carved with grotesque 
 figures, and some fine old chairs of the same description. About 
 thirty-five years ago a considerable addition was made to the 
 Castle, much in keeping with the older portion. 
 
 The policies are ornamented with many remarkable trees. 
 Not the least interesting of these are eight larches planted by 
 Mr Menzies of Culdares at the same time as those at Dunkeld 
 with which his name is associated. The Glenlyon trees have 
 not had the advantage of such fine soil as those at Dunkeld, and 
 they are consequently not nearly so large, but they are particu- 
 larly fine trees for all that. The largest of the lot originally 
 planted were cut down some seven or eight years ago. There 
 are several very fine beeches and elms, evidently contempor- 
 aneous with those in the avenue, and about the same size. Some 
 of the Scots firs in the grounds surrounding the Castle are also 
 very large, — one at the river side, a little to the west of the 
 Castle, girthing 10 feet 5 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 
 9 feet 8 inches at 5 feet from the ground ; while another close 
 beside it girths 9 feet 9 inches at 1 foot from the ground and 
 9 feet at 5 feet. 
 
 The arboreal features of this part of Glenlyon, as in the other 
 parts, do not consist so much in the largeness of the individual 
 trees as in the extent of planting which has been done in 
 comparatively recent years. Previous to the days of Mr Menzies 
 of Culdares, 
 
 " The birch, the wild rose, and the broom 
 Wasted around their rich perfume," 
 
 throughout almost the entire glen, although many parts were 
 utterly destitute of even this primitive covering. Now, how- 
 ever, much of the more unprofitable land, and the rugged hill- 
 sides often up to the summit, have been planted with larch or
 
 444 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE, 
 
 Scots fir, giving a much more beautiful and warmer appearance 
 to the landscape, and adding considerably to the value of the 
 property. 
 
 Immediately on entering the approach to Meggernie Castle, 
 we pass a very fine plantation of this character, the wood being 
 between fifty and sixty years old, and of excellent quality. A 
 little to the west of the flower garden, which is situated on 
 nicely sloping ground at the back of the Castle, there is a 
 magnificent plantation of Scots fir over 100 years of age. Great 
 havoc was made in this wood by the storm of 28th December 
 1879. Adjoining this wood to the west, the Trustees of Mr 
 E. Steuart-Menzies, under the direction of Mr P. M. Conacher, 
 the factor, planted extensively ten years ago, so as to afford 
 greater shelter, and provide a better background to the 
 picturesque old Castle. These young trees, Scots fir and larch, 
 are coming away beautifully, and already add very much to the 
 beauty of the place. Above this young plantation there is a 
 grand wood of about 1000 acres, consisting of larch and Scots 
 fir of forty years' standing. Previous to this the ground was 
 regular moorland, but with a good depth of soil in the lower 
 parts. The wet portions were all thoroughly drained, and the 
 ground was as well prepared as it could be under the circum- 
 stances. The trees were originally planted up to the skyline, 
 but owing to the great exposure, they have not grown quite up 
 to the summit, which is 1960 feet above the level of the sea. 
 There are still, however, many trees quite close to the height of 
 1960 feet above the seadevel, being considerably higher that 
 Turlum Hill near Crieff, hitherto reputed to be the highest 
 wooded hill in Scotland. This is about the highest point in 
 the glen proper, but at an elevation very little below this are 
 several ridges, 
 
 " Where towering firs in conic forms arise, 
 And with a pointed spear divide the skies." 
 
 In front of the Castle, but on the opposite side of the 
 river, there is a large extent of rich woodlands, the 
 timber being chiefly Scots fir, intermixed with birch. 
 Here there are several very large trees of great age, the 
 measurements being much the same as the firs we have already
 
 GLENLTON. 445 
 
 noticed. A little to the south-west of the Castle there is a fine 
 helt of Scots fir of about 70 years of age ; and farther up the 
 glen there is another small plantation of Scots fir, laid down 
 about twelve years ago by Mr R Steuart-Menzies, the father 
 of the late laird. Along the south side of the river, near 
 this spot, there is a row of magnificent beeches, — extending to 
 about 100 yards in length, — evidently originally intended to be 
 connected with the avenue leading from the approach. It is 
 presumed that when Mr Menzies of Culdarcs planted those 
 beeches, it was his intention to divert the river, by cutting off a 
 sharp bend, so as to extend the avenue in this direction. 
 
 There is another very nice plantation, laid down by the late 
 Mr B. Steuart-Menzies, about twenty-five years ago. It is 
 entirely of Scots fir, and forms a delightful background to the 
 Gallin Falls. These falls are within a few minutes' walk of the 
 Castle, and are crossed by a small suspension bridge. The 
 scene at this point is very grand. The Lyon rushes along a 
 frightfully rugged bed, and forces a passage through adamantine 
 rocks in many fantastic ways. In the deeper pools, the kingly 
 salmon may be seen lurking, to recruit his strength for another 
 of those desperate leaps which he has to take before gaining the 
 quieter waters of the loch. Immediately above the wood, which 
 forms a direct background to the falls, is another large area of 
 old Scots fir, in a very flourishing condition, crowning the hill 
 between the roads to Loch Lyon and the farm of Lochs. Imme- 
 diately beyond the farm of Gallin there is a small plantation of 
 Scots fir and larch, with a nice avenue of sycamore and elm, 
 planted five years ago by the Trustees of the late Mr E. Steuart- 
 Menzies. The following is a note of the extent of the woods 
 on the Culdares property: — Cambusvrachan, about 4 acres; 
 Innerwick, 8 do.; Kerromore, 7 do.; Bridge of Balgie, 15 do.; 
 Barnpark, 15 do.; Dalreach, 25 do.; Castle Park, 30 do.; 
 Gallin, 40 do.; plantation above the Castle, 1000 do.; natural 
 Scots fir and birch wood opposite the Castle, 800 do. ; and 
 Cnocnocoirre (or resinous) Knoll, meaning the Knoll of 
 Besinous Wood, 400 acres — in all, about 2350 acres. 
 
 The journey through the remaining portions of the glen is 
 devoid of arboreal interest, the land being almost entirely
 
 446 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 pastoral. At Gallin Falls a small glen branches off to the 
 right, and here the Connat flows through a lovely dell, and 
 pours its torrents over a series of beautiful waterfalls. At the 
 top of the dell are Lochs Damh and Girrie, two nice sheets of 
 water, from which the Connat chiefly draws its supplies, and 
 which afford good sport to the angler. After fording the 
 Connat, we drive through a beautiful pastoral district, and pass 
 Cashlie, where there is an old feudal tower, known as Caisteal 
 M'Niall (Castle M'Neill). Along the whole of the route, we 
 now find the remains of old feudal towers, namely, Caisteal Con 
 a Bhacain, Caisteal an Duibhe, Caisteal an Deirg, and Sithean 
 Camslai. At the farm of Innermean, a little beyond Pubil, we 
 ascend Fingal's Seat (1070 feet), from which a most extensive 
 view of the glen, east and west, is to be had. Loch Lyon is 
 also in the midst of this farm. At the east end of the loch we 
 have to quit our trap, and walk along a rough road skirting 
 the side of Benvauich. On reaching the west end of the loch 
 we turn a little to the north-west, and a mile and a half farther 
 on we come to the march between the counties of Perth and 
 Argyll, where the Culdares property terminates. After a short 
 rest we descend the hill, and, about 6 miles from where we 
 left our conveyance, we reach Auchbridge, and find ourselves 
 within 3 miles of Tyndrum Station on the Callander and 
 Oban Railway. 
 
 Much has been done to render Glenlyon one of the most 
 beautiful, as it is the most extensive, of the Scottish glens, but 
 a great deal yet remains to be done. Although there are some 
 fine patches of arable land along the margin of the river, the 
 glen, as a whole, is essentially pastoral, the blackfaced sheep 
 and the sturdy West Highland cattle roaming over the hills 
 free from all restraint. It deserves to be noticed, however, that 
 the climate is so congenial in the low grounds that the less 
 hardy Ayrshire cattle thrive amazingly ; so much so, indeed, 
 that Mr P. M. Conacher, the factor on the Culdares property, 
 maintains one of the best Ayrshire herds in Scotland. The 
 climate is generally wet and bleak, but the glen is not so much 
 exposed to the severe storms of winter as one would naturally 
 suppose ; and the roads, notwithstanding the precipitous hills
 
 GLEXLYON. 447 
 
 on either side, are seldom blocked with snow. The glen being 
 chiefly pastoral, the absence of shelter over great tracts of the 
 country cannot but be injurious to flockmasters. To the 
 ordinary visitor, the absence of timber is specially noticeable 
 along the sides of the numerous burns, and the many picturesque 
 spots where, to quote the Poet Laureate, 
 
 " The long waterfalls 
 Pour in a thunderous plunge to the base of the mountain walls." 
 
 The exceptions which are met with only bring out in greater 
 relief the many barren spots, and show how much beauty may 
 yet be imparted to the glen. But the utility of more extensive 
 planting will be chiefly recognised by those who can appreciate 
 the advantage of shelter for the sheep, and the commercial 
 value of the timber ; and on these grounds alone the propriety 
 of laying down plantations and clumps at the more exposed or 
 least valuable portions of the glen cannot be doubted.
 
 XXXVII.— OCHTERTYRE. 
 
 The Beauties of Ochtertyre — History of the Property — The Murrays of 
 Ochtertyre — The Policies — The Mausoleum — A Fearful Tragedy — 
 Craig-na-Cullach — The Principal Shrubbery — The Pinetum — 
 Kemarkable Trees — The Loeh of Monzievaird — The Old Castle of 
 Cluggy — Burns and the ' ' Aiks " of Ochtertyre. 
 
 Ochtertyre, where " grows the aik," lies so close to one of the 
 great tourist highways, the road hetween Crieff and Lochearn, 
 that its more conspicuous charms are spread out before the most 
 casual observer. Stretching along the slope of the lower 
 terrace of the Grampians, with a fine southern exposure, its 
 picturesque undulations, its tastefully-ornamented parks, and its 
 abrupt, pine-clad heights, command the attention of all who 
 have an eye for the lovely in Nature. The mansion-house, 
 situated as it is high above the placid waters of the romantic 
 little Loch of Monzievaird, and almost concealed by the sur- 
 rounding woods, contributes very much to the grandeur of the 
 landscape, which is acknowledged to be one of the most 
 enchanting in Britain. But it is not until the policies are 
 entered that the full beauties of the spot are disclosed ; and as 
 the proprietor, Sir Patrick Keith Murray, Bart., places few 
 restrictions upon visitors, its inner attractions are not unknown. 
 These attractions, wherever practicable, have been greatly 
 enhanced by the hand of Art. The roads are skilfully led 
 throughout the park, so that they are almost concealed from the 
 mansion-house, and every obstruction to the expansive views 
 around that could possibly be removed have been taken out of 
 the way. The trees in the park, too, are so grouped as to be 
 artistically-beautiful and harmonious, whde the giants of the 
 policies include some of the grandest specimens of their kind — 
 
 " Is there a spot in Scotia fair 
 So full of beauty rich and rare, 
 Where Nature with a lavish hand, 
 Has formed a perfect fairy-land ? 
 All gaze with wonder, and admire 
 Thy beauties, lovely Ochtertyre ! "
 
 OCHTERTYEE. 449 
 
 Ochtertyre lias been in possession of the representatives of the 
 present family, a branch of the house of Tullibardine, for 
 upwards of four centuries. It is a notable circumstance that the 
 father has been uniformly succeeded by his eldest son without 
 any collateral relative intervening ; and it is a no less notable 
 circumstance, as we learn from two black marble tablets in the 
 family mausoleum, that of the first four generations of the line, 
 from 1424 to 1547, the Christian names of the heads of the 
 family have been Patrick and David alternately, and the 
 succeeding eleven generations have been Patrick and William 
 alternately. Up till 1739 the family name was . spelled 
 " Moray," it having been altered to its present form by the third 
 baronet. The Moray s, as we have formerly had occasion to 
 point out, acquired large possessions in Athole and Strathearn, 
 and branched off in various distinguished families. The first of 
 the Ochtertyre line owes his existence to the union of Sir David 
 Murray of Gask and Tullibardine, who was knighted by James 
 II. of Scotland in 1424, with Isabel, daughter of Sir John 
 Stewart of Innermeath, Lord of Lorn. Patrick, the first laird of 
 Ochtertyre, was the third son of this marriage, and he obtained 
 the lands from his father, on his marriage with Isabel, 
 daughter of Balfour of Montquhanie, ancestor of the Burley 
 family. Patrick died in 1476, leaving a son, David, who 
 became the second laird of Ochtertyre. David married 
 Margaret, daughter of Henry Pitcairn of Pitcairn and Forthar 
 and left two sons — Patrick, the third laird of Ochtertyre, and 
 Anthony, who founded the Dollerie branch of the family. The 
 eighth laird of Ochtertyre was a man of more than ordinary 
 ability, and during his reign the family acquired a higher status 
 than it had hitherto enjoyed. In 1669, he purchased the lands 
 of Fowlis-Easter from Patrick, ninth Lord Gray, whose family 
 had suffered severely by fines and oppression under the 
 Cromwellian usurpation. In 1673, this laird, William, was 
 created a baronet of JSTova Scotia, with remainder to his heirs 
 male. The succeeding laird, Sir Patrick, was a friend of the 
 Revolution of 1688, and the Revolution Government entertained 
 so good an opinion of his sagacity and integrity of character 
 that he was one of those selected to distribute public money 
 
 2 P
 
 450 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 amongst the Highland chiefs to induce them to remain quiet. 
 
 By his prudent and economical hahits he amassed a fortune of 
 
 about £18,000, which he expended upon the purchase of the 
 
 barony of Monzievaird and other lands. His manorial seat was 
 
 Fowlis Castle, where all his family were born. He sat in the 
 
 last Parliament of Scotland as one of the four representatives for 
 
 Perthshire. Although Sir Patrick was a friend of the Union 
 
 and the Hanoverian succession, his heir, William, espoused 
 
 Jacobite principles, and became a stout partisan of that party. 
 
 He joined the Earl of Mar in 1715, and fought at Sheriffmuir, 
 
 where he was made a prisoner, but soon after obtained his 
 
 pardon. Sir William was highly educated and accomplished, 
 
 having studied at Oxford, and made the tour of France 
 
 and Italy, but the tenure of his inheritance was brief. 
 
 It was he who altered the spelling of the family name, 
 
 as already mentioned. When the Rebellion of 1745 broke 
 
 out, the fourth baronet, Sir Patrick, held a commission 
 
 as a Captain of the 42nd Eegiment, and was taken 
 
 prisoner by the victorious Rebels at Prestonpans, but was 
 
 allowed to go on his parole to Ochtertyre. Sir William 
 
 Murray, the fifth baronet, was also a soldier, but on the death 
 
 of his father in 1746 he left the service for the purpose of 
 
 devoting himself to the management of his property, to which 
 
 he applied all the powers of an acute and cultivated mind. He 
 
 was the promoter of everything tending to the improvement of 
 
 the estate, and introduced the modern system of husbandry. 
 
 He built the old mansiondiouse of Ochtertyre, which stood 
 
 about 300 yards north-west of the present one. The sixth 
 
 baronet, Sir Patrick, was born in the old house. He was also 
 
 a great friend of rural improvement, and at the same time took 
 
 a very active part in public affairs. In 1799, he was appointed 
 
 King's Remembrancer for Scotland; in 1806 he was elected 
 
 M.P. for the city of Edinburgh; in 1808, he was one of the 
 
 Trustees for Manufactures and Fisheries; in 1810, he was 
 
 appointed Secretary to the Commission on Indian Affairs ; and 
 
 in 1820, he became one of the Scottish Barons of Exchequer, a 
 
 dignity which he held till his death in 1837. The younger 
 
 brother of this laird, George, was the most notable member of
 
 OCHTERTYRE. 451 
 
 the family, having obtained distinguished honours as a soldier 
 and a statesman. After being educated at the High School and 
 University of Edinburgh, he entered the army in 1789, as an 
 Ensign in the 71st Regiment, exchanging subsequently into the 
 34th Regiment, and again to the Foot Guards. Beginning his 
 career on the eve of the long war with Revolutionary France, 
 he had soon the opportunity of distinguishing himself, and his 
 promotion was rapid. In 1795, he became aide-de-camp to 
 General Campbell on the staff of the expedition intended for 
 Quiberon, but was sent to the West Indies, under Sir Ralph 
 Abercromby. He shared in the expedition to Holland in 1799, 
 and received a slight wound in battle. He afterwards received 
 an appointment in the Quartermaster-General's department 
 under Sir Ralph Abercromby, whom he accompanied to Egypt, 
 taking part in the struggle which closed with the decisive battle 
 at Alexandria. In the expedition to Copenhagen, he was 
 Quartermaster-General to Sir John Moore, and fought with him 
 in Portugal. He next served under "Wellington throughout the 
 Peninsular War. In 1812, he was promoted to the post of 
 Major-General; and in 1813 he was created a Knight of the 
 Bath. At the close of the war, he was appointed Governor of 
 Canada, but as soon as he learned of the return of Bonaparte 
 from Elba, he recrossed the Atlantic with troops for Europe, 
 and, although arriving too late to be present at Waterloo, he 
 was able to join Wellington before the entry of the British into 
 Paris, and remained with the Army of Occupation until 1817. 
 On returning home, he was repeatedly elected as M.P. for his 
 native county of Perth, and held the posts of Secretary for the 
 Colonies and Master-General of the Ordnance under the Duke of 
 Wellington. In 1841, he was raised to the rank of General. 
 He latterly devoted some attention to literature, and was the 
 editor of the Letters and Despatches of the Duke of Marl- 
 borough. Returning to the lairds of Ochtertyre, Sir Patrick 
 Murray was succeeded by his son William, who held a commis- 
 sion in the Black Watch, but ultimately retired from the army. 
 By his marriage with Helen Margaret Oliphant, only child and 
 heir of Sir Alexander Keith of Dunnottar and Ravelston, 
 Knight-Marischal of Scotland, the family became intimately
 
 452 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 connected with one of the great historical houses of Scotland, 
 Sir William at the same time assuming the surname of Keith. 
 Sir William was universally recognised as the beau ideal of a 
 country gentleman, taking a very great interest in the manage- 
 ment of his property, and endeavouring to promote the interests 
 of all around him. He was also distinguished for his devotion 
 to literature and science, was an accomplished artist, and an 
 excellent musician. He exerted himself in various ways to 
 cultivate in others the talents which were so conspicuous in 
 himself, personally undertaking the instruction of pupils who 
 showed an aptitude for special studies and accomplishments. 
 In 1851, he commenced the erection of a fine ohservatory at 
 Ochtertyre, which was completed in the following year, and to 
 which the puhlic were freely admitted. He died on 16th 
 October 1861, deeply regretted by all. The observatory was 
 taken down shortly after his death. He was succeeded by his 
 eldest son, the present Baronet, who was born on 27th January 
 1835. In early life, he entered the army, bearing a Captain's 
 commission in the Grenadier Guards, but he has since retired. 
 On the death of his mother, he succeeded to the Dunnottar and 
 Ravelston estates, which have since been sold. He is the 
 fifteenth in descent from the founder of the family. ' 
 
 Entering the policies by the eastern gate, we pass along a 
 beautiful avenue leading directly to the mansion-house. Mid- 
 way between the entrance gate and the mansion, we reach the 
 family mausoleum, an appropriate and substantial erection 
 occupying the site of the old Parish Church of Monzievaird — the 
 scene, in 1511, of the fearful tragedy which Sir Walter Scott 
 has narrated in his introduction to The Legend of Montrose. 
 There was a long-standing feud between the Murrays and the 
 Drummonds, and the result of a sanguinary battle fought at 
 Knock-Mary, an eminence on the south side of the Earn, near 
 Crieff, was that the Drummonds were defeated. While the 
 Murrays were returning home with their booty, the Drummonds 
 were unexpectedly reinforced by a body of Campbells who had 
 come to revenge another quarrel with the Murrays. Observing 
 their danger, the Murrays took refuge, unperceived, in the 
 church, with their wives and children, but as their enemies were
 
 OCHTERTYRE. 453 
 
 about to disperse, one of the Murrays, unluckily, shot an arrow 
 from a window of the church, killing a Campbell, and revealing 
 the presence of the fugitives. The building was surrounded and 
 set on fire, and 160 men, with their wives and families, perished. 
 Only one of the Murrays escaped, and that through the con- 
 nivance of a Drummond, who was so persecuted by his clan for 
 this act of humanity that he had to take refuge in Ireland. The 
 church was afterwards rebuilt, and continued the Parish Church 
 until the beginning of the present century. Before proceeding 
 further through the policies, we ascend the finely-wooded hill of 
 Craig-na-Culloch (" The Cock's Hill "), which commands a pro- 
 spect that could not be excelled anywhere. Southwards the 
 view is only limited by the Ochil range, which is seen stretching 
 from Dunblane to Dunning, with the Fife Lomonds standing 
 prominently behind. Between the spectator and the Ochils 
 there is spread out as fine an expanse of country as the eye 
 could wish to rest upon, embracing the whole of the town of 
 Crieff, and its gorgeous surroundings, with Muthill, Auchterarder, 
 and the woods of Tullibardine in the distance. To the west, 
 the view extends over the Forest of Glenartney to Ben Voirlich, 
 Ben More, Ben Ledi, and other mountains scarcely less elevated. 
 At the foot of the slope lies the Loch of Monzievaird, covering 
 some 30 acres, reposing in dreamy quietude, and reflecting on 
 its surface the foliage of the graceful trees which skirt its shores. 
 At every point the eye catches some new beauty as it wanders 
 over this extensive panorama, and it is almost with a pang that 
 the back is turned upon so ravishing a spectacle. The hill is 
 chiefly covered with young timber of the commoner varieties. 
 
 The principal shrubbery, laid out by the present proprietor's 
 grandfather, over eighty years ago, is one of the most interesting 
 spots within the policies. It extends from the mansion to the 
 garden, exactly a quarter of a mile. Grass walks, 12 feet 
 broad, divide it almost to the middle, where it breaks off into 
 three large divisions, each separated by grass Avalks of the same 
 width, joining together at the upper end. Of late years portions 
 which had become overgrown by the commoner varieties of 
 deciduous and evergreen shrubs, have been rooted out and 
 levelled, with the view of having a complete pinetum. One
 
 454 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 division has been planted with nearly all the varieties of Ahies 
 and Picea, while the entire half of the top or upper division is 
 being planted with the true pines. In one of the centre 
 divisions upwards of thirty distinct varieties of Tazus and their 
 allies have been planted, and are making most satisfactory 
 growth, a great attraction being a line on one side of Golden 
 Irish Yew, which has a charming effect. On the lower or 
 narrow part are two broad borders on each side of the walk 
 above referred to, in which are planted many of the older and 
 more interesting shrubs, and the greater number of the fine 
 specimens of hollies for which this place is so famed, the collec- 
 tion including nearly 100 varieties. Amongst the most notable 
 trees in the portion set off as a pinetum is an Abies Morinda or 
 Smithiana, supposed to be one of the original trees raised by 
 the late Mr Smith, gardener, Hopetoun. It is in a most healthy 
 state, and girths 6 feet 6 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 5 feet 5 inches at 5 feet, the height of the tree being 39 feet 6 
 inches. There is a fine Abies Menziesii, 57 feet high, with a 
 girth of 6 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 4 feet 10 inches at 5 
 feet. There is also a very nice Wellingtonia gigantea, with a 
 girth of S feet 7 inches at the ground. In the same neighbour- 
 hood, on the side of the terrace walk, there are three very good 
 cedars of Lebanon, measuring as follows : — No. 1, 9 feet 7 inches 
 at 1 foot from the ground, and 8 feet 5 inches at 5 feet, 
 with a bole of 11 feet; No. 2, 9 feet at 1 foot, and 8 feet 
 
 1 inch at 5 feet, with a bole of 19 feet; and No. 3, 9 feet 
 
 2 inches at 1 foot, and 8 feet 5 inches at 5 feet, from 
 the ground, with a bole of 14 feet. There are also in the 
 principal shrubbery, several fine hardwood trees. The most 
 notable of all is a grand old ash, which has braved the storms 
 of about 400 winters. It has a girth at 1 foot from the ground 
 of 34 feet 10 inches, and at 5 feet the girth is 20 feet 8 inches, 
 with a spread of branches of about 70 feet. It stands at an 
 altitude of 380 feet on a loamy soil, with a subsoil of trap rock, 
 and has a southern exposure. A slit about 5 feet from the ground 
 reveals that the trunk is hollow, but the opening is too narrow to 
 do more than admit a man's arm. The curious are sometimes 
 tempted to push through a stick or umbrella to ascertain the
 
 OCHTERTYRE. 455 
 
 extent of the cavity, and sometime ago, a lady was unfortunate 
 enough to let go her hold of an umbrella, which was heard to 
 fall, with a thud, within. Here it must remain until the tree 
 succumbs to the axe or the ravages of Time, the skeleton per- 
 haps giving rise to some curious speculations in the distant 
 future. Proceeding a little farther, we were attracted by a fine 
 elm bush growing out of a 1-inch jumper-hole in a large boulder 
 from which curling-stones are made. Immediately outside the 
 hole, the bush has a girth of 7 inches, and it shows a yearly 
 growth of 3 inches. The marvel is where the bush draws its 
 sustenance. Besides the old ash above referred to, there is 
 another old tree of the same variety of considerable size, but 
 so covered with ivy that its girth cannot be accurately ascer- 
 tained, but it may be roughly set down as 15 feet 6 inches at 
 about 3 feet from the ground. There is a fine larch, also well 
 covered with ivy, with a girth of 14 feet 3 inches at 1 foot from 
 the ground, and 13 feet at 5 feet, and a bole of 24 feet. A 
 very nice Spanish chestnut girths 11 feet 6 inches at 1 foot 
 from the ground, and 9 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. There is also 
 an unusually handsome purple beech girthing 8 feet 3" inches at 
 1 foot from the ground, and 6 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 beautiful straight bole of 18 feet. The shrubbery is further 
 ornamented with a number of very good Portugal laurels. One 
 has a girth of 7 feet 1 inch at 1 foot from the ground, and 4 
 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a clean bole of 1 2 feet ; and another 
 girths 6 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 5 feet 2 inches at 5 feet. 
 
 In proceeding from the shrubbery to the mansion-house, the 
 way lies along a splendid terraced walk, 10 feet broad, extend- 
 ing east and west for 330 yards, and terminating at the w r est in 
 an octagon built of strong masonry, and coped with granite 
 boulders. A very fine effect is produced by the masonry being 
 covered with ivy, some of the plants of which have been propa- 
 gated from those growing at the study window at Abbotsford. 
 In the park between the terrace walk and the lake, Ave noted 
 the following excellent beeches : — No. 1,15 feet 9 inches at 1 
 foot from the ground, and 13 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 bole of 5 feet; No. 2, 15 feet 11 inches both at 1 foot and 5 
 feet, with a bole of 6 feet; No. 3, 14 feet 11 inches at 1 foot,
 
 456 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 and 10 feet 7 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 12 feet; No. 4, 13 
 feet 11 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 1 inch at 5 feet, with a 
 bole of 7 feet; No. 5, 14 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet 2 
 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 9 feet; and No. 6, 15 feet 8 
 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 7 inches at 5 feet from the ground, 
 with a bole of 6 feet. There is also an exceedingly pretty fern- 
 leaf beech between the house and the lake. Two Scots firs 
 make the following measurements : — No. 1,10 feet 5 inches at 
 1 foot from the ground, and 8 feet 8 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 bole of 12 feet; No. 2, 11 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 6 
 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 15 feet. 
 
 Our way next lies in the direction of the Loch of Monzie- 
 vaird, with its 30 acres of bright water studded with beautiful 
 islets, and indented with charming little bays. Sir Patrick 
 Keith Murray very generously grants permission to a number 
 of the leading inhabitants of Crieff, and those who keep summer 
 lodgings, to fish upon this fine sheet of water, providing them 
 with keys that they may use the boats in the house when 
 desired. The surroundings of the lake, as has already been 
 pointed out, are exceedingly pretty, the ruins of the old Castle of ■ 
 Cluggy rendering the scene peculiarly picturesque. The penin- 
 sula upon which the castle stands anciently bore the name of 
 "The Dry Isle," probably in contradistinction to "The Cairn," 
 or artificial islet opposite to it in the lake, and which tradition 
 alleges to have been the prison of the castle. In the year 1467, 
 the castle was termed an old place of strength — antiquum 
 fortalicium — and there is a tradition that it was once held 
 by the Red Comyn, whom Bruce slew in the church at Dum- 
 fries. For a considerable number of years after the death of 
 the first Laird of Ochtertyre, the Dry Isle appears to have been 
 in other hands than those of his family. Some legal documents, 
 dated 1488, show that David Drummond, son of the Lord 
 Drummond, alleged that the isle and castle pertained to him 
 by reason of tack, and he held possession accordingly, the Lords 
 of Council sustaining his allegations. Later en, in 1525, the 
 Tullibardine family are found in possession of the isle and the 
 loch; and in 1542 they were included within the barony of 
 Trewin, which was erected in favour of that house. About a
 
 OCHTERTYRE. 457 
 
 hundred years afterwards, they are found in full possession of 
 the family of Ochtertyre. At that time the castle was still 
 intact with its fosse and drawbridge, and during the war with 
 Cromwell the ancient fortalice was the abode of the laird, who 
 found it a place of considerable security in a troubled country. 
 On the south of the lake is the scene .of the Battle of Monzie- 
 vaird, where Kenneth IV. was killed, in 1003 ; and at the west 
 end there is a large mound marking the spot where the victims 
 of the plague which ravaged the district during the reign of 
 Charles I. are buried. The lake is girt with a varied and most 
 suitable selection of trees, the richly contrasting foliage producing 
 a delightful effect. A broad bank bounds the north-west portion 
 of the lake, thickly studded with large oaks, believed to be 
 those which excited the admiration of Burns when he wrote : — 
 
 " By Ochertyre there grows the aik, 
 On Yarrow Braes the birken shaw ; 
 But Phemie was a bonnier lass 
 Than Braes of Yarrow ever saw." 
 
 This bank was formerly loaded with shrubbery and the common 
 varieties of trees, but about ten years ago, Sir Patrick, very 
 judiciously, cleared these all out, so as to bring the "aiks" into 
 greater prominence. Many of these oaks are grand trees, ranging 
 from 3 to 4 feet through at the surface of the ground. The 
 largest one girths 1 8 feet 1 inch at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 16 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 12 feet. It was in 
 June 1787 that Bobert Burns visited Ochtertyre, where he was 
 hospitably entertained by Sir William Murray, the fifth baronet, 
 and Lady Augusta. Sir William's fair relative, Euphemia 
 Murray of Lintrose, who was afterwards married to Lord 
 Methven, one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of Scotland, 
 was then on a visit to Ochtertyre, and her charms powerfully 
 inspired the muse of the poet. In addition to "Phemie, the 
 blythest lass," the national poet has left another souvenir of his 
 brief sojourn at Ochtertyre in the lines on scaring the water- 
 fowl on Loch Turret : — 
 
 " Why, ye tenants of the lake, 
 For me your watr'y haunt forsake? 
 Tell me, fellow creatures, why 
 At my presence thus you fly '( 
 Why disturb your social joys,
 
 458 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Parent, filial, kindred ties ? — 
 Common friend to you and me, 
 Nature's gifts to all are free : 
 Peaceful keep your dimpling wave, 
 Busy feed, or wanton lave : 
 Or beneath the sheltering rock, 
 Bide the surging billow's shock." 
 
 When Burns walked the shores of Loch Turret, the scene was 
 that of a Highland desert, " welcome from its loneliness to the 
 heart of the poet," but now it is richly clad with thriving pine, 
 and is a regular resort of the tourist. The same service has 
 been rendered to other parts of the property where the necessity 
 or expediency of planting was apparent, and the work of 
 extending these plantations is one which is constantly in 
 progress.
 
 XXXVIIL— LAWEES. 
 
 The Beauties of Lawers— History of the Property— A Thrilling Incident— 
 The Old Chapel— Early Planting— Notable Trees— "The Queen"— 
 The Largest Scots Fir in the World— Newer Coniferous Trees- 
 Plantations. 
 
 No traveller along the public road between Crieff and Comrie 
 can escape noticing and admiring the magnificent situation of 
 the mansion-house of Lawers, the seat of Colonel David Robert- 
 son Williamson. Nor can he fail to observe that the imposing 
 building, with its tasteful turret and pillars of the Doric and 
 Ionic orders, is in every way worthy of the situation. While 
 the mansion is the first object that will strike the eye of a 
 stranger, the mind is immediately diverted from its artistic 
 design and elegant proportions to its gorgeous surroundings, — 
 gorgeous in arborous beauties of the rarest kind, and in a com- 
 bination of all those natural features which have made our 
 Scottish scenery famox;s. Standing on the lower ridge of Fordie 
 Hill, at an altitude of about 250 feet above sea-level, its windows 
 command a prospect difficult to excel for extent and variety. 
 Far away to the west is seen "lone Glenartney's hazel shade," 
 with the cleft and cairn-crowned top of Ben Voirlich peeping 
 over the rugged hills. With the aid of a good field-glass, the 
 red-deer may occasionally be seen from the drawing-room win- 
 dows as they roam in majesty over the ancient and Royal 
 Forest of Glenartney. Across the plain on which the village of 
 Comrie nestles amidst the richest foliage, the dark hills of 
 Aberuchill cast their shadows, but only to heighten the effect of 
 the scene. Southwards, a great part of the Vale of Strathearn, 
 with its serpentine river, fertile fields, and umbrageous slopes, 
 lies before us, while Turluni raises its pine-covered shoulders 
 towards the east. The house itself, with its fine colonnade, is, 
 as we have said, a large and imposing building. It was origin"
 
 4G0 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 ally a plain old Scottish mansion, the main portion "being one of 
 the oldest buildings in Strathearn. The house was remodelled 
 in 1738, from a design by William Adam. At that time the 
 possessor was Colonel Campbell who fell at the battle of 
 Fontenoy, after having only had the privilege of sleeping in his 
 new house one night. Various alterations have since been 
 made upon the building. When in possession of Colonel 
 Williamson's grand-uncle, Lord Balgray, a Senator of the 
 College of Justice, a new face was put upon it, transforming it 
 into the present picturesque structure. Lawers was not the 
 original name of the property, this name being given by a 
 branch of the Campbells of Glenurchy, who left the foot of Ben 
 Lawers several centuries ago, and settled in this district. 
 
 The estate at present covers about 50 square miles of country, 
 — including fruitful arable land, rich and beautiful timber, lonely 
 moorland, and bold rocky mountains, — but, at the time of the 
 Beformation, it was known to have been much larger, extending 
 along the north shore of Loch Earn, and reaching the waters of 
 Loch Tay. The property was then in the hands of a branch of 
 the Campbells, and the laird of that day, Colonel Campbell of 
 Lawers, was distinguished as a warm friend of the Protestant 
 cause, and held the command of a regiment of the Beformers. 
 His successor, Sir John Campbell of Lawers, was knighted by 
 James VI. in 1620, and in 1633 was created Earl of Louden, 
 through marrying Margaret Campbell, Baroness of Louden. He 
 afterwards became Chancellor of Scotland, and took a prominent 
 part in resisting the arbitrary measures of Charles I. He was 
 also so firmly opposed to Cromwell that he was excepted by 
 him out of his Act of Grace, but pardoned in 1654. At the 
 Restoration he was deprived of the Chancellorship, and fined 
 in the sum of £12,000 Scots as well. His brother, who suc- 
 ceeded him at Lawers, was equally hostile to the Common- 
 wealth. He raised a regiment to oppose the " Protector," by 
 whom, however, he was defeated, with heavy loss, at Inver- 
 keithing. His son and successor, Colonel Campbell, was also a 
 man of note, and regarding him a very thrilling story is told. 
 While in the discharge of some duty, he gave grievous offence 
 to the powerful Clan M'Gregor. Determined to be avenged,
 
 LAWEKS. 461 
 
 the M'Gregors collected a strong force, and. attacked Lawers 
 House at midnight, with the intention of murdering the unfor- 
 tunate Colonel. Regardless of the heartrending entreaties of 
 his wife, they were about to deal a death-blow to their victim, 
 when he begged of them to be conducted to the little chapel on 
 the property in order to perform his devotions before dying. 
 The request was complied with, but on the way to the chapel 
 he succeeded in inducing his captors to accept a ransom of 
 10,000 merks, to be paid at a tavern in Balquhidder on the 
 following Monday. Punctual to his engagement, he appeared 
 with the money, but he had arranged that while the money was 
 being paid, a troop of cavalry should surround the house, and 
 capture the freebooters. This they succeeded in doing. His 
 enemies offered to procure a ransom to recover their liberty, but 
 the Laird of Lawers had learned from experience to put no 
 trust in their tender mercies, and- they were all conveyed to 
 Edinburgh, and publicly executed. The chapel referred to is 
 one of the oldest ecclesiastical buildings in Strathearn, and was, 
 till the close of last century, the burial-place of the family of 
 Lawers. This interesting ruin stands to the south-west of the 
 mansion, and is credited with being the scene of many a 
 tragedy — 
 
 " When chiefs from far Glenlyon, 
 And clansmen from Loch Tay, 
 Brought to the fane their offerings, 
 And fought the holy day." 
 
 The chapel is surrounded by a fine grove of yews, and the 
 design and origin of two parellel and magnificent avenues of 
 oak trees, which stretch from the Earn until they seem to be 
 lust on the wooded heights of Lennoch and Drummond-Ernoch, 
 indicate that they were originally planted as an ornament to the 
 chapel, as they are much older than the mansion. The girth of 
 two of these oaks is 20 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 13 feet 5 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground ; and 20 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 12 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. Two of the yew trees girth 11 
 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 18 feet 6 inches at 5 feet; and 10 
 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 18 feet 6 inches at 5 feet from the 
 ground. 
 
 The estate was acquired in 1784 by General Archibald Robert-
 
 462 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 son of the Eoyal Engineers. At his death, in 1813, the property 
 devolved on his niece, Miss Boyd Eohertson, who, by her 
 mother, was the lineal descendant of the famous Zechariah 
 Boyd, and Bishop Boyd of Glasgow. In 1814, she married her 
 cousin, David Eobertson Williamson, to whom we have already 
 referred as a Judge of the Court of Session, under the title of 
 Lord Balgray, and who was the son of Alexander Williamson of 
 Balgray. Lord Balgray studied for the Bar, and passed as an 
 advocate in 1783 ; Sheriff of Stirling in 1807; and was raised 
 to the Bench in 1811, his title being taken from his property in 
 Dumfriesshire. Lord Balgray was not only a highly-talented 
 Judge, but he was an energetic country gentleman, and did 
 much to embellish the estate and forward agricultural improve- 
 ments. The first of a large collection of cups and medals in the 
 possession of Colonel Williamson — who succeeded in 1852, on 
 the death of his grand-aunt, Mrs Eobertson-Williamson, widow 
 of Lord Balgray — was won in the arena of the Highland and 
 Agricultural Society in 1829 by Lord Balgray, with an ox, 
 which, judging from its representation on canvas, was of no 
 ordinary merit. The efforts of the present laird in the same 
 direction are too well known to require recapitulation. It is 
 not in' the showyard alone that he has earned well-deserved dis- 
 tinction. The workers' cottages erected by him are perfect 
 models, and gain the admiration of all who see them; while 
 throughout the entire estate, improvements more or less exten- 
 sive, have been going on for the last thirty years. Apart from 
 the large sums expended on improvements by Lord Balgray, 
 thirty miles of fencing have been erected on one farm alone, — ■ 
 that of Innergeldie, — and about £50,000 has been spent by 
 Colonel Williamson on buildings, drainage, road-making, fenc- 
 ing, and planting. The object of this extensive fencing is to 
 keep sheep from wandering from one farm to another, thus 
 preventing them from being unduly disturbed by the shepherds. 
 A good deal of the planting was done by Lord Balgray, but 
 from the monster trees to be met with in great numbers 
 throughout the property, it may safely be concluded that Lawers 
 has been well wooded for centuries, the trees in the neighbour- 
 hood of the old chapel, or those originally planted for its
 
 LAWERS. 463 
 
 embellishment, being very old, and many of them of great size. 
 Some of the grandest of these trees have succumbed to 
 gales in recent years. The grandest of the whole, a sycamore, 
 popularly known in the district as "The Queen," and which 
 stood in the field known as the Pond Park, was blown down 
 by the gale of December 1881. An estate paper describes 
 this tree as having a circumference of 24 feet in the 
 year 1781,. when the kitchen garden was sheltered by its 
 branches. When it was blown down, the girth at 1 foot from 
 the ground was 38 feet, and at 5 feet the girth was 17 feet 6 
 inches. An elm blown down by the same gale girthed 16 feet 
 at 1 foot, and 12 feet at 5 feet from the ground. An ash tren, 
 still standing, near the Pond, has a girth of 25 feet at 1 foot, 
 and 17 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. A fine lime, near the remains 
 of the chapel, girths 24 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 18 feet 4 
 inches at 5 feet. There ere also some grand beech and Spanish 
 chestnut trees in the Long Avenue, one of the former having 
 a girth of 21 feet at 1 foot, and 15 feet 9 inches at 5 feet; and 
 one of the latter a girth of 19 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 14 
 feet 8 inches at 5 feet from the ground. Near this avenue, 
 there is an irregularly-shaped field rejoicing in the name of the 
 " Bellman's Acre," so called because it was occupied for ages as 
 compensation for the services of that functionary. It is 
 believed that " the acre " was sold about the middle of last 
 century, the price received being the loan of a horse for a 
 journey to Perth and back. There are also several magnificent 
 specimens of the Scots fir, Lawers having the reputation of 
 having grown the largest Scots fir in the world. This tree was, 
 unfortunately, blown down in 1850, and it was of such a 
 marvellous size, that in the following year a section of it was 
 shown at the International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace, 
 where it attracted much attention. The girth of the tree when 
 it was blown down was 17 feet 7 inches at 1 foot from the 
 ground, and 13 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. There are still two trees 
 standing which nearly approach to this size — one in the Long 
 Avenue, and the other near the waterfall. The former has a 
 girth of 17 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 13 feet 3 inches at 5 
 feet from the ground ; and the latter a girth of 1 7 feet 3 inches
 
 464 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 at 1 foot, and 12 feet 5 inches at 5 feet. A few years ago an 
 enormous silver fir was blown down, the measurement as it 
 lay on the ground being as follows : — length of tree, 102 feet; 
 girth at 1 foot up, 15 feet 3 inches; do. at 5 feet, 12 feet; 
 do. at 20 feet, 10 feet 10 inches; and do. at 27 feet up, 10 feet 
 6 inches. The bole was 54 feet in leugth, and the cubic contents 
 amounted to 404 feet. From the estate paper to which reference 
 has already been made, we learn that about the year 1731 an 
 enclosure extending to about 60 acres was planted with a variety 
 
 SCUTS FIR AT LAWERS. 
 
 of trees, which, in 1781, were reported as being in a thriving 
 condition. During the years 1764, 1767, and 1768, a quantity 
 of natural or hagg wood is mentioned as having been cut, and 
 the produce sold for £1500 — a circumstance which is of some 
 interest as illustrating the difference in the value of this wood 
 at the end of a century, the amount being probably double what 
 would now be realised. 
 
 Many of the newer coniferous plants found an early home at
 
 LAWERS. 465 
 
 Lawers. In 1786, an Abies Canadensis was planted by General 
 Robertson, and when it was blown down by the Tay Bridge 
 gale, it was regarded as the largest tree of the kind in Great 
 Britain. An Abies DougJasii was planted in 1840, and now 
 girths 7 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 6 feet 4 inches at 5 feet 
 from the ground. A Cedrus Deodara planted at the same time 
 now girths 5 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 4 feet 9 inches at 5 
 feet. Between 1849 and 1866 a considerable number of Abies 
 Douglasii, Gryptomeria Japonica, and Arauraria imbricata, 
 were planted. During 1868, about 200 Picea nobilis, and over 
 300 fancy pines of different varieties, were planted. All the 
 varieties planted are growing well, the Abies Menziesii and the 
 Picea Pinsqpo luxuriating in low damp situations. The Picea 
 nobilis, however, is growing with more vigour than any of the 
 other varieties, especially where planted in alluvial soil, and on 
 a declivity with a southern exposure, some of those planted in 
 1868 having attained a height of 25 feet. The Picea nobilis is 
 not eaten by hares or rabbits, although these destructive animals 
 eat the bark of the Wellingtonia gigantea, Picea Nordmanniana, 
 and Cupressus Lawsoniana, to such an extent that it has been 
 found necessary to protect them with wire-netting. 
 
 Planting upon an extensive scale was commenced by Lord 
 Balgray in the year 1815, when 600 additional acres of larch, 
 Scots fir, oak coppice, and spruce, were laid down ; but this 
 work was evidently undertaken to replace timber which had 
 been cut, as several trees of an earlier date are still standing. 
 About £30,000 worth of timber has already been taken out of 
 this plantation alone. The Scots 6r is of especially fine cpuality, 
 as is indicated by the extreme redness of the bark, and the deep 
 blue colouring of the leaves. Col. Williamson acts upon the 
 principle of clearing the ground in preference to thinning, and 
 replanting the ground,— larch following oak coppice, Scots fir 
 following larch, and vice versa. After procuring the plants 
 from the nurseryman, they are kept for three years in the home 
 nursery before being planted out. In planting, care is always 
 taken to dig a proper pit for the roots, the slitting system being 
 carefully avoided. For ten or twelve years the Colonel has 
 discarded the cruelty of traps for destroying the rabbits, as he 
 
 2q
 
 466 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 finds that the ground can be as effectually cleared by ferrets — 
 any rabbits remaining in the holes being dug out. This was a 
 laborious work to begin with, but now the ground has been so 
 honeycombed with these repeated diggings, that very little 
 labour is required to clear out the rabbits at any time. A 
 mixture of cow-dung and hot lime is also applied to the bark of 
 the young plants at intervals until they grow beyond the reach 
 of danger from vermin ; and this plan is not only found to be 
 effectual for the purpose originally intended, but is also most 
 beneficial for the plants. The ground throughout the plantations, 
 which extend in all to about 1000 acres, is thoroughly drained 
 by deep surface cuttings, and everything possible is done to pro- 
 mote the free growth of the timber, the Colonel taking a lively 
 personal interest in this as in all other departments of his 
 beautiful property.
 
 XXXIX.— STEOWAK 
 
 Situation — History of the Property — Improvements — Tom-a-Chastile — 
 Ancient Marketplace of Strowan — Origin of Name — Remarkable 
 Trees — Plantations, etc. 
 
 Strowan, like the other estates in Upper Strathearn, enjoys 
 natural advantages of a very high order. Situated in the 
 centre of the strath, it commands, from various points, a full 
 view of all the beauties of this delightful district, and lias 
 within its own grounds attractions that are second to none. 
 The present proprietor, J. T. Graham-Stirling, is a cadet of the 
 house of Airth, being the second son of the late Thomas Graham 
 of Airth, who, till the birth of his second son, inherited the 
 property of Strowan from his maternal grancluncle, General Sir 
 Thomas Stirling, Bart., and took his name. General Sir 
 Thomas Stirling was a brother of Sir William Stirling of 
 Ardoch, and purchased the estate from Lord John Murray, 
 afterwards Duke of Athole. The property was left by the 
 General for the benefit of the second son of the present proprietor's 
 father, before Mr Graham-Stirling was born, — his father being 
 in possession from 1808 to 1811, when the present laird was 
 born. Mr Graham -Stirling thus became laird of Strowan the 
 liniment he was born, his father occupying the estate as trustee 
 until his son had attained his majority. 
 
 During the minority of the present laird, large additions were 
 made to the property, and many valuable improvements were 
 carried out, about 700 acres being planted all round (lie 
 property, and a great deal of draining and fencing executed. It 
 was his father's desire to extend the boundaries of Strowan, if 
 possible, but, as sufficient contiguous land could not be had at 
 the time, the money to be devoted to this purpose was ultim- 
 ately invested in the purchase of the estate of Coulgask, part
 
 468 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 of the Gask estate. The father of Mr Graham-Stirling died in 
 1836, and in the following year the present laird took possession, 
 having previously "been an officer in the Black Watch since 
 November 1827. Immediately on taking up his residence at 
 Strowan, Mr Graham-Stirling entered energetically into the 
 work of further improvements, commencing with an extensive 
 drainage scheme. He has since built almost every farmsteading 
 on the property, and erected almost all the existing fences, most 
 of the hedges at that time having been destroyed by the winter- 
 ing of hoggs. One of the first, and one of the most important 
 of the improvements to which he devoted himself was the 
 erection of a strong embankment on the north side of the Earn. 
 At this period, the whole of that portion of the estate was 
 liable to be frequently and suddenly submerged by the waters 
 of the Earn, which sometimes flooded the farmhouses to a 
 depth of 2 or 3 feet. The erection of this embankment, wdiich 
 was commenced in 1842, may justly be described as a stupend- 
 ous undertaking, it being about three miles in extent, and most 
 substantially built. The spirit of the river did all it could to 
 frustrate the work of confining its waters, by rising in revolt 
 two or three times unexpectedly, and washing away the works 
 that had been laboriously constructed. AVhen the work was at 
 last successfully accomplished, it proved to be the greatest im- 
 provement that could have been effected, as a magnificent stretch 
 of the strath could then be ploughed and reaped, without 
 fear of the produce being swept away by the overwhelming 
 waters of the Earn. Altogether, Mr Graham- Stirling has spent 
 from £'20,000 to £30,000 upon improvements since he entered 
 into possession of the property. More fortunate than his father, 
 Mr Graham-Stirling has been successful in extending the 
 property very considerably, having at different periods acquired 
 the adjoining lands of Mill of Fortune, Auchingarrick, and 
 Drummond-Ernoch (signifying " Drummond the Irishman") — 
 the latter being a small property which was gifted by the 
 Murrays to the Drummond, who, after the burning of Monzie- 
 vaird Church, had to take refuge in Ireland until the Murrays 
 were strong enough to recal him from exile, and reward and 
 protect him.
 
 STBOWAN. 469 
 
 While these operations for the general improvement of the 
 estate were in progress, Mr Graham- Stirling was not unmindful 
 of the amenity of his own dwelling. It is, unfortunately, 
 situated quite close to the public highway, — no wall bounding 
 the road, or fence protecting the lawn, — but so tastefully are the 
 grounds laid out, so judiciously are they planted, and so well 
 kept is the road, that it is with difficulty one can realise 
 that the road is anything but a private one. Originally, 
 nothing could be seen from the front windows of the mansion 
 but a thicket of coarse bushes, while the lawn was no more 
 attractive — Mr Graham-Stirling remembering of corn and lint 
 being grown upon it. In 1838, the thicket of wild shrubs was 
 removed, and a very fine view opened up to Turlum Hill. The 
 mansion-house was built by Sir Thomas Stirling, but the present 
 proprietor has greatly extended it. In 1866, a large addition 
 was made to it, a new front, and several additional rooms and 
 offices being erected. The drawing-room window now looks 
 directly across to the fine hill of Turlum on the south, and to 
 the east on Tom-a-Chastile, crowned by the lightning-shattered 
 obelisk to the memory of Sir David Baird, the hero of 
 Seringapatam. The monument, which was erected in 1832 by 
 his widow, Lady Baird Preston, is built of huge blocks of 
 Aberdeen granite, some of the stones weighing 5 tons, and it 
 rises to a height of 82 feet, being an exact copy of Cleopatra's 
 Needle, but without the hieroglyphics. It was struck by 
 lightning on the 28th May 1878, when the top was very much 
 damaged, and a portion thrown down. No attempt has been 
 made to restore it. A writer in The Beauties of Upper 
 Strathearn says, — " Not long ago there were some picturesque 
 Scots firs there that added immensely to the effect of the view, 
 and gave a rare beauty to the monument ; but it is too little 
 merely to say that they were cut down, for it was a wanton 
 outrage on good taste, and a disfigurement of one of the most 
 beautiful features in the valley of the Earn." The hill of Tom- 
 a-Chastile is believed to have been the site of the ancient Boyal 
 < Jastle of the Earn, a proud fortress of the Earls of Strathearn. 
 It was destroyed by fire, and trad it inn asserts that many noble 
 persons fell victims to the conflagration, including Joanna,
 
 470 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Countess of Strathearn, daughter of Earl Malise, who married 
 the Countess of the Orkneys. The story of her death is a 
 melancholy and a tragic one, and is thus succinctly told by the 
 author of the work which we have just quoted, — " Joanna had 
 been married to the Earl de Warenne, who seems to have 
 induced her to abandon Scottish loyalty, and enter into a 
 conspiracy against Eobert Bruce. She was tried for conspiracy 
 and treason before the Scottish Parliament, at Scone, in August 
 1320, and, along with Lord Soulis, a fellow-conspirator, was 
 sentenced to perpetual imprisonment. The earldom of 
 Strathearn then reverted to the Crown, and it is believed that 
 Joanna, the unfortunate Countess, was committed a prisoner to 
 the dungeons of her father's castle. A few years ago, when the 
 obelisk was erected, the dust and rubbish and burned debris of 
 500 years were cleared away. The workman removed with 
 difficulty what seemed to them a part of the solid rock, but in 
 doing so they discovered a chamber beneath them. Amid the 
 ashes and dust with which it was thickly strewn, there were a 
 few household articles, some gold and silver ornaments, — 
 betokening the rank of her who wore them, — and the remains 
 of ancient bones. And thus, as is often the case, the monument 
 to honour and bravery rests on the tomb of misfortune." 
 
 The policies of Strowan are ornamented with many fine trees, 
 most of the varieties adapted for this country being represented. 
 One of the first trees to attract attention is a very beautiful 
 lime, a little to the south-west of the mansion, and which owes 
 its interest to the fact of it shading the cross which marked the 
 ancient market-place of Strowan before it was transferred to 
 Crieff. This market is a memorial of the day of St Eowan, in 
 the Scottish Roman Calendar, to whom Strowan owes its name. 
 St Eowan lived about the middle of the seventh century, and is 
 described as a learned and brave ecclesiastic. He bequeathed a 
 piece of land for the support of a bellman ; and this land, to- 
 gether with the bell, has come into the possession of Mr Graham- 
 Stirling, who may now be said to be the hereditary bellman. 
 The. bell is about 9 inches in height and 5 in diameter, and has 
 no tongue; so that it must have been struck from without. There 
 is no inscription, and the metal is coarse in quality. The old
 
 STROWAN. 471 
 
 church of Strowan is a beautiful ivy-covered ruin, a little to the 
 south-east of the house. Amongst those buried in the church- 
 yard is Margaret Murray, daughter of James Murray, fiar of 
 Strowan, to whom we alluded, in describing Ardoch, as having 
 thirty-one children. The remains of Lieutenant Graham- 
 Stirling, eldest son of the present laird, and who fell gallantly 
 at Tel-el-Kebir, while leading his company in the Black Watch, 
 also lie here. The churchyard is surrounded by some very 
 noble trees. Amongst these are several splendid ash trees, the 
 largest of which girths 13 feet 7 inches at 3 feet, the bole being 
 without a branch until a height of 20 feet is reached. There 
 is another ash girthing 12 feet 3 inches at 3 feet, and several 
 others nearly the same size. There are two very large elms — 
 No. 1 girthing 12 feet 1 inch at 3 feet, and No. 2 girthing 
 10 feet 9 inches at 3 feet. There is also an oak girthing 
 10 feet 9 inches at 3 feet, with a fine bole of 22 feet. The 
 largest of the beech trees girths 10 feet 8 inches at 3 feet, and 
 the largest lime tree girths 11 feet 8 inches at 3 feet. There 
 are several very fine silver firs, with an average girth of about 
 10 feet, and a height of 80 feet. Numerous larch and spruce 
 trees also approach the same size. The largest of the syca- 
 mores girths 10 feet 3 inches at 3 feet; but there is one at 
 Glasscorry girthing 13 feet 5 inches at 3 feet from the ground. 
 There are several very fine oaks on the farm below Lawers 
 House, the average girth being about 11 feet. 
 
 Passing the churchyard, and proceeding for several hundred 
 yards eastward, we get a grand view from the Bridge of Strowan, 
 a gap in the wood laying the whole of the country up the 
 river fairly before us. Some of the finest trees on the property 
 have been blown down. Amongst these was an elm containing 
 nearly 320 cubic feet, and believed to have been one of the 
 finest in Scotland. A sum of j£50 was once offered for this tree 
 and an ash which grew beside it. Altogether, about 6000 trees 
 have been blown down by recent gales. Amongst the most 
 recent of the improvements in the neighbourhood of the house is 
 the construction of an artificial lake — 5 acres in extent — at Upper 
 Strowan, and which is as useful as it is ornamental, it being 
 utilised for the purpose of driving a sawmill, and for trout-fishing.
 
 472 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 One side of the famous Turluin Hill, the finest wooded 
 hill in Scotland (1260 feet), is on the Strowan property. A 
 small portion of the hill was first planted by General Sir Thomas 
 Stirling, and the remainder was planted between the years 1818 
 and 1827. Originally, the hill was covered with tufty heather 
 and stones, and was of very little value. Now it not only 
 carries a load of magnificent timber, but under the umbrageous 
 shelter there is a rich crop of grass, affording sustenance to a 
 large number of sheep and cattle. At first Scots firs were 
 planted on the top, but they suffered severely from the weight 
 of snow which rested on their branches, and they were gradually 
 thinned out to make way for larch, — a few of the better firs, 
 however, being left. 
 
 As is the case with most plantations, the larch here is to a 
 certain extent infested with the bug, the woods with a northern 
 aspect being least affected. Mr Graham-Stirling's opinion 
 regarding the disease is that the larch being suited to an earlier 
 climate than this, the disease is caused by the exudation of the 
 resin being checked by the early frosts, and sending the sap 
 back into the tree. He has experimented on trees, principally 
 silver firs, which had died 5 feet at the top, by slicing them 
 down with a hedge-bill as far as could be reached, with the 
 result that the trees at once commenced to shoot up new tops. 
 There are altogether 700 acres of wood on the Strowan estate 
 proper, and rather less than 200 acres on the other properties 
 connected with it.
 
 XL.— DUNIEA. 
 
 The Dundasses of Dunira — Dunmore Hill — Dunira House — The Policies 
 — The Steading— The Plantations. 
 
 Situated between Comrie and St Fillans, the estate of Dunira 
 lies in the centre of one of the grandest spots in Perthshire, and 
 in itself constitutes one of the chief attractions of a district rich 
 in everything that is majestic and lovely. "Within its boundaries 
 there is a wide diversity of scenery, Highland and Lowland, and 
 from the more elevated portions we can see spread out before us 
 all the unrivalled beauties of Upper Strathearn. The estate is 
 the seat of an important branch of one of our great historic 
 families, the present proprietor being Sir Sidney James Dundas, 
 who succeeded his father as third baronet in 1877. "The 
 Dundasses," says Lord YVoodhouselee, in the Transactions of 
 the Royal Society, " are descended of a family to which the 
 historian and the genealogist have assigned an origin of high 
 antiquity and splendour, but which has been still more 
 remarkable for producing a series of men eminently dis- 
 tinguished for their public services in the highest offices 
 of Scotland." They are generally believed to have sprung 
 from the Dunbars, Earls of March, who derived descent 
 from the Saxon Princes of England. Amongst the first of the 
 name we read of is Searle de Dundas, who is frequently men- 
 tioned in the time of King William the Lion, and who died 
 early in the following reign. The Dunira branch of the family 
 trace their lineage to Sir James Dundas of Arniston, whose only 
 son, Eobert, created a baronet on 24th August 1821, was the 
 anrester of Henry, Viscount Melville. Eobert, second Viscount 
 Melville, sold the property of Dunira, in 1824, to Sir Eobert 
 Dundas, Bart, of Beechwood, whose line is stdl in possession. 
 Sir Roberi I >undas was one of the principal Clerks of the Court 
 of Session, and Deputy to the Lord Privy Seal in Scotland.
 
 474 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 His only son, David, an advocate, became the second baronet — 
 the present proprietor, as already stated, being the third. The 
 father of the first Lord Melville was Lord President of the Court 
 of Session. His son, Henry Dundas, was, therefore, naturally 
 trained for the bar, to which he was called in 1763, and soon 
 attained a large and lucrative practice. His success in his pro- 
 fession made his promotion rapid. In 1773, he became Solicitor- 
 General ; in 1775, Lord-Advocate ; and in 1777, Joint-Keeper 
 of the Signet for Scotland. At the same time, he sought 
 Parliamentary honours, being elected Member for the County 
 of Edinburgh in 1774, retaining this seat till 1787, when he 
 was chosen Member for the City of Edinburgh, which he repre- 
 sented till 1802. In 1782, he was made a Privy Councillor, 
 and Treasurer of the Navy ; and when Pitt became Premier, he 
 was appointed President of the Board of Control under the new 
 East Indian system. He became Home-Secretary in 1791, and 
 Secretary of War in 1794 — a post which he held till the com- 
 mencement of 1801, when he retired with Pitt. In the follow- 
 ing year, he was raised to the Peerage by the titles of Viscount 
 Melville and Baron Dunira, the first title being taken from 
 Melville Castle, in Mid-Lothian, the seat of the : father of his 
 first wife. When Pitt again became Premier, Lord Melville 
 was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. He was after- 
 wards impeached for his management of the funds of the navy, 
 but was acquitted on all the charges by large majorities, and 
 immediately restored to the Privy Council, although he did not 
 afterwards hold any public office. It has been said of Lord 
 Melville that he possessed the greatest share of power ever 
 intrusted to a Scotchman since the Union, except for a short 
 time to Lord Bute. He had a great capacity for hard work, 
 and was a " clear, acute, and argumentative speaker." He died 
 in 1811, and his friends in Perthshire paid a marked tribute 
 to his memory by erecting a magnificent obelisk on the top of 
 Dunmore Hill at Dunira, a little to the north of the village of 
 Comrie. It stands 72 feet high, and is built of a granite-like 
 stone found at Innergeldie, in the neighbourhood. A statue 
 of him was placed in the Parliament House, Edinburgh ; and a 
 column, surmounted by his statue, also stands in the centre of
 
 DTJNIKA. 475 
 
 St Andrew's Square, Edinburgh, all testifying to the high esti- 
 mation in which his services were held. 
 
 Although in the very midst of a rugged, mountainous country, 
 which might be supposed to dwarf the proportions of such a 
 monument, no grander spot than Dunmore Hill could have been 
 selected for perpetuating the memory of the distinguished land 
 of Dunira. From almost every "point of view it is a conspicuous 
 object in the landscape, and the giant heights behind only serve 
 to provide it with a nobler background. Dunmore Hill rises 
 somewhat abruptly to a height of about 800 feet, and its sides 
 are beautifully clothed with tall and graceful pines. At its feet, 
 slightly to the south, lies the pretty little village of Cornrie, 
 reposing as peacefully at the confluence of the Ruchill, the 
 Lednock, and the Earn, as if it had never experienced the 
 dreaded shock of the earthquake, or was haunted by the 
 memory of the bloody battle of Mons Grampius, which several 
 hold was fought in this neighbourhood — a supposition which 
 receives some corroboration from the presence of traces of a 
 Roman Camp, called Victoria, by certain antiquarian authorities. 
 Immediately at the foot of the hill is the deep ravine through 
 which the Lednock forces its way and plunges into the " Devil's 
 Cauldron," reminding one of the famous lines of Byron — 
 
 " The hell of waters, where they howl and hiss, 
 And boil in endless torture — while the sweat 
 Of their great agony, wrung out from this, 
 
 Their Phlegethon, curls round the rocks of jet, 
 That gird the gulph around in pitiless horror set." 
 
 This splendid waterfall, one of the most remarkable in Scotland, 
 is grandly shrouded with wood, — oak coppice, larch, Scots fir, 
 and weeping birches — which conceals the waters so completely, 
 that until they are closely approached their presence is only 
 revealed by the deafening noise of their impetuous rush into the 
 basin, where they hiss, and foam, and shriek, and writhe, " like 
 a demon newly plunged into Tartarus." Terribly wild as the 
 scene actually is, the genial Gilfillan beautifully points out a 
 " little bit of blue," when, in a lecture on his native village, lie 
 tells us that above the northern edge of the falls, " where the 
 first plunge begins, you see the clear, blue sky shining through 
 the scattered trees with an ineffably fine effect of relief, and
 
 476 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 suggesting the contrast between the eternal calm of the heavens, 
 and the turbulence of the earthly life of man." Taking 
 our stand on the huge bare rock on the top, known as the 
 " Drawing-Room," and extending our view beyond the imme- 
 diate surroundings of Dunmore Hill, we are greatly surprised at 
 the vastness of the extent of country before us. Stretching far 
 over the vale of Upper Strathearn, we decern the whole range 
 of the Ochils, and can even trace one of the Lomonds of Fife 
 peeping over the top. Looking towards Dundee, again, the 
 Law is distinctly visible. On the north, rises the great peaks 
 of Ben Chonzie, and towards the south we look into the 
 mouth of Glenartney Forest. To the south-west, the Aberuchill 
 Hills lift up their massive forms ; and in the rear, between the 
 ridges, we can see the conical head of Ben Voirlich towering 
 above its compeers. Westwards, the eye is delighted with the 
 sparkling waters of Loch Earn, as they glisten in the sunshine, 
 and impart a gleam of brightness to the dark mountains around. 
 The wood on Dunmore Hill is principally larch, and some of the 
 trees have attained a great size. The finest larch which we 
 measured girthed 11 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 9 feet 
 4 inches at 5 feet. Amongst the hardwood trees, the most 
 notable we met with is a beech girthing 11 feet 10 inches at 1 
 foot, and 1 1 feet at 5 feet. 
 
 Not the least interesting feature in the landscape as seen 
 from Dunmore Hill, is the most beautiful mansion-house of 
 Dunira, standing conspicuously out at the foot of the larch-clad 
 Crappisch Hills. The old house of Dunira stood a little to the 
 west of the present mansion, and was built by Lord Melville. 
 The new house was built by the late Sir David Dundas in 
 1852, from designs by Mr Bryce, Edinburgh. It is of the 
 mixed baronial style, and is a very beautiful structure, thoroughly 
 in keeping with its magnificent surroundings. It' is built 
 entirely of Bannockburn freestone,, which had to be carted all 
 the way from Greenloaning, the nearest railway station iD those 
 days. It is three storeys in height, ■ with -an underground flat, 
 and is surrounded by ample offices harmonising with the 
 character of the building. The lawn surrounding the mansion 
 is laid out in four fine terraces, the making of which involved a
 
 DUNIRA. 477 
 
 great deal of excavating and carting, the ground Laving origin- 
 ally been bare rock and heather. The main entrance, beautifully 
 ornamented with heather and shrubbery, was excavated out of 
 solid rock for about 15 or 20 feet, with a breadth of 25 feet. 
 A wash-house, of a very unique description, and concealed by 
 over-hanging trees, was built at the same time as the mansion. 
 It is in the Swiss style, and is roughly built of quartz and hill 
 stones, with hot lime run in. Many beautiful white quartz 
 stones are stuck in throughout the building.— the whole having 
 an exceedingly pretty effect, with the additional advantage of 
 being exceptionally strong. 
 
 None of the trees in the policies or the woods are very aged, 
 but in both there are many grand specimens of different varieties. 
 Attention is first attracted to a very beautiful weeping birch, 
 growing on a little mound south of the flower garden. It 
 formerly stood too close to the south-west corner of the house, 
 and was removed to its present site about twenty years ago, it 
 being regarded as far too fine a tree to be destroyed. Even at 
 that time it was an immense tree to be transplanted, its removal 
 actually costing about £50. A large part of this outlay was 
 caused by the tree sitting on a rock, which had to be blasted in 
 order to free the roots. It was transplanted without sustaining 
 any injury, and is now one of the most striking objects in the 
 policies. The girth at 5 feet from the ground is 6 feet 7 inches. 
 Several very beautiful purple beech trees stud the park, and 
 present a nice contrast. A thick shrubbery has been planted on 
 an embankment in front of the house ; and on the opposite side 
 of the shrubbery walk is a strip planted as a pinetum, and con- 
 taining some excellent specimens. There is a nice Abies 
 Menziesii girthing 4 feet 10 inches at 1 foot from the ground. 
 Cedrus Deodara has attained a height of about 25 feet; ami 
 there are several very good araucarias over 30 feet high, as well 
 as some fine specimens of Cupressus Laiosoniana. There are 
 three thriving specimens of Thuja Craigiana, sent to the late 
 Sir David Dundas from British Columba. A Picea nobilis has 
 a height of 51 feet 6 inches. Three very promising specimens 
 of Wellingtonia gigantea have also to be noted. The largest 
 reaches a height of 36 feet 6 inches, and girths 9 feet at the
 
 478 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 ground ; the second largest is 34 feet high, with a girth of 8 
 feet ; and the third is 30 feet high, also with a girth of 8 feet. 
 This strip is very suitably situated for the finer varieties of coni- 
 fers, being admirably sheltered by the embankment and sur- 
 rounding hills. A really splendid golden yew grows close to 
 the main entrance to the house, the circumference of the plant 
 being 54 feet. Amongst the hardwood trees in the policies the 
 most notable is an elm growing by the side of the approach, 
 and girthing 14 feet 2 inches at 5 feet from the ground, and a 
 number of beech trees at the side of the avenue leading to the 
 the farm, girthing from 10 feet to 13 feet 3 inches at 5 feet 
 from the ground. 
 
 At the farm itself there is much that is interesting. In 1879 
 a splendid new steading was built, and other improvements 
 have been carried out since Mr Charles Dundas, brother of Sir 
 James, became Commissioner on the property. The plans for 
 the steading were prepared by Mr Ewing, Glasgow, and every- 
 thing is admirably fitted up for the rearing of high-class stock, 
 a fine shorthorn herd having been formed upon a foundation 
 drawn from Keir, Lawers, and other celebrated herds. About 
 twenty years ago, a large hay barn was erected, — amongst the 
 first in the country, — and it has been found so serviceable that 
 in 1881 another was built, double the length, or about 150 feet. 
 Near the steading a beautiful row of workmen's houses were 
 erected about 15 years ago, each house containing three bed- 
 rooms, kitchen, scullery, front and back entrances, garden plots, 
 water inside, and other conveniences to be found in houses of a 
 cood class in large towns. The landsteward's house, built at the 
 same time, is very conveniently situated between the steading 
 and the workmen's houses. The gardens extend to 4J acres, 
 have a fine southern exposure, and are sheltered from all the 
 cold winds. There are about 360 feet of glass-houses, including 
 vineries, peach-houses, stove-house, green-house, &c. The family 
 burying-ground is situated in the very heart of the woods, to the 
 west of Dunira House. The situation is rendered very impres- 
 sive by the majestic trees which surround it on every side ; and 
 the cemetery, with its fine avenue of Irish yews about 15 feet 
 high, is very tastefully laid out.
 
 DUNIKA. 479 
 
 The plantations extend to about 1500 acres, and lie principally 
 on the hills from Comrie to within a mile and a-half from St 
 Fillans. A walk through the heart of these extensive planta- 
 tions proved most interesting. The timber is chiefly larch and 
 spruce, with a mixture of oak coppice. The larch and spruce 
 are almost all full grown, being from 60 to 100 years old, but 
 transit being difficult, and the times far from favourable, the 
 axe is not being brought into use. No further planting has 
 been done, with the exception of small patches, within the past 
 twenty years, but a commencement has just been made with an 
 additional 60 or 70 acres, it being intended to plant about 10 
 acres each year until the work is completed. The new planta- 
 tions will all be laid down with larch — poplars, however, being 
 planted on damp sites. The trees being mostly matured, there 
 are, consequently, many grand specimens to be found through- 
 out the plantations. In the wood behind the garden, a common 
 spruce, blown down, girthed 12 feet above the swell of the 
 roots, with scarcely any difference at 5 feet up, while the length 
 of the tree was 108 feet. This was one of very many that 
 looked equally large. Some very fine larch trees also grow here. 
 One of those measured girths 10 feet 8 inches at 1 foot from the 
 ground, and 8 feet 5 inches at 5 feet. The trunk rises to a 
 height of 40 or 50 feet before a branch is reached, and the tree 
 is altogether 120 feet high. A great many of the larches range 
 from 80 to 120 feet in height. There are several extensive and 
 beautiful glens on the property, all of which are richly loaded 
 with valuable timber. It was in one of these glens that Hogg, 
 in his Queen's Wake, describes his beautiful creation, " Kilmenj ,'' 
 as wandering up alone : — 
 
 "Bormy Kilmeny gaed up the glen ; 
 But it wasna to meet Dunira's men, 
 Nor the rosy Monk of the Isle to see, 
 For Kilmeny was pure as pure could he. 
 Tt was only to hear the yorlin sing, 
 And pu' the blue cress-dower round this spring ; 
 To pu' the scarlet hyp]', and the hind herrye, 
 And the nut that bang frae the hazel tree." 
 
 In Glen Boltachan, to the north-west of Dunira House, there 
 are numerous grand waterfalls, the source of the stream being
 
 4S0 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Loch Boltachan, a nice little sheet of water, only three miles 
 from the mansion. The Boltachan comes down at times with 
 such tremendous rapidity that it has been found necessary, at 
 great expense, to causeway the hed of the stream for half-a-mile 
 at the most dangerous part of its course to prevent sudden 
 flooding. The glen is lined with ash, oak, larch, and spruce, 
 the combination producing a charming effect. A walk has been 
 made on each side of the glen, and numerous bridges have been 
 thrown across the stream at the most picturesque points. In 
 the other glens, the same care has been taken to bring out their 
 beauties, and the plantations are very accessible, being inter- 
 sected by no less than 35 miles of roads.
 
 XLL— CARSE OF GOWEIE. 
 
 The Carse a late Acquisition from the Sea — Erection of Embankments — 
 Extent of the Carse. — Kinfauns: History of the Property — The Castle 
 — Kinnoull Hill — Kinfauns Long Famous for its Trees — An Old 
 Chestnut— Other Notable Trees.— Gray : Enormous Ash Trees and 
 Cedars of Lebanon — Other Notable Trees. — Seggieden : Collection 
 of Hard -Wooded Plants — Notable Trees. — Fingask : The Castle 
 — Trees and other Objects of Interest — Kinnaird Castle. — Gourdiehill : 
 The Finest Holly Tree in Great Britain— Other Notable Trees.— 
 Megginch : Origin of the Name — History of the Property — Notable 
 Trees. — Eossie-Priory : The Collection of Newer Coniferous Plants. 
 — Castle Huntly : History of the Property — Enormous Scots Fir — 
 Other Notable Trees. — Glencarse.- — Pitfour. — Errol Park. — Murie. — 
 Balruddery. — Orchards of the Carse of Gowrie. 
 
 The Carse of Gowrie is more noted for the fertility of its 
 agricultural land than for the extent of its woods and forests. 
 Still, it is not without interest as illustrating the improvement 
 which has been effected upon the face of the country during the 
 past century by judicious planting, and it is not without a 
 respectable catalogue of notable trees. The whole of the 
 carse, indeed, may be said to bear testimony to the improving 
 spirit of the age, as it is within quite modern times that it has 
 earned for itself the distinction of being " The Garden of 
 Scotland." Whether we look at the rich agricultural land, or 
 the great extent of its orchards, it is no misnomer to characterise 
 the Cai'se of Gowrie as " The Garden of Scotland," although, 
 like the rest of the country, it has not in recent years been equal 
 to its fruitful reputation. This, however, we trust, will only be 
 temporary, and whenever the seasons are favourable for the 
 growth and ingathering of the fruits of the earth, the Carse of 
 Gowrie is likely to hold its own. It is pretty generally believed 
 that the whole of the Carse of Gowrie is but a late acquisition 
 from the sea — the Hat face of the country and the names of the 
 
 2 H
 
 482 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 places supplying tolerably conclusive evidence upon this point. 
 
 The names of many of the places begin or end with " inch," — 
 
 that is, island, — such as Inchture, Megginch, &c, which, in all 
 
 likelihood, were the names, with a variation in the spelling — 
 
 " Inse-tower," " Meg-inse," &c- — they went under when these 
 
 lands were either islands or sandbanks. The Annual Register 
 
 of 1760 supplies some reliable information as to what the Carse 
 
 actually was at a not very remote period. " Some old written 
 
 instruments," we are told, "mention Errol as a place standing 
 
 to the south of the Tay, though it stands a long mile to the north 
 
 of the river at present. Tlie inhabitants of the country have a 
 
 tradition that the course of the Tay in former ages was by the 
 
 foot of the hills to the north of Errol, and to this day show the 
 
 very holes in rocks to which the ships' cables were fastened. 
 
 But if the Tay ran so far to the north, as there is great reason 
 
 to believe, all the lower ground to the south of Errol would be 
 
 drowned, and that Firth would be twice, if not thrice, 
 
 as broad as it is in our times. The inhabitants of 
 
 Perth remember to have heard their fathers say that 
 
 in the high Hill of Kinnoull they have seen the remains 
 
 of staples and rings, with other conveniences for shipping, as in 
 
 a harbour. At a village two miles above Perth, and far from 
 
 the Tay, some workmen, draining a peat marsh, found the ring, 
 
 stock, and shaft of an anchor, with a great log of wood standing 
 
 erect in the earth, to which it is conjectured the ships' cables 
 
 were fixed. The children of the workmen are still alive to 
 
 attest this fact." We do not, however, require to go so far 
 
 back for satisfactory evidence as to the reclamation of the Carse 
 
 from the sea. Until about 1825, a great portion of the lands 
 
 of Pitfour was under water ; but in that year the proprietor 
 
 commenced the erection of strong embankments, which have 
 
 been the means of adding considerably to the family property. 
 
 Other lairds carried out similar work. Up till about the year 
 
 1780, the sea continued to make serious encroachments upon the 
 
 lands in the neighbourhood of Errol. So serious were these 
 
 encroachments that the house and offices on the farm of Daleally 
 
 had to be removed at two different periods to a more inland 
 
 situation. About 1836, Mr John Lee Allen, then the principal
 
 CAESE OF GOWEIE. 483 
 
 proprietor in the parish of Errol, set to work to reclaim the land 
 by the erection of extensive embankments, and he succeeded by 
 this means in recovering from the Tay, and adding to his estate, 
 about 100 imperial acres of deep, rich soil. At the same time, 
 a broad belt of reeds was planted along the shores, by " dippling," 
 at an expense of ,£12 per Scotch acre. Indeed, up till the year 
 1760, as we stated in the chapter on " The Past and the Present," 
 the Carse of Gowrie was disfigured with large pools of water, 
 and it is from that period that the major part of the work of 
 reclamation may be dated. 
 
 The Carse of Gowrie extends the whole way from Perth to 
 Dundee, a distance of 22 miles, and within these limits we shall 
 find much that is of interest. The first estate which falls to be 
 considered is Kinfauns, the property of Mr E. A. Stuart Gray. 
 This estate was anciently a possession of the family of Charteris, 
 to whom it belonged for several centuries. It is understood that 
 the first proprietor of the estate of the name of Charteris was 
 Sir Thomas de Longueville, or Charteris, a native of France, and 
 of a considerable family in that kingdom. He received a grant 
 of the lands of Kinfauns from King Eobert about the year 1314. 
 The traditional story regarding him is that, when at the Court 
 of Philip IV., in the end of the thirteenth century, he killed a 
 French nobleman, with whom he had a dispute, in the presence 
 of the King, and that, being refused pardon, he made his 
 escape. For several years he infested the seas as a pirate, under 
 the name of the " Red Reaver," from the colour of his flag, and 
 was at length captured by Sir William Wallace, who interceded 
 for him with such good effect that he procured his pardon about 
 1301. lie, accompanied Wallace on his return to Scotland, 
 aided in his principal exploits, and continued ever after his 
 faithful adherent. He appears to have proved equally faithful 
 to Bruce, as a grant of lands was the reward of his bravery and 
 his services. Amongst the relics carefully preserved at Kin- 
 fauns Castle is the sword of Sir Thomas Charteris, a ponderous 
 double-edged weapon 5 feet 9 inches long, 21 inehes broad at 
 the hilt, and proportionally thick, with a round knob al the upper 
 end nearly 8 inches in circumference. The property continued 
 in the possession of the Charterises until the seventeenth century.
 
 4S4 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEKTH SHIRE. 
 
 and during that period they took a prominent part in national 
 affairs, and supplied Perth with not a few Lord-Provosts. The 
 property afterwards passed to the Blairs of Balthayock, who 
 had long heen the bitter enemies of the Char-tenses. About 
 the middle of the seventeenth century, the Hon. Alex. 
 Carnegie, a younger son of David, Earl of JNTorthesk, 
 married the daughter of Sir William Blair of Kinfauns, and 
 their descendant, Miss Blair, married, in 1741, John Lord 
 Gray, by which marriage the estate came into the possession of 
 the noble family of Gray. This family is of Norman extraction, 
 the first of them landing in England with William the 
 Conqueror, who was a near relative. Several of the noblest 
 families in England are of this stock, including the lovely but 
 unfortunate Lady Jane Gray. The first of the Grays in 
 Scotland was a younger son of Lord Gray of Chillingham, who 
 came to this country in the reign of William the Lion, about 
 the year 1200. A descendant of this Sir Andrew Gray, espoused 
 the cause of Bruce, who rewarded him with several grants of 
 land, including the barony of Longforgan, in the Carse of 
 Gowrie. The Grays were, accordingly, as conspicuous in the 
 history of their country as the Charteris family. The old 
 Castle of Kinfauns, which was removed at the beginning of 
 the century to make way for the present noble edifice, was a 
 building of very great age. The building of the present Castle 
 was commenced in 1820 by Erancis, fifteenth Lord Gray. The 
 Castle was designed by Smirke, and the style of architecture, is 
 the castellated, of a simple and imposing character, exceedingly 
 well suited to its elevated site, and to the grandeur of the 
 surrounding scenery. The building stands on a raised terrace, 
 40 feet in width, with circular bastions projecting at the 
 corners, and a flag tower of 84 feet. The principal rooms occupy 
 the east and south fronts of the Castle, and command a most 
 delightful prospect of the river, and a great extent of the 
 fertile country surrounding it. The greater part of the Hill of 
 Kinnoull is on the Kinfauns estate ; we have already had the 
 opportunity, in the course of the chapter on Dupplin, of 
 pointing out the share which a former laird of Kinfauns had in 
 the planting of this beautiful hill, and giving to it that sylvan
 
 CAESE OF GOWRIE. 485 
 
 aspect which, is now so much admired. On the Kinfauns side 
 of the hill, the ascent is exceedingly steep, and clothed with a 
 profusion of thriving trees. Large pieces of the rock above 
 occasionally break away, and carry down numbers of the trees 
 along with them. A little to the east of the Castle, the ground 
 begins to rise again, on a steep but smooth ascent, forming the 
 west side of another beautiful hill, clothed all round with 
 splendid timber. This hill is sometimes called the Binn Hill, 
 on account of its conical shape, and sometimes the Tower Hill, 
 from its being surmounted by a picturesque tower upwards of 
 80 feet high, and built about 1813 by Lord Gray as an 
 observatory. From the top of this hill (which is a place of 
 public resort) a magnificent bird's-eye view is got of the Castle 
 and grounds. A little further to the east there is another hill, 
 bearing a strong resemblance to Kinnoull Hill, and the top of 
 which commands a view extending over the whole of the Carse 
 of Gowrie to the German Ocean. Towards the south and west, 
 the view extends across the fertile lands of Lower Strathearn, as 
 far as Auchterarder Moor. Ivinfauns Castle has been famous 
 for its trees from an early period. As far back as 1789, we find 
 Dr Walker making special mention of some very large Spanish 
 chestnut trees. He does not, however, give any details regard- 
 ing them beyond the statement that the largest of them had 
 been cut down in October 1760, and measured 22 feet 8 inches 
 in circumference. He remarks further, that this tree was 
 supposed by the proprietor to be above 200 years old. When 
 cut, the trunk was found to be entirely decayed, but all the 
 branches had leaves and fruit upon them the year in which the 
 tree was removed. One of these old chestnuts still grows on a 
 bank in front of the Castle, and appears to be perfectly healthy, 
 although it has suffered considerable damage of late, having 
 lost two of its limbs from high winds. It grows at an altitude 
 of about 100 feet above sea-level, on a light loamy soil, with a 
 subsoil of gravelly clay. It is about 75 feet high, and girths 
 17 feet 3 inches at 1 foot from the ground, and 14 feet 6 inches 
 at 5 feet. The tree has a southerly exposure, and is sheltered 
 from other quarters by rising ground and adjacent trees. 
 Amongst the other noteworthy trees in the immediate neigh-
 
 48 G WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 bourhood of the Castle is a fine larch, a little to the west, rising 
 to a height of about 90 feet, with a spread of branches of from 
 50 to 60 feet. The girth at 1 foot from the ground is 1 1 feet, 
 and at 5 feet, 8 feet 3 inches. This tree, however, is evidently 
 giving way, and may endanger the Castle should it yield 
 suddenly to a westerly wind. A remarkably good acacia grows 
 directly under the Library windows, being between 50 and 60 
 feet high, with a bole of 1 2 feet, and a girth of 7 feet 8 inches 
 at 1 foot from the ground. To the west of the house there is 
 also a nice specimen of the deciduous cypress, between 30 and 
 40 feet high. In the shrubbery there are many trees of more 
 than average size. One of the many fine sycamores has a bole 
 of 45 feet, and an entire height of 80 feet, with a girth of 11 
 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 3 inches at 5 feet. A very 
 handsome beech girths 1 1 feet 8 inches at the narrowest part of 
 the bole. A spruce, with 20 feet of a bole before a single 
 branch is reached, and a height of nearly 90 feet, girths 10 feet 
 9 inches at 1 foot, and 8 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, being one of 
 the heaviest spruces on the property. There are numerous oak 
 trees girthing about 12 feet at 1 foot, and 10 feet at 5 feet from 
 the ground. The other notable trees in the shrubbery include 
 a splendid weeping ash, a large and handsome purple beech, a 
 nice specimen of the variegated maple, two very good cedars of 
 Lebanon, a grand compact Portugal laurel, over 150 feet in 
 circumference ; silver stripped oak, &c. There are also several 
 notable trees, particularly elms, in other parts of the grounds. 
 The largest of these elms grows on a bank below the West 
 Approach, and not far from the Castle. It is about 200 years 
 old and has a height of 70 feet, and contains about 460 cubic 
 feet of timber. The girth at 1 foot from the ground, exclusive 
 of all excrescences, is 23 feet, and the girth at the narrowest 
 part of the bole, about 7 feet from the ground, is 17 feet. At 
 about 9 feet from the ground, the tree breaks into two great 
 limbs, the larger of which girths 13 feet, the other being very 
 nearly the same size. The spread of branches is about 100 
 feet. The soil here is black loam, with a subsoil of sandy loam. 
 The exposure is southerly, and the tree is sheltered from other 
 quarters by rising ground and adjacent trees. It is altogether a
 
 CAESE OF GOWEIE. 487 
 
 splendid elm, and is so much prized that £50 was offered for it 
 about forty years ago. Other two very good elms grow on 
 either side of the garden gate. The larger one girths 11 feet 3 
 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 9 inches at 5 feet ; and the other 
 girths 10 feet at 1 foot, and 8 feet 8 inches at 5 feet, — the bole 
 of both trees being about 20 feet. Within the garden there is 
 a beautiful weeping elm of the Camperdown variety. When 
 the grounds were originally laid out, the greater part of the 
 expense was incurred in the planting of the finer varieties of the 
 deciduous trees, and there is, consequently, not a very large 
 collection of the newer conifers. These, however, are well 
 represented by several magnificent specimens in the garden. 
 Amongst them is a splendidly-furnished araucaria, planted 
 30 years ago, which has now reached a height of 28 feet. 
 Beside it is a most promising WelUngtonia gigantea, 
 planted in 1860. Mr Macdonald, the gardener, received a 
 present of this plant in a thumb-pot, when it was no larger than 
 a man's finger, and he kept it in a cool house for two 
 years previous to its being planted out. Four years ago it lost 
 about 8 feet of its leader, but it still has a height of 28 feet. 
 The girth at the ground is 9 feet 3 inches. A fine Pl.cea Louii, 
 planted at the same time as the Wdlingtonia, also lost about 
 four years' growth six or seven years ago, although it is at 
 present nearly 40 feet high. An attempt was unsuccessfully 
 made to form a leader, but the plant has since formed a very 
 good leader for itself. The tree is growing at the rate of about 
 2 feet per annum, and is altogether an exceptionally fine plant. 
 The girth at 1 foot from the ground is 6 feet, and at 5 feet 
 the girth is 4 feet. A Oedrus Deodara, also planted at the 
 same time, has gained a height of 36 feet, with a girth of 5 feet 
 at 1 foot, and 3 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. A Cupressus Lmo- 
 soniana, planted seventeen years ago, is also a very symmetrical 
 and handsome tree, with a height of 28 feet, and a diameter of 
 9 feet. An Abies Douglasii, planted 22 years ago, has a height 
 of 70 feet, although it lost its leader about 12 years ago. The 
 stem is perfectly straight, and the growth is from 2 to 3 feet 
 per annum. The present girth is 6 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 
 4 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. There is also a beautifully-spreading
 
 48S WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 specimen of Abies Canadensis 35 feet high. At about 2 feet 
 from the ground the trunk, which girths 10 feet 3 inches at 1 
 foot from the ground, breaks into three stems, two of which 
 girth 5 feet, and one 4 feet 7 inches at the point of division. 
 The plantations are very valuable, and extend to fully 700 
 acres. 
 
 Large and interesting as many of the trees at Kinfauns really 
 are, they are all completely eclipsed by the magnificent specimens 
 to be seen at Gray, another property belonging to Mr Stuart 
 Gray, but situated at the opposite extremity of the Carse. The 
 soil in this portion of the Carse is unusually rich, which may 
 account for the extraordinary growth of most of the trees. 
 Looking, first of all, into the garden in front of the farmhouse 
 of Benvie, we meet with two enormous ash trees. The larger 
 one girths no less than 32 feet at the base, 25 feet at 1 foot 
 from the ground, 19 feet at 3 feet, and 17 feet at 5 feet, the bole 
 being about 27 feet. This tree, however, unlike its companion, 
 is not particularly sound, although its proportions are truly 
 noble. The other ash, which is quite close, girths 15 feet at 1 
 foot, and 1 1 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. There are fully 40 feet of 
 a straight clean bole, and the timber is very good. Several 
 very fine trees of different varieties grow in the East Den of 
 Gray. An elm, with a girth of 15 feet at 1 foot and 12 feet at 
 5 feet, is a particularly good park tree, but it is not in ft position 
 to be seen to proper effect. There is a larch 100 feet in height, 
 with a girth of 13 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 6 inches 
 at 5 feet ; and a silver fir almost the same size, the girth being 
 the same as the above at 1 foot, and 10 feet at 5 feet. There is a 
 large silver fir in the policies, the girth at 1 foot being 14 feet 6 
 inches, and at 5 feet the girth is 13 feet. The most notable 
 trees in the policies, however, are two great cedars of Lebanon. 
 The larger one girths 27 feet at the ground. At 3 feet from 
 the ground, the tree breaks into four limbs, the principal one 
 being 14 feet 6 inches in girth, and the others about 8 feet. 
 The tree is about 60 feet high, and it has a wonderfully grand 
 head. It has at different times given indications of yielding to 
 the furious gales of recent years, but Mr. Stuart Gray is so 
 solicitous about its safety that he has given instructions that
 
 CAKSE OF UOWRIE. 489 
 
 no expense is to be spared in endeavouring to maintain it. 
 Recently four lj-inch wire cables were erected, at a cost of 
 £20, to support it ; and for tbe present the tree seems to be 
 thoroughly secure. The lesser one, which is only a few yards 
 distant, girths 20 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and also breaks 
 into a number of branches at 3 feet up, the principal branch 
 being 17 feet 6 inches in girth. Both of these are very remark- 
 able trees, and are a source of great attraction to the grounds. 
 The finest sycamore in the policies girths 12 feet 6 inches at 1 
 foot, and 10 feet at 5 feet. A horse chestnut girths 14 feet at 
 1 foot, and 12 feet at 5 feet. There is a very fine park oak 
 girthing 17 feet at the narrowest part of the bole, being 4 feet 
 up. The first branch is reached at 10 feet from the ground, 
 and the girth of the largest branch is 12 or 13 feet— the second 
 largest being about 8 feet. There are altogether about 600 or 
 700 cubic feet of timber in the tree, for which as high a sum as . 
 £40 was offered a number of years ago. Another very nice oak 
 with a bole of 30 feet, girths 14 feet at 1 foot, and 10 feet G 
 inches at 5 feet. The kirk and village of Liff, which are in the 
 immediate neighbourhood, are also surrounded by some very fine 
 oaks. 
 
 Leaving the property of Mr Stuart Gray at Kinfauns, the 
 most convenient place to visit is Seggieden, the seat of Colonel 
 Drummond Hay, whose family is a branch of the Hays of Leys. 
 The Colonel is a well-known naturalist, and amongst the rarities 
 to be met with at Seggieden is a very complete collection of 
 hardwooded plants, flowering shrubs, and fine foliaged ever- 
 greens. The collection embraces the most choice of the hardy 
 exotic shrubs, and they are so artistically grouped as to display 
 their fine foliage and flower to the best advantage. The 
 remarkable trees upon the property are not very numerous, but 
 several of them are deserving of notice. There is a fine specimen 
 of the Haguenensis variety of Pinus sylvestris, reared from seed 
 brought home by Mr Louden from one of the forests of 
 Germany about the year 1818 or 1820, the seed having been 
 given to the gardener at Seggieden. A few very good beech 
 trees are scattered over the policies. The largest one girl lis 1 7 
 feet 4 inches above the swell of the routs, and 11 feet 10 inches
 
 490 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 at 5 feet from the ground. There is another girthing 14 feet 
 above the swell, and 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. The latter has 
 a beautiful spread of branches, several of the limbs being so 
 ponderous that they have to be supported by strong props. A 
 horse chestnut girths 13 feet 1 inch at the narrowest part of a 
 bole of 12 feet 6 inches, and 14 feet at 5 feet from the ground, 
 — there being a great many heavy limbs and a magnificent top. 
 A grand poplar tree grows quite close to the railway. The girth 
 at 1 foot from the ground is 17 feet, and at 5 feet the girth is 
 16 feet. There is a bole of 12 feet, and many of the branches 
 are equal in girth to what would be esteemed very large trees. 
 There is another poplar — old, and completely covered with ivy 
 — which girths 14 feet at the narrowest part of a splendid bole. 
 An old and gnarled, but very beautiful Spanish chestnut tree has 
 a girth of 11 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 1 inch at 5 feet. 
 The best of the oak trees grows in the East Approach, and is in 
 every respect a grand tree, with a bole of 32 feet, and a girth of 
 14 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet 2 inches at 5 feet. A 
 lime tree has a girth of 15 feet 1 inch at 1 foot, and 11 feet at 
 5 feet. On the south side of the garden, on the road leading to 
 the river-side, there is a row of lime trees, little inferior to the 
 one just mentioned. Two fine elm trees, each 80 feet high, 
 grow together. The girth of the larger one is 14 feet 5 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 11 feet 10 inches at 5 feet ; and the girth of the 
 smaller one is 13 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 6 inches 
 at 5 feet. A splendid branchy Scotch yew, with a bole of 10 feet, 
 girths 10 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. 
 There are a number of walnut trees of great size, the best of 
 them girthing 14 feet 1 inch at 1 foot, and 11 feet 1 inch at 5 
 feet from the ground. A fine ivy-covered ash in front of the 
 house girths 11 feet round the narrowest part of the bole. 
 There are only a few acres of plantation. 
 
 In Fingask w T e have a place of great natural beauty and 
 historic interest. As the home of the Threiplands, it has always 
 been closely indentified with the efforts of the Stuarts to regain 
 the Crown. It was originally built as a place of strength, and 
 in 1642, during the Civil War in the time of Cromwell, it stood 
 a siege. Within its hoary walls the Chevalier St George, son
 
 CARSE OF GOWKIE. 491 
 
 of James II., spent the night of 7th January 1716, while on 
 his way from Glamis to Scone, where he was proclaimed King. 
 In 1746 the Government troops completely ransacked the Castle, 
 demolished the fortalices, and razed a great part of the building 
 to the ground, in consequence of the attachment of theThreipland 
 family to the cause of the unfortunate House of Stuart. A 
 portion of the ancient Castle, however, seems to have been pre- 
 served, as one part bears the venerable date of 1194. Since 
 its partial destruction in 1746, the building has been greatly 
 enlarged and modernised, but the castellated form is still pre- 
 served. The Castle stands on the brink of a deep glen, amidst 
 richly-wooded eminences, and is surrounded by a large acreage 
 of gently-undulating grounds, tastefully laid out in flower 
 gardens, shrubberies, and enticing walks. From its situation, 
 the Castle commands an extensive prospect over the great valley 
 below, which here opens out in one vast amphitheatre, through 
 which the Tay rolls for many miles, until it is lost in the 
 German Ocean. There are very few notable trees at Fingask. 
 Its charm lies in the exquisite taste with which the grounds are 
 laid out in the quaint Dutch style. Its fantastically-cut Irish 
 yews, — which are here to be seen in forms we have never met 
 elsewhere, — and its beautifully-winding walks, with their 
 numerous surprise views, are sights which can never fade from 
 the memory. The present proprietor, William Murray Threip- 
 land, has only recently succeeded, but the late laird, Sir Patrick 
 Murray Threipland, lived for a long period on the property, and 
 did not a little to embellish it. Numerous sculptured groups 
 are placed in the grounds, illustrative of incidents chiefly drawn 
 from the works of Burns ; and here and there plates have been 
 placed bearing favourite pieces of poetry, suggested by the scene 
 in which they are placed, — the following from the scene in the 
 forest of Arden, in As You Like If, being a fair example : — 
 
 " Are not these woods 
 More free from peril than the envious court ? 
 Here feel we but the penalty of Adam, 
 'I'll'.' season's difference ; as the icy fang 
 And churlish chiding of the winter's wind ; 
 Which when it bites and blows upon my body 
 Even till I shrink with cold, I smile, and say, —
 
 492 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEETHSHIEE. 
 
 Tins is no flattery : these are counsellors 
 That feelingly persuade me what I am ! 
 Sweet are the uses of adversity ; 
 Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, 
 Wears yet a precious jewel in his head ; 
 And this our life, exempt from public haunt, 
 Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
 Sermons in stones, and good in everything. 
 I would not change it." 
 
 In one of the walks we met with a tree bearing this inscrip- 
 tion, "Lady Erne's Gean, 1742," which may be regarded as a 
 favourite of other days. The most notable tree of all is an 
 Araucaria imbricata, planted in 1842. It is one of the best- 
 furnished trees in the country, and is close upon 40 feet high. 
 It is planted on a rock, with very little soil. There is a charac- 
 teristic-looking Scots fir, bearing an inscription to the effect that 
 Sir William Allan had sketched the tree, and embodied it in 
 his famous painting, "The Lost Child." There is another 
 inscription testifying that the board upon which the inscription 
 is printed is of elder wood cut from a tree which marked the 
 spot where the Earl of Mar raised the standard of revolt in 
 1715. The policies and plantations contain many fine timber 
 trees, but there are no others calling for special remark. At 
 Ivinnaird Castle, in the immediate neighbourhood, there are a 
 few very good sycamores. Although now in the possession of the 
 Threiplands of Fingask, this castle — which presents an excellent 
 specimen of the sort of dwelling in use when safety received 
 more consideration than comfort — was formerly the property of 
 the noble family of Kinnaird, whose present seat is at Rossie. 
 Priory. It was afterwards held by the Threiplands, but for- 
 feited in 1716, and was re-acquired by the late Sir Patrick 
 Murray Threipland as lately as 1853. Sir Patrick restored the 
 walls of the old castle, and roofed it in harmony with its original 
 character, and it is now a favourite resort with pleasure parties 
 from Perth and neighbourhood. It is picturesquely surrounded 
 with wood, and from its battlements a magnificent view can be 
 had. One of the chief attractions at Fingask and Ivinnaird is 
 an interesting and valuable collection of Jacobite relics. 
 
 Glencarse, the property of Mr Thomas Greig, is also a very 
 interesting place. Along the principal entrance a very pretty
 
 CARSE OF GOWRIE. 493 
 
 effect is produced by a line of Portugal laurels, about 12 feet 
 high, alternating with Irish yews, about 15 feet high. One of 
 the most notable features in the policies is the fine collection of 
 Wellingtonia gigantea, there being ten of them ranging from 30 
 feet high to 42 feet high, and some of them bear cones. The 
 largest one was planted about 1854, having been presented to 
 Mr Greig by the late Mr Gorrie, Eait. The exact height is 42 
 feet 2 inches, with a girth of 10 feet 8 inches at the ground. 
 Two of the same variety planted on the Prince of Wales' 
 marriage day, 10th March 1863, have also attained a consider- 
 able size — the height of the one being 38 feet 2 inches, with a 
 girth of 8 feet 3 inches at the ground ; and the height of the 
 other 34 feet 8 inches, with a girth of 7 feet 7 inches at the 
 ground. The pinetum also contains many fine specimens of 
 other varieties, including Crytomeria Japomca, the best specimen 
 of which girths 5 feet at the ground; an Araucaria vmbricata, 
 over 30 feet, presented to Mr Greig by the late Mr Turnbull of 
 Bellwood ; Abies Canadensis, Abies Albertiana, Abies excelsa, 
 Abies Menziesii, Abies orientalis, Biota orientalis, Biota tar- 
 tarica, Cedrus Deodara, Juniperus Chinensis, Juniperus 
 Virginiana glanca, Libocedrus Chilensis, Picea Cejihahmica, 
 Picea lasiocarpa, Picea nobilis, Picea Pinsapo, Picea Bentha- 
 miana (bearing cones), Taxodium sempervirens, T7iuj\ 
 borealis, &c. The hardwood trees include several very fine 
 specimens. Near the house there is a really magnificent 
 sycamore girthing 18 feet at 1 foot, and 13 feet 7 inches at 5 
 feet from the ground, with a grand bole of 30 feet, and an 
 entire height of 80 feet. There is another fine sycamore, and a 
 very curious one, growing at the back of the garden. Four 
 stems rise from one stool, and two of these stems are connected, 
 about 12 feet up, by an arm of the tree in such a way as to form 
 a strong horizontal bar, without there being the slightest indica- 
 tion of the point of junction. Considering the height of the 
 tree, the connection must have been formed naturally. There 
 are many fine oaks, one of them — measured at random as a fair 
 specimen — girthing 12 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 3 
 inches at 5 feet. The elm trees have also several splendid 
 representatives. One of them girths 16 feet 8 inches at 1 foot
 
 494 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 and 1 1 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 1 2 feet ; and another girths 
 16 feet at 1 foot, and 14 feet at 5 feet. A beautiful beech, on 
 the side of the principal entrance, has a girth of 14 feet 10 
 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 
 20 feet. An ash quite close to it girths 15 feet at 1 foot, and 
 10 feet at 5 feet. The plantations on Glencarse Hill extend to 
 about 100 acres, and contain several grand specimens of larch 
 and silver fir. One of the larches, which claims attention from 
 its great height, is about 120 or 130 feet high. The stem is a 
 really magnificent one, the whole of the branches being mere 
 twigs. The girth of this tree is 8 feet 4 inehes at 1 foot, and 6 
 feet 1 1 inches at 5* feet. Several of the silver firs reach a height 
 of fully 100 feet. One of them girths 14 feet 7 inches at 1 
 foot, and 12 feet at 5 feet, with, a bole of about 60 feet. 
 Another one near it is almost equally good, the girth at 1 foot 
 being 13 feet 4 inches, and at 5 feet, 11 feet 11 inches. Since 
 Mr Greig came into possession of the property improvements 
 upon an extensive scale have been carried out, including 
 drainage, fencing, covering of cattle courts, and improvements 
 of steadings, while a large number of neat and commodious 
 workmen's houses have been erected. 
 
 At Pitfour, the property of Sir James Stewart Richardson, 
 Bart., there are several trees deserving of notice. The largest 
 of the hardwood trees is an elm girthing 18 feet 8 inches at 1 
 foot, and 12 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 12 feet. A sycamore 
 girths 17 feet at 1 foot, and 12 feet 6 inches at the narrowest 
 part of the bole, being 5 feet from the ground. A silver fir also 
 girths 1 7 feet at 1 foot, and 1 2 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. Another 
 silver fir has a girth of 13 feet at 1 foot, and 12 feet 4 inches 
 at 5 feet. Both of these are very fine trees, reaching to a height 
 of about 90 feet. There are a number of good cedars of 
 Lebanon, with an average girth of about 8 feet. The best of 
 the larches girths 15 feet at 1 foot, and 9 feet 8 inches at 5 
 feet. The newer conifers are largely represented, and include 
 a number of fine specimens of Abies Douglasii, one of which has 
 a circumference of 30 yards, and has a noble appearance ; Cedrus 
 Atlantica, Picea Lourii, Picea Nordmanniana, Picea Webbia?ia } 
 Abies nigra, Picea Cephalonica, Picea Pi?isapo, fyc.
 
 CARSE OF GOWEIE. 495 
 
 Proceeding further down the Carse, we have our attention 
 directed to Gourdiehill, a heautiful little estate chiefly under 
 fruit trees. Until recently, it was the property of Mr Eobert 
 Matthew, but a few months ago it was purchased by Armand 
 Lacaille, Pollockshields, Glasgow. Here there is a superbly 
 grand holly tree, said to be the best-grown tree of the kind in 
 Great Britain. The girth at the ground is 7 feet 3 inches, and 
 at 5 feet up the girth is 6 feet 6 inches, there being scarcely 
 any variation in this girth until a height of 28 feet is reached, 
 when the first branch is met with. The whole of the stem is 
 as smooth as a hewn pillar, and it has a very symmetrical ball- 
 shaped top of about 18 feet in diameter. The tree, although 
 it must be of a great age, is sound and healthy, and is a most 
 striking and beautiful object in the lawn fronting the house, 
 where it is situated. There are also some very good oaks and 
 sycamores at Gourdiehill. An oak in front of the house girths 
 13 feet at 1 foot, and 10 feet at 5 feet, with a beautifully-straight 
 stem of 40 feet. Another oak close beside it is a little less in 
 girth, bxit has an almost equally good bole. The oaks also 
 include one girthing 11 feet 6 inches at one 1 foot, and 9 feet 
 at 5 feet, with a straight bole of 45 feet ; and another having 
 a girth of about 11 feet at 5 feet, and a bole of 15 feet. There 
 are two very good sycamores, one having a girth of about 12 feet 
 at 5 feet, and a bole of 26 feet ; and the other a girth of 10 feet, 
 and a straight, clean bole of 33 feet. An elm has a girth of 
 13 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 12 feet, and a very 
 large top of wide-spreading branches. There are a number of 
 very large fruit trees, but we shall refer to those more particu- 
 larly when we come to speak of the orchards for which the Carse 
 has long been famous. 
 
 The next property of interest in the Carse is that of Megginch, 
 the seat of John Murray Drummond. The original name of 
 the place was Melginch, and the change to the modern form gave 
 the late Dean Stanley the opportunity of immortalising this 
 beautiful estate in graceful verse. A few years before his death, 
 Dean Stanley, accompanied by Mrs Drummond of Megginch, 
 Canon Rearson, the Rev. DrAlex. Laing, Newburgh, and others, 
 paid a visit to Lindores Abbey, and in the course of conversa-
 
 496 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 tion Dr Laing asked Mrs Drummond why her property was not 
 
 called by its old name, Melginch. The Dean immediately 
 
 inquired what the old name meant, to which Dr Laing replied 
 
 that it meant " the hare island " — the true Gaelic being maol, 
 
 signifying bald or bare, without foliage, and innis, an island or 
 
 place of pasture. The Dean made no further remark at the 
 
 time, but on his return to Megginch he recited the following 
 
 lines : — 
 
 " Bleak, bare, and bald an island stood 
 Above old Tay's wide weltering flood ; 
 No tree, no shrub, no floweret crown'd 
 The precinct of this barren ground. 
 
 But now how changed that dismal scene — 
 All deck'd with ever- varying green : 
 The darksome yew, the gladsome rose, 
 The alley's shade, the bower's repose. 
 
 So still may Melginch rude and bare 
 Give way to Megginch sweet and fair ; 
 The softened word its story tell, 
 And break its own transforming spell." 
 
 The property of Megginch which originally included in it the 
 three Earldoms of Errol, Tweeddale, and Kinnoull, was formerly 
 held by a branch of the family of " Hay of Errol," which owes 
 its distinction to the gallantry of that Hay and his sons who 
 turned the tide of battle at Luncarty about the year 990. The 
 land, according to the historical narratives, was granted as a 
 reward for the gallantry displayed at that battle. After a 
 triumphal entry into Perth, Kenneth III. convoked an Assembly 
 of States at Scone, where it was decreed that the valiant Hay 
 should have his choice of the greyhound's course or the falcon's 
 flight, as his reward. He preferred the falcon's flight, and the 
 noble bird, on being unhooded on a hill in the vicinity of Perth, 
 never paused in his flight till he reached the confines of the 
 parish of Errol, where he alighted on a large stone, still bearing 
 the name of the "Hawk's Stane." All the intervening land 
 was gifted, and was afterwards either apportioned to different 
 members of the family, or sold. The oldest charter 
 belongiug to what was originally the estate of Errol, 
 and constituting it a barony, was granted in the time
 
 CAESE OF GOWRIE. 407 
 
 of William the Lion (1166 to 1214). The eldest branch 
 of the Hay family was created Earl of Errol in 1452, in 
 the time of James II. The estate and the Earldom continued 
 united till 1634, when the property was sold to John Drummond, 
 eighth Baron of Lennoch, in Strathearn. The eldest branch of 
 the Hay family ended in a female, who, in 1720, was married 
 to the Earl of Kilmarnock. Several of the Drummonds of 
 Megginch occupy an honoured place in the annals of our 
 country. John Drummond of Megginch sat as Member of 
 Parliament for Perthshire from 1727 to 1731; Adam Drum- 
 mond, ninth of Lennox and fourth of Megginch, was a captain 
 in the first American "War, in the reign of George II., and 
 represented the Forfar Burghs, and afterwards Shaftesbury, in 
 Parliament ; Admiral Sir Adam Drummond, the sixth laird of 
 Megginch, was a highly-distinguished naval officer ; and his 
 brother, Sir Gordon Drummond, Avas a celebrated General. 
 The eldest son of Sir Gordon Drummond commanded the 
 Brigade of Guards at the Fall of Sebastopol, and died in 1856, 
 in command of the 1st Battalion of the Coldstreams. William 
 Russel, second son of Sir Gordon Drummond, was Lieutenant 
 on Board H.M.S. Satellite, and was shot at Callao, South 
 America, while protecting British subjects during an insurrec- 
 tion. The Admiral became the husband of Lady Charlotte 
 Murray, eldest daughter of John, Fourth Duke of Athole, and 
 relict of Sir John Menzies, Bart., the present proprietor being 
 their eldest son. Malcolm, the son of the present proprietor, is a 
 Lieutenant in the Greuadier Guards, to which his father 
 formerly belonged. The Admiral took a great interest in the 
 estate, and effected several improvements, including the erection 
 of a new front to the picturesque Castle of Megginch, the oldest 
 entire building in the parish, the inscription upon it being, — ■ 
 " Petrus Hay, aedificium extruxet, a.d. 1575." Amongst the 
 attractions of the interior of the Castle is one of the largest 
 private ornithological collections in the country, formed by 
 Captain If. M. Drummond, 42nd Royal Highlanders, one of 
 Sir Adam Diummond's son's, now Colonel Drummond Hay, well 
 known as the President of the Perthshire Society of Natural 
 Science. The plantations at Megginch are not very extensive, 
 
 2i
 
 498 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 but there are several magnificent single trees, principally oaks, for 
 which the strong soils of the Carse are best adapted. In the 
 Kingdom field there are two really splendid oaks. The larger 
 one girths 16 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 12 feet 9 inches at 5 
 feet, with a bole of 10 feet; and the other girths 14 feet 7 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 11 feet 7 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 12 feet. 
 Both of these trees have grandly spreading heads and present a 
 noble appearance. At Inchcoonans Farm there is even a 
 finer specimen, the girth at 1 foot being 17 feet, and at 5 
 feet 12 feet 3 inches — the bole being no less than 25 feet. 
 There is another very nice oak in front of the Castle, girthing 
 
 1 2 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 1 1 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 nice round bole of 15 feet. Amongst the first objects to attract 
 attention in the policies are the fine clumps of aged yews, 
 originally planted to adorn the four corners of the old kitchen 
 garden, which is now devoted to the cultivation of flowers. 
 The clumps consist of about ten trees each, growing close 
 together, and girthing from about 6 to 10 feet at 5 feet from the 
 ground. Two very fine gean trees arrest attention, the girth of 
 the larger one being 11 feet 9 inches at 3 feet with a bole of 17 
 feet. There is also a twin walnut of remarkable size — the girth 
 at the place where the trees break off from the parent stem being 
 
 13 feet 2 inches and 10 feet 8 inches, the boles being 18 and 20 
 feet. The other hardwood trees include an elm 15 feet in girth 
 at 1 foot from the ground, and 10 feet at 5 feet ; a fine old lime 
 tree in the flower garden, girthing 16 feet at 1 foot, and 14 feet 
 at 5 feet; a very clean-growing beech, girthing 16 feet 9 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 1 1 feet 2 inches at 5 feet, with a grand bole of 
 25 feet; a Spanish chestnut, girthing 16 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 13 feet 10 inches al 5 feet, with a bole of about 35 feet. 
 There are also a great many trees in the policies closely approach- 
 ing the measurements which have just been given. The best of 
 the larches girths 12 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 3 inches 
 at 5 feet, with a bole of 20 feet. A very beautiful and 
 promising Wellingtonia gigantea grows behind the gardener's 
 house, the plant having been grown here from seed sent from 
 California to Mr Matthew, late of Gourdiehill. The girth at the 
 ground is 9 feet, and the height of the tree 35 feet. There are
 
 CARSE OF GOWRIE. 499 
 
 also several very fine arauearias. One of the most delightful 
 features in the grounds is the extensive and well-kept avenues, 
 the principal one, leading from the castle to the curling pond, 
 extending to fully three-quarters of a mile in length, and 
 forming a charming walk. 
 
 One of the most interesting places in the Carse of Gowrie, 
 alike to the casual visitor and to the ardent arborist, is Bossie- 
 Priory, the princely seat of the Eight Hon. Lord Kinnaird. It 
 occupies a magnificent site on the upward slope of Eossie Hill, 
 on the Braes of the Carse, and is situated about 130 feet above 
 the level of the sea. The Priory, which is built of a very fine 
 stone to be had in great abundance upon the estate, was founded 
 in 1807, from designs by Mr Atkinson, and was completed in 
 the year 1817. It is, from every point of view, a splendid 
 building, and a decided attraction to the whole of the eastern 
 end of the Carse. If the appearance of the Priory from the 
 level of the Carse be beautiful, no less lovely is the charming 
 landscape as seen from the Priory. In front, the rich alluvial 
 Carse spreads out east and west, every foot of it cultivated to 
 the highest degree, and dotted here and there with stately man- 
 sions and comfortable homesteads. Between the Carse and the 
 County of Fife, the Tay pours its ample waters — here broadening 
 out into the estuary, and giving a fine tone to the whole scene. 
 Beyond the Tay, the eye wanders over a rich expanse of culti- 
 vated land, till the view is closed by the swelling Lomonds and 
 the uplands of Fife. Away to the right, the prospect is grainier 
 and more rugged, — closed in by the mountains of Perthshire, 
 which, far on the horizon, are seen tossing their peaks to heaven. 
 To the east, the Tay — widening into sea — stretches to the 
 horizon ; while the smoke of Dundee tells of the restless activity 
 which has made the Tay there as famous for commercial enter- 
 prise as its higher reaches are for sylvan beauty and glorious 
 landscape. The pleasure grounds, gardens, and policies of 
 Eossie-Priory are extensive and beautiful, stately trees, 
 extensive lawns, and far-spreading parks, adorning the 
 stately edifice in every direction. West of the pleasure grounds 
 is the hamlet of Baledgarno, or town of Edgar, so called from a 
 castle erected by King Edgar on a hill behind; and close to the
 
 500 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 hamlet is Baledgarno Den, a deep and beautifully-wooded ravine, 
 through which a rapid hill torrent tears its impetuous way. 
 South of the pleasure-grounds of Rossie-Priory are the ruins of 
 Moncur Castle, hoary with age, and round which there cluster 
 legendary stories of Pictish wars. The noble family of Kinnaird 
 takes its rise as far back as 1176, Eandolph Rufus having 
 obtained a grant of the lands of Kinnaird from King "William 
 the Lion ; and George Kinnaird having been knighted by 
 Charles II. in 1661, and afterwards created Lord Kinnaird of 
 Inchture in 1682. The late Lord Kinnaird and his predeces- 
 sor were also men of distinction, both as politicians and as im- 
 proving landlords. The present Lord Kinnaird sat as Member 
 for the burgh of Perth from 1832 to 1839, and continuously 
 from his re-election in 1859 till 1878, when he was raised to the 
 Peerage on the death of his brother. The parks at Rossie- 
 Priory are studded with many beautiful hardwood trees, but the 
 chief attraction is the splendid collection of newer coniferous 
 plants. There is a grand specimen of Abies Douglasii, planted 
 in 1826, with a girth of 11 feet at 1 foot, and 9 feet 6 inches 
 at 5 feet from the ground. The branches, which curve gracefully 
 along the ground, have a circumference of 150 feet. A Cedrus 
 Deodara rises to a height of fully 40 feet, and an Abies 
 Atlantica has a height of 50 feet, the whole of it being bole. 
 Taxodium sempervirens grows to the height of 45 feet, with a 
 girth of 1 2 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet at 5 feet from the 
 ground. The best specimen of Weblingtonia gigantea girths 
 9 feet at the ground, two of them girthing exactly the same. 
 Abies Menziesii girths 11 feet at 1 foot, and 10 feet at 5 feet. 
 Amongst the most flourishing of the newer coniferous trees 
 mention may also be made of Cryptomeria Japonica, Picea 
 Lowii, Araucaria imbricata, Picea grandis, Picea Nordman- 
 niana, Abies Albertiana, Picea magnifica, Cupressus macrocarpa, 
 and Cupressus Laicsoniana. Experience has shown that Pinus 
 excelsa does not thrive very well in any situation, it being 
 seemingly too tender for the climate. A very fine poplar tree 
 reaches a height of 110 feet, with a girth of 14 feet at 1 foot, 
 and 12 feet at 5 feet from the ground. 
 
 At Castle Huntly, the property of George Frederick
 
 CAKSE OF GOWEIE. 501 
 
 Paterson, there are also a few trees of exceptional interest. 
 The Castle itself is a very conspicuous ohject in the landscape. 
 Occupying the summit of a precipitous rock, it is almost inacces- 
 sible on every side, except the north-east. On the west side, the 
 Castle rises to the great height of 130 feet, and, as the walls are 
 fully 10 feet thick, it must have been a place of considerable 
 strength when warriors were the regular occupants of its lofty 
 turrets. The Castle, which was built about the middle of the 
 fifteenth century, is in first rate preservation, and, although it 
 has been converted into a modern residence, there can still be 
 seen all the " conveniences " of an ancient stronghold, 
 
 "The battled-towers, the donjon keep, 
 The loophole gates, where captives weep." 
 
 The dungeon is a very gruesome-looking place, constructed out of 
 the solid rock, and capable of accommodating a large number of 
 unfortunate captives. Several instruments of torture are still to 
 be seen, and who can tell how many poor victims they have held 
 in their cruel grasp 1 The Castle is altogether one of the best 
 specimens of an old baronial residence in Scotland, and it is so 
 substantially built, and is so carefully preserved, that there is 
 every probability of its continuing to adorn the landscape of this 
 part of the Carse for many centuries yet to come. From its 
 prominent position, and its great height, it commands one of the 
 grandest views that can be imagined. The prospect embraces the 
 entire Carse of Gowrie, with its numerous gentlemen's seats, the 
 whole stretch of the river from above Newburgh to the German 
 Ocean, a large portion of the coast of Fife, including the Lomond s, 
 a considerable extent of Lower Strathearn, with the Ochils in the 
 distance, and right over the elevated Braes of the Carse to the 
 higher range of the Sidlaws. The Castle was built by the second 
 Lord Gray of Fowlis, and the tradition is that he named it after a 
 daughter of the Earl of Huntly. The property was sold to the 
 Earl of Strathmore in 1615, and in 1672 the fortalice became 
 known as Castle Lyon, and bore his name until 1777, when it 
 was purchased by an ancestor of the present proprietor, who, 
 having married a daughter of Lord < S-ray, the descendant of the 
 founder, naturally restored the old name. Perhaps the most
 
 502 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 notable of all the trees at Castle Huntly is a grand old Scots 
 fir, about 250 years of age, and which is in some respects as 
 remarkable a tree of the kind as is to be seen in the country. 
 The girth of the tree at the ground is 24 feet. At 1 foot up 
 the girth is 16 feet, and at 5 feet it is 15 feet. The trunk then 
 swells out until it has a girth of about 30 feet, and carries a 
 magnificent head. The tree has a noble appearance, but there 
 are indications of its breaking up. Another Scots fir, much 
 younger, and in good condition, girths 11 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 11 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 15 feet. A very fine yew 
 girths 10 feet at 1 foot, and 9 feet 2 inches at 5 feet from 
 the ground, with a bole of 9 feet, while the circumference is 68 
 yards, the branches sweeping the ground in beautiful style. 
 There is another specimen of the same variety closely approach- 
 ing this one in size. There is a splendid sycamore girthing 16 
 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 12 feet at 5 feet, with a bole 
 of 30 feet. A great ash, girthing about 30 feet at the ground, 
 stood at the stable-door until it succumbed to the fury of a gale, 
 but an excellent idea may be formed of its size from the trunk, 
 which now forms a summer-house at Longforgan manse. There 
 are still several very good ash trees throughout the property, as 
 Avell as oak, sycamore, elm, beech, ash, and horse-chestnut trees. 
 There is also a nice little mixed plantation of about 60 acres. 
 
 There are still a few places in the Carse of Gowrie to which 
 reference ought to be made. At Errol Park, the property of 
 Mrs Mollison, there are a lot of very good trees. In front of 
 the house there is an avenue of excellent horse chestnuts, girth- 
 ing from 9 to 14 feet at 5 feet up. There is also a row of 
 yews, girthing from 7 to 10 feet. An oak girths 13 feet at 5 
 feet, with a bole of 12 feet. One of the most noteworthy of 
 the trees is a beautiful specimen of Taxodium sempervirens, 
 about 30 feet high, and 7 feet 6 inches in girth at about 3 feet 
 from the ground. The other trees include very good specimens 
 of cedar of Lebanon and Cedrus Deodara. At Murie, the 
 property of Mr J. B. Brown-Morison, there are a lot of very fair 
 trees. At Balruddery, the present proprietor, Mr White, has 
 effected many valuable improvements, and is still engaged in 
 enhancing the value and improving the amenity of the estate.
 
 CARSE OF GOWRIE. 503 
 
 The house has been enlarged until it has become one of the 
 finest in the Carse ; and the policies, which were already orna- 
 mented with many fine young park trees, have been of late 
 vastly improved. 
 
 The Carse of Gowrie, as we said at the outset, has Ion" 
 been famous for its orchards. Many of these are of consider- 
 able extent. The Gourdiehill orchard, for instance, is regarded 
 as the largest, as it is one of the best in Scotland. This orchard 
 extends to 35 acres, and the trees, which number about 7000, 
 are beautifully planted in rows. Most of the trees are from 20 
 to 60 years of age, but there are a number of very old trees, 
 some of them being from 200 to 300 years of age. A few of 
 these are of considerable size. The largest is a pear tree girthing 
 10 feet, and having a bole of 12 feet, with an entire height of 
 65 feet. The trees are all in a good-bearing state, and in some 
 years upwards of 200 tons of apples and pears have been 
 gathered. Great attention is bestowed on the selection of the 
 best varieties, both as regards quality and bearing. Some years 
 ago, medals were gained both in Edinburgh and London for a 
 selection of six unknown varieties, and the fruit is so highly 
 esteemed that many prizes have been secured at international 
 and other shows. The next largest orchard in the Carse is that 
 of Monorgan, near Longf organ, on the Castle Huntly Estate. It 
 extends to about 25 acres, and, although it was probably planted 
 about 150 years ago, it is still in a fair state of bearing. At 
 Sesrcdeden there are about 22 acres of orchard. Most of the 
 trees are between 50 and 60 years old, and are in a good stale of 
 bearing, decaying trees being regularly replaced with new ones. 
 This orchard has been let on a 19 years' lease, now nearly 
 expired, at an annual rent of £210, without the undercrop. 
 Orchards let on lease generally bring from £8 to £10 per acre. 
 At Glencarse, there are about 8 acres of orchard, including a 
 good many fine English damson trees — Mr Greig being the first 
 to plant these trees in the Carse upon a large scale, about twenty 
 years ago. There are now as many damson trees as there are 
 apples and pears, as they are found to be a more profitable crop. 
 At Seaside and Eingask, there are each about 16 acres under 
 orchard ; at Grange Orchards there are about 12 acres ; at < Jastle
 
 504 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Huntly, 10 acres ; Port Allen, 9 acres ; and at Kinfauns, 
 Waterybutts, Glendoick, Pitfour, Flatfield, Megginch, Horn, 
 Newbigging, Muirhouses, Bogmiln, Powgavie, Ballindean, 
 Balruddery, Raws, &c, there are orchards from 2 to 10 acres in 
 extent. A good number of fruit trees are also planted in the 
 neighbourhood of Errol and other places. Most of the orchards 
 are let each season, and the prices, consequently, vary consider- 
 ably. Since the commencement of the manufacture of jelly 
 upon an extensive scale, the price of the inferior kinds has 
 increased very much. Formerly, when there was a prolific crop, 
 apples could hardly find a market, but now, even when there is 
 an exceptionally large crop, the price seldom falls below 4s per 
 cwt. for inferior sorts, while it has sometimes risen as high as 
 £1 8 per ton. Early table apples generally bring a good price, but 
 the late and better sorts do not realise the prices they once did, 
 on account of the large importations from America. Scotch 
 apples are considered the best for preserving, being more tartish 
 than either English or Irish ; while the American, Dutch, 
 Erench, and German apples are too soft and sweet for jelly, and 
 generally run into syrup. About one-third of the orchards con- 
 sist of pear trees. This fruit realises quite as good a price as in 
 former years, but for some time past the seasons have been 
 unfavourable for the late kinds. Gooseberries, strawberries, and 
 other small fruits are also very extensively grown in the Carse.
 
 XLIL— MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Kemarkable Trees round Perth— Wallace's Yew at Elcho — Historical 
 Yew at Culfargie — Kinmonth — Killour Pinetum — Stanley — Bonhard 
 — Murrayshall — St Martins — Cardean — Clathick — Cultoquhey — 
 Monzie Castle — Delvine — Snaigow — Stenton — Birnam and Pitcastle — 
 Gigantic Ash at Logierait — Bonskeid— Lude — Kilbryde Castle — 
 Argaty — Lanrick Castle — Cambusmore and Strathyre — Invertrossachs 
 — Leny — Edinchip — Conclusion. 
 
 For picturesqueness of- ' situation, it may safely be said that 
 Perth has no equal in Scotlaud. Flanked on the north and 
 south by its magnificent Inches— the finest public parks 
 possessed by any town- of the same size — it has, on the east 
 and west, an extensive range of delightful slopes, while at a 
 little distance it is surrounded by bold and fir-clad hills, which 
 impart to it a truly romantic grandeur, as seen from a slight 
 elevation. We have already alluded to the more prominent of 
 the wooded eminences surrounding the ancient and historic city, 
 but there yet remain to be noticed several arboreal features of 
 interest in closer proximity to- the town. The Inches, as a 
 matter of course, provide us with the richest material. The 
 South Inch, although the smaller of the two, is much better 
 wooded, and the trees are of greater size and age. It is believed 
 that trees were first planted here in the early part of last cen- 
 tury, and, generally speaking, the original plan has been well 
 adhered to. The trees have been laid out in avenues and groups, 
 ami these are so well arranged, and present such an imposing 
 appearance, as to excel everything of the kind in any other 
 town in Scotland. However much the grandeur of the Inch 
 may be enhanced by the surrounding scenery, encircled as it is 
 by the happiest combination of the beauties of nature and 
 of art, there can be little doubt that the beauty and arrange- 
 ment of the trees add materially to the completeness of the
 
 506 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 picture. There are, altogether, four avenues. The principal 
 one lines the Edinburgh Eoad, which intersects the Inch, 
 separating it into eastern and western divisions of unequal pro- 
 portions ; a second skirts the side of the river ; the third leads 
 from the Edinburgh Eoad to Craigie Bridge, and the fourth leads 
 from the entrance at Marshall Elace to Craigie Bridge. Both 
 the Edinburgh Eoad Avenue, and the one next the river con- 
 tain several exceptionally good trees. Looking, first of all, at 
 the trees on the west side of the Edinburgh Eoad, we have a 
 number of large specimens of their kind. An elm girths 1 6 feet 
 6 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet; an ash girths 
 16 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 10 inches at 5 feet ; and 
 a beech, the finest of all the beeches on the Inch, has a girth of 
 11 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, with 
 a grand bole of 20 feet. There is a larger beech on the eastern 
 side, but it is not such a good specimen. The girth of this tree 
 is 15 feet at 1 foot, and 12 feet 5 inches at 5 feet, with a clean 
 bole of 18 feet to the first limb. An ash, on the eastern side, 
 girths 18 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 15 feet at 5 feet, with a 
 grand bole of 20 feet ; an elm next to it girths 11 feet at 5 feet ; 
 and there are beeches girthing 9 feet 8 inches, and 11 feet 
 respectively at 5 feet from the ground. The one side of the 
 avenue next the river consists of elms, and the other side almost 
 entirely of sycamores. The sycamores are especially good trees, 
 the average value being about £5 each, but one or two are worth 
 nearly double that sum. The best of them girths 10 feet 3 
 inches at 5 feet up, with a bole of about 12 feet. There is a 
 fine ash in this avenue, the girth being 12 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 10 feet 6 inches- at 5 feet, with a bole of 14 feet. The 
 avenue from the Edinburgh Eoad to Craigie Bridge, has a 
 roundel about the centre, and contains several very good hard- 
 wood trees, many of them aged. The eastern division of 
 the Inch, is further ornamented by two finely-balanced horse- 
 chestnuts, with seats around them. The one next the 
 river girths 14 feet 11 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet at 5 feet, 
 and the other girths 9 feet 10 inches at five feet. Many 
 of the trees in the avenues have been blown down, but the 
 Town Council has judiciously filled up the vacancies, chiefly
 
 REMARKABLE TREES ROUND PERTH. 507 
 
 with sycamores, so that all the avenues are quite complete. 
 There are no trees on the North Inch specially noteworthy for 
 their size, although there are several fair specimens, and a very 
 good avenue. About the centre of the Inch there are two 
 specimens of Wellingtonia gigantea planted, with a great deal 
 of ceremony, on 10th March 1863, as memorials of the 
 marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The exposure 
 and the soil of the North Inch, however, are not favourable for 
 this variety, and the trees were so seriously affected by the 
 severe frost of 1880-81 that they are now almost dead. The 
 larger of the two has attained a height of about 15 feet, and 
 the smaller one is about 12 feet high. Considerable care is 
 exercised over the Inches by the Town Council and the inhabit- 
 ants, decayed trees being removed from time to time, and 
 others planted in their place. In the spring of 1860, the 
 Council requested Mr William M'Corquodale, Lord Mansfield's 
 forester, to draw up a report on the state of the trees on both 
 Inches, with suggestions for their future management. Mr 
 M'Corquodale presented a very interesting and exhaustive 
 report, and his suggestions were generally adopted. One portion 
 of his report, however, aroused violent opposition. Struck by 
 the naked appearance of the North Inch, he suggested that 
 the line of trees at the top of the Inch should be continued 
 along the river side to the bridge, and that an avenue 
 should be formed. The Town Council cordially approved 
 of this suggestion, but an agitation against it was created 
 in the public mind, and the proposal was abandoned. 
 Besides the trees on the Inches, there are a few others worthy 
 of notice. At the side of Craigie Burn, near the railway bridge, 
 there are two very aged and gigantic Huntington willows, the 
 larger one girthing 13 feet 7 inches at 5 feet, and the other 10 
 feet 10 inches at 5 feet. At Balhousie Castle, the residence of 
 Mr John Shields, there is a remarkably large and well grown 
 beech tree, close by the side of the lade which runs through the 
 policies. There is a girth of 18 feet at 1 foot, and 15 feet 2 
 inches at 5 feet from the ground. About 8 feet up a small 
 branch breaks out, but, apart from this, there is a grand bole of 
 30 feet, the entire height of the tree being 95 feet. Within the
 
 508 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 liolicies there are some beautiful coniferous trees, the most 
 notable being a pair of shapely and most promising Welling- 
 tonias. Notice ought also to be taken of the nice row of lime 
 trees planted in Tay Street. Ever since the formation of this 
 fine promenade, the propriety of planting a row of trees was 
 pressed upon the authorities, but various obstacles stood in the 
 way of having the proposal carried out. Lord Provost Hewat, 
 however, took the proposal in hand, and, with the aid of a 
 number of the citizens, had the trees planted in February 1882. 
 In regard to the selection of the trees, the Lord Provost acted 
 on the advice of Colonel Drummond Haj^ of Seggieden, in every 
 respect a competent authority. The trees were selected from 
 the nursery of Mr Francis Waterer, Knapp Hill, Surrey, and 
 they were planted under the superintendence of Mr David Black, 
 landscape gardener, Dundee. The trees were unusually well- 
 trained, and, when planted, ranged from 20 to 24 feet in height. 
 Due care was taken to promote their growth by planting them 
 in black soil and old turf, and they are thriving as well as 
 could have been wished, and are a decided ornament to the street. 
 
 Starting from the county town, we do not require to 
 travel very far until we find something which demands even 
 more than a passing notice. We refer, first of all, to Wallace's 
 Yew tree at Elcho, in the parish of Khynd. Whether regarded 
 in the light of its great age, or the historical associations 
 connected with it, the yew at Elcho is the most interesting tree 
 in this district. In girth, it measures 1 1 feet 6 inches at 1 foot 
 from the ground. At the height of 4 feet 6 inches it throws 
 out three large horizontal limbs, the spread of the branches 
 being fully 50 feet in diameter. It is said to have been planted 
 by the great Scottish Patriot himself, and the tradition is by no 
 means improbable. During a very severe storm in the spring of 
 1881 several of the branches broke under the weight of the 
 superincumbent snow, and had to be lopj)ed off. 
 
 There is another interesting yew on the Earl of Wemyss' 
 property at Culfargie, near Abernethy. It is neither so old nor 
 so large as Wallace's tree, but it is also closely linked to the
 
 CULFARGIE — KINMONTH. 509 
 
 history of the past. It was under the shade and shelter of this 
 tree that the Rev. Alexander Moncrieff, one of the four fathers 
 of the Original Seceders, and the laird of Culfargie, preached to 
 his flock, when, in 1740, he was ejected by the General 
 Assembly from his charge. The tree consists of six distinct 
 stems arranged in the form of a circle, leaving a recess in the 
 centre, which, at the height of 5 feet, measures, internally, 22 
 feet in circumference. At the ground, outside, the girth is 
 about 20 feet, and the spread of the branches is over 40 feet. 
 
 Before leaving this district, we have to notice the beautiful 
 little property of Kinmonth, extending to about 1000 acres, 
 and which was purchased in 1864 by the trustees of the late 
 Sir George Simpson, Governor of Hudson Bay Territories, for 
 his son, J. H. Pelly Simpson, the present proprietor. It 
 consisted originally of two small estates— the larger one, Fingask, 
 belonging to Mr M'Gill of Kinbuck ; and the other to Mr P. 
 Small Keir of Kindrogan. On neither property was there a 
 house fit for the proprietor's residence, so that the new pro- 
 prietor had to erect a mansion for himself, make roads, lay out 
 policies, and plant the trees necessary for ornament or use. By 
 his labours in this direction, he has wrought a complete trans- 
 formation in the place. After occupying two or three years in 
 erection, the mansion was completed in 1876. It is a most sub- 
 stantial structure in the old baronial style, and, situated as it is 
 on the south-eastern shoulder of the Hill of Moncreiffe, it com- 
 mands a fine view of Lower Strathearn and the Carse of Gowrie. 
 Advantage is taken of its elevated position, and the steep and 
 shelving nature of the ground to the south of the house, to 
 form, with much artistic skill, a spacious lawn and terraced 
 walks, which are ornamented, in fine taste, with patches of 
 flowers and shrubs, interspersed with numerous fine ornamental 
 trees, reflecting great credit on the gardener, Mr Methven, under 
 whose supervision the grounds were laid out. The gardens are 
 also laid out most artistically. When the estate was purchased, 
 there were about 30 acres of fine thriving plantation, consisting 
 of Scots fir, larch, and oak. Since Mr Simpson came into 
 possession, about 25 acres- additional have been planted in
 
 510 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 positions selected for effect in the vicinity of the mansion. The 
 finer varieties of the newer coniferous plants are well represented 
 along the terraces and borders. Indeed, the skill and labour 
 bestowed in forming this, one of the latest of Perthshire's noble 
 mansions, have produced a noticeable improvement upon this 
 part of the county, and time will no doubt impart additional 
 charms, as the many fine ornamental trees develop their elegant 
 forms and graceful foliage. 
 
 Keillour Pinetum, now the property of James Scott Black, 
 has long been known to arboriculturists, and although it has 
 not in recent years received the attention which might have 
 been bestowed upon it, it still possesses a good deal of 
 interest for those who note the progress of the newer conifers. 
 It now forms part of the Balgowan property, but it was at one 
 time attached to the Methven estate, and to Mr Smythe of 
 Methven we are indebted for particulars regarding its early 
 history. From the memoranda in his possession, we learn that 
 a commencement was made with the planting of that part of the 
 moor of Keillor in which the pinetum is situated in the year 
 1823, when 30,000 trees were planted. It was not till the year 
 1831, however, that the planting of the pinetum proper was com- 
 menced. It was in the year 1831, and the four following years, 
 that the greater part of the newer conifers were planted, includ- 
 ing Pinus Cembra, Pinus inope, Pinns Nepalensis, Pinus Strobus, 
 Pinus ponderosa, Pinus Banksiana, Pinus rigida, Pinus Austri- 
 aca, Pinus monticola, Picea Fraserii, Picea Webbiana, Picea Pin- 
 sapo, Picea Ceplialonica, Abies microcarpa, Pinus exelsa, Abies 
 Douglasii, Abies Menziesii, &c. A number of seedling larches 
 from the Tyrol, from Blair-Drummond, and other places, were 
 also introduced. Later on, Araucaria imbricata was planted, and 
 several other rare pines, all of which were planted by the late Mr 
 Eobert Smythe of Methven and his landsteward, the late Mr 
 Thomas Bishop. Some idea of the extent of the work accom- 
 plished is conveyed by the fact that during the three years follow- 
 ing 1831 no less than from 60,000 to 70,000 of the newer coni- 
 fers were planted by these gentlemen. The following are the 
 present girths of a few of those planted in 1835 : —
 
 KEILLOUK 
 
 PINETUM — ST 
 
 'ANLET. 
 
 
 1 Foot from 
 
 5 Feet from 
 
 
 the Ground. 
 
 the Ground. 
 
 Abies Douglasii, ... 
 
 15 ft. 6 in. 
 
 14 ft. 
 
 Picea nobilis, 
 
 5 ft. 6 in. 
 
 5 ft. 
 
 Abies Menziesii, 
 
 6 ft. 
 
 4 ft. 10 in. 
 
 Picea Cephalonica, 
 
 5 ft. 2 in. 
 
 4 ft. 
 
 Pinus moutieola, ... 
 
 6 ft. 7 in. 
 
 5 ft. 9 in. 
 
 Pinns ponderosa, ... 
 
 5 ft. 4 in. 
 
 3 ft. 8 in. 
 
 Pinus Austriaca, ... 
 
 5 ft. 
 
 4 ft. 5 in. 
 
 Pinus Cenibra, 
 
 3 ft. 10 in. 
 
 3 ft. 3 in. 
 
 Weeping Larch, 
 
 3 ft. 9 in. 
 
 3 ft. 5 in. 
 
 Common Larch, 
 
 5 ft. 8 in. 
 
 4 ft. 2 in. 
 
 Scots Fir, 
 
 4 ft. 1 in. 
 
 3 ft. 8 in. 
 
 Araucaria imbricata, 
 
 3 ft. 
 
 3 ft. 
 
 Silver Fir, ... 
 
 5 ft. 11 in. 
 
 5 ft. 
 
 511 
 
 The Abies Douglasii, Pinus monticola, Picea nobilis, and a few 
 others, average about 65 feet in height ; the cembras, larches, 
 and Scots firs, from 55 to 60 feet; and the araucarias about 35 
 feet. There are several younger plants thriving very well, 
 particularly Abies Albertiana, Cedrus Deodara, and some of the 
 Tlnijii. 
 
 Stanley, as an old historic residence, possesses an interest that 
 is much wider and deeper than the extent of its acres would 
 seem to imply. Originally the property of the Nairnes, it is 
 intimately associated with the ill-fated cause of the Stuarts, 
 and it is not a little remarkable that, after passing through a 
 series of vicissitudes it has again come into the possession of a 
 representative of the old family. The present proprietor is 
 Colonel Frank Stewart Sandeman, son of Glas and Margaret 
 Stewart Sandeman, of Bonskeid, one of the oldest strains of the 
 Stewarts, being in direct line from the Wolf of Badenoch, and 
 through him to King Bobert II. Colonel Sandeman is also 
 grand-nephew of Scotland's most distinguished poetess, Lady 
 Nairne. What is known as "Lady Nairne's Tea House" still 
 stands upon the apex of the hill behind Stanley House, where 
 it commands a most extensive view, encircled by an unbroken 
 chain of distant mountains. Colonel Sandeman is a J. P. for 
 the counties of Perth and Forfar, and lias long been prominently 
 identified with the volunteer movement, being the commander 
 of the Forfarshire Artillery. Stanley House, built about 450
 
 512 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 years ago, could not have been placed in a more desirable 
 situation. Standing on the right bank of the Tay, on a 
 beautiful haugh about 30 feet above the level of the river, 
 and surrounded by many grand old trees, it is finely sheltered 
 on the north and east by a crescent-shaped hill about 150 feet 
 high, thus leaving it open to the warm, genial breezes of the 
 south, yet protecting it from the biting winds of the north-east. 
 The room from which Lord Nairne made his sudden flight from 
 the home of his ancestors is still used as the dining room. 
 During the '-±5, his lordship was sitting in this room when his 
 outposts gave warning that the Eoyal troops were crossing the 
 hill to capture him. Seizing the more important of Prince 
 Charlie's papers, he forded the river in the neighbourhood, and 
 made his escape to Pitlochry. The property was twice con- 
 fiscated, and on the last occasion it was purchased by the Duke 
 of Athole of that day, who was a cousin of the attainted laird. 
 The son of Lord Nairne, Major-General Nairne, married Miss 
 Oliphant of Gask, " The Flower of Strathearn," whose poetic 
 genius was the means of the family title being restored. It 
 having come to the knowledge of George IV., when in Scotland 
 in 1822, that Mrs Nairne was the authoress of The Attainted 
 Scottish Nobles, he was led, two years afterwards, to restore the 
 forfeited title, making Major William Murray Nairne, fourth 
 Lord Nairne, and his wife Baroness Kairne. The title, as 
 explained in our account of Meikleour, is now merged in the 
 Marquisate of Lansdowne. The mansion was first called Stanley 
 House, either about 1683, when on the death of Robert, first 
 Lord Xairne, his daughter, the Lady Margaret jSTairne, wife of 
 Lord William Murray, fourth son of the Marquis of Athole,by 
 Lady Amelia Sophia Stanley, daughter of the Earl of Derby, sue 
 ceeded to the estate, the supposition being that it was so called in 
 honour of her mother-in-law ; or in 1703, when, on the death of 
 the Duke, the Duchess Dowager of Athole came* to reside at 
 Stanley House, the residence of her son. The place has been 
 greatl}' altered since it was the home of the Jacobite Nairnes, but 
 many of the grand old trees still remain. The original approach 
 to the house has been altered to suit the exigencies created by 
 the erection of the famous Stanley Mills, but the fine broad
 
 STANLEY. 513 
 
 avenue, with its imposing beeches, is almost intact. The best 
 of the beeches here has a girth of 16 feet 10 inches at 1 foot 
 from the ground, and 12 feet at 5 feet, with a splendid bole of 
 16 feet. Another girths 16 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 
 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 12 feet. There are several 
 girthing about 1 1 feet at 5 feet, and one, although not very 
 thick, has a splendid bole of 30 feet. Along the bank of 
 the river, and directly in front of the house, there is a fine 
 row of large beeches, the best of them girthing 15 feet 6 inches at 
 1 foot, and 12 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 20 feet. 
 Many of the other varieties of hardwood trees are represented by 
 noteworthy specimens. One of the finest oaks in the county 
 grows on the hillside behind the house. It girths 16 feet 8 
 inches at one foot, and 12 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, with a 
 magnificent bole of 25 feet, and a splendid top. The tree is in 
 perfect health, and still growing. There are two black Italian 
 poplars of large size, the one having a girth of 22 feet at 1 fo:>t, 
 and 12 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of 20 feet ; and the 
 other with an ecpially good bole, girths 20 feet 6 inches at 1 
 foot, and 12 feet 4 inches at 5 feet. There are numerous elms 
 and sycamores about 90 feet high, although not very thick. Close 
 to the house are a number of aged yews of large dimensions, 
 and in a most flourishing state. The girth of one at 5 feet is 
 12 feet 8 inches, and the girth of another is 9 feet. Within the 
 policies there is a very remarkable round castle of great age. 
 The construction of it is altogether unique, as may be seen from 
 the engraving which we give of both the exterior and the 
 interior. In the olden times it must have been a place of great 
 strength, and a dungeon, now almost filled up, is supposed to 
 have had a connection with Stobhall on the opposite side of the 
 Tay. The castle, which is called Inchbervis or Inverbervie, is 
 believed to have been regularly resorted to by Wallace. There 
 is a tradition that it was at one time a religious house in con- 
 nection with the Abbey of Dunfermline, and the charters 
 show that the proprietors were held liable in the yearly 
 tribute of a grilse. From this it would appear that the 
 Stanley stretch of the Tay was as famous in the olden times 
 as it is at the present day. There are not two miles of
 
 STANLEY. 515 
 
 the river better known than the Stanley waters, or that 
 afford better sport with salmon during the whole of the fishing 
 season. All anglers are familiar with such pools as the " Cat 
 Hole," "Hell's Hole," and "Pitlochry Head." It was at the 
 latter pool where the historical John Briggs was depicted by 
 Leach in Punch landing his first fish in his arms after his 
 tackle was broken, the sketch being drawn at Stanley House. 
 Although it is scarcely within our province to describe Stanley 
 Mills, still these are so closely bound up with the history of the 
 property that they cannot be altogether passed over. Up till 
 1775, the " Yett House," or gate house, a very peculiar old 
 building still standing, was the only erection on the site of these 
 great cotton mills. Far-seeing men selected the site on account 
 of the magnificent water power, which, coming from the Tay with 
 a fall of 25 feet, is led to the mills by tunnelling the hill behind. 
 These mills were the second to be erected in Scotland, if not in 
 Britain, and were built under the auspices of the ' famous 
 Arkwright. The date of the erection of the mills was 1785, 
 when Dempster & Co. feued the land from the Duke of Athole. 
 In 1800 the mills and lands were sold to Craig & Co., who 
 •carried them on till 1814. They were stopped from that date 
 till 1823, when Dennistoun, Buchanan, & Co. got possession of 
 them, spending £160,000 on their improvement, and employing 
 about 1200 workers. On the death of Mr Buchanan, the mills 
 and estate passed into the hands of Mr Howard, Burnley, Lanca- 
 shire, who carried them on till the great cotton famine conse- 
 quent upon the American war, when he was obliged to stop the 
 works, with the result that the place became a living picture 
 of Goldsmith's " Deserted Village." The works were after- 
 wards re-opened to a limited extent, and carried on till 
 about seven or eight years ago, when the property was 
 on the brink of passing into the hands of a Limited Liability 
 Company in England, with the view of making the most 
 out of the mills and estate. The principles upon which 
 this Company proposed to work the property, may be inferred 
 from the fact that one of the methods for obtaining a dividend 
 was to have all the trees cut down and sold. Happily, Sir 
 Douglas Stewart of Murtly and Grantully came to the rescue
 
 516 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 and, through his kindness, the property was secured by his 
 relative, the present owner. Colonel Stewart Sandeman has 
 brought a vast amount of energy and technical skill to bear upon 
 the working of the mills, which are now being successfully con- 
 ducted. The mills are carried on in conjunction with Man- 
 hattan Works, Dundee, and Colonel Stewart Sandeman is 
 associated in the management with his brother, Mr Charles 
 Stewart Sandeman of Springlands. Until the works passed into 
 the bands of the present management, the trade was entirely with 
 Tndia, the " Stanley 30s." being a household word for nearly a 
 century. Many changes, however, have taken place in recent 
 years. Entirely new machinery has been introduced, and the 
 market is now altogether local, the jute and linen factories of the 
 three neighbouring counties taking the whole production for 
 salvages and cotton warps. The specialties include cotton belts, 
 ropes for transmitting power, &c, which promise ere long to 
 make the Stanley Mills as well known at home as they formerly 
 were abroad. What is, however, more in accordance with our 
 present purpose, the Colonel venerates the old trees and their 
 associations, so that there is no danger of their being removed 
 by him, as would certainly have been done had the property 
 been acquired by the Limited Liability Company. 
 
 Bonhard, the seat of Mr Alexander Macduff, has a very pleasing- 
 aspect on the south of the Sidlaws. The property has been in 
 possession of the family since 1742, and the present proprietor 
 is the fifth laird in succession, each of whom has borne the 
 name of Alexander. A curious and interesting tombstone, the 
 gravestone of the family during last century, stands in a 
 sheltered nook in the policies, and bears 1747 as its earliest 
 date. The stone, which is very richly carved, is surmounted by 
 the family arms, while at the foot there are a skull, cross-bones, 
 and an hour-glass. The motto, " Memento Mori," surrounds 
 the lower part. The most prominent part of the property, as 
 seen from a distance, is Springfield Hill, with its picturesque 
 tower, in imitation of an ancient fort. The best view to be had 
 from it is towards the west, where the city of Perth, and the 
 whole of Strathmore as far as Coupar- Angus and Blairgowrie,
 
 BONHARD. 517 
 
 are spread before us, with the Logiealmond and Crieff hills in the 
 background. The mansion is a fine modern structure, completed 
 in 1849, and stands on the site of the old Castle of Springfield. 
 A different site was at first proposed, but the presence of the aged 
 trees round the ancient castle was the determinating influence 
 in the final selection. Close to the mansion-house is the beauti- 
 ful Den of Bonhard, through which flows the delightful little 
 stream of Annaty Burn. The Den is only about a quarter of a 
 mile in length, but within this short stretch are concealed many 
 sylvan beauties. A pleasant winding walk runs through the 
 Den, and leads to a celebrated " Wishing Well " called Dowie's 
 Well, frequently resorted to as a refreshing and curative spring. 
 The Den is chiefly under young oak, the older standards having 
 been recently removed, as being fully matured. Many of these 
 were over 1 50 years old, and splendid specimens for their age. 
 A few good beeches, about 10 feet in girth have been allowed to 
 stand. One of the features of the Den is a group of good Scots 
 firs of the Braemar variety, growing upon an artificial mound in 
 a bog. The trees have evidently been planted for some special 
 purpose, as there are traces of a walk having led to them through 
 the bog. Before entering the policies, attention cannot fail to 
 be attracted to a fine avenue of old limes bordering the public 
 road. In summer the road is perfectly arched over with the 
 foliage of these fine old trees, which afford a grateful shade. 
 The west approach to the house is lined with an avenue of 
 young oaks, transplanted over 30 years ago. They have been 
 excellently trained, have fine clean stems, and are doing very 
 well. Amongst the most notable of the trees in the policies, is 
 to adopt the language of Clare, the rural poet, a 
 
 " Huge elm, with rifted trunk all notched and scar'd." 
 The girth at 1 foot from the ground is 15 feet 2 inches, 
 and at 5 feet the girth is 12 feet. The bole is fully 40 feet. 
 It has a grand head, splendidly furnished, making it altogether 
 a most noble tree. There are several other elms of good size. 
 A beech, with 15 feet of a bole, has a girth of 14 feet 2 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 11 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. The best of the oaks 
 girths 13 feet 3 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 3 inches at 5 feet ; 
 ami the best of the ash trees girths 12 feet 4 inches at 1 foot,
 
 518 WOODS, FORESTS. AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 and 9 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. "Within the last twelve years a 
 large number of the newer coniferous trees have been planted 
 throughout the policies, and they are all thriving very well. 
 An Araucaria imbricata, planted about 33 years ago, is fully 3i> 
 feet high. It bore a cone last season, but the interesting fruit 
 was unfortunately blown off by a high wind, and no trace 
 of it could afterwards be found. About six years ago, a 
 small pinetum was formed in a convenient space connect- 
 ing the garden and the pleasure grounds, and has been made 
 most ornamental. On the way to the garden a little pond has 
 been extended and beautified. A number of spruce trees 
 encircle the pond, the water of which has been diverted at a 
 higher level so as to form a waterfall. The effect has been 
 considerably heightened by the formation of a rockery under 
 and around the trees, and the erection of a neat rustic bridge 
 across the narrowest part of the pond. The specimens in the 
 pinetum include Cedrus Deodara, Wellingtunia gigantea, Picea 
 Nordmanniana, Picea nobilis, Picea Lowii, Abies oriental/'*, 
 Picea magnifica, Picea grandis, Abies Parryana glauca, as well 
 as a number of the commoner varieties. The kitchen garden is 
 a little out of the common. On the north, east, and west sides 
 it is enclosed by a brick wall ; and on the south, where there 
 is a splendid exposure, a neat iron railing, upon a coping of 
 about 18 inches, has been erected so as to secure the full 
 advantage of the sun. The garden has thus a much lighter 
 appearance than if there were a south wall, and the trees in the 
 pleasure grounds are so arranged that they provide ample 
 shelter from the wind. In a park near the garden there is an 
 extensive dovecot, bearing the date 1709, and containing 1492 
 nests. Amongst the more important relics of antiquity on the 
 property are two Druidical circles on the eastern portion of the 
 estate. There are nine immense stones standing upright in each, 
 and surrounded by beech trees, which appear to have been 
 originally planted as a hedge. Balcraig, the residence of the 
 Misses Mercer, is on the Bonhard property. The house was 
 originally called Springfield Cottage, but the Misses Mercer 
 have added to it very materially, and greatly enhanced the= 
 amenity of the place by acquiring new ground, and laying out
 
 BONHAIJD — MURRAYSHALL. 519 
 
 flower and kitchen gardens. The place is nicely sheltered on 
 the east, and by some fine beech trees on the north, and 
 commands a magnificent view of the Grampians. Springfield 
 Hill, to which reference was made at the outset, is chiefly 
 clothed with spruce and fir, planted after larch, which was cut 
 down on attaining maturity. 
 
 Murrayshall, in the parish of Kinnoull, and about three 
 miles from Perth is an old mansion built in 1664 by Sir Andrew 
 Murray (a younger son of the Balvaird, now the Mansfield, 
 family), and having been modernised according to the taste of 
 last century, was again restored in 1864 to somewhat of its old 
 aspect. A daughter of Sir Andrew Murray, who inherited the 
 estate, married a younger son of the then Graeme of Balgowan, 
 and through this marriage the late John Murray of Murrayshall, 
 on the death of Lord Lynedoch, and afterwards of Mr Robert 
 Graham (both without issue), became the representative of the 
 Graemes of Balgowan. He took the name of Graham, as 
 required by the entail of Bertha. This small property on the 
 banks of the Almond did not share in the disentail of Lynedoch 
 and Balgowan, which Mr Robert Graham effected, in consequence 
 of a flaw discovered in those entails. Mr Murray Graham 
 having died without issue, he was succeeded by his nephew, 
 Captain Murray Graham, R.A. The estate contains some trees 
 that are worthy of notice. The most important of these are 
 four fine old elms. They are short boled, but make splendid 
 park trees. The largest one girths 15 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, 
 and some of the limbs girth 7 feet. Another, with a girth of 
 14| feet at 1 foot, has a spread of branches 26 yards in diameter. 
 The others girth 14 and 12 feet respectively at 1 foot, with very 
 little difference at 5 feet up. There is a peculiar circle of old 
 hornbeams (being an old arbour grown up), the largest of which 
 girths 10 feet 10 inches at the narrowest part of the bole ; a 
 Spanish chestnut girths 10 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 1 
 inch at 5 feet ; an ivy-covered ash, girths 9 feet at 5 feet ; a 
 tulip tree, 4 feet 4 inches at 5 feet ; a cedar of Lebanon, with a 
 short bole, but a fine branchy, ornamental head, girths 9 feet 2 
 inches at 3 feet. There is also a very good specimen of the
 
 520 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 silver holly. The newer coniferous trees are well represented, 
 and there are several splendid silver firs in the Den. Murrays- 
 hall Hill is one of the most prominent points of the Sidlaws, 
 and considerably higher than the hill of Springfield. It is sur- 
 mounted by an obelisk erected in 1850 to the memory of 
 Thomas Graham, the celebrated Lord Lynedoch. Besides com- 
 prehending all that can be seen from Springfield Hill, we have 
 here views of the whole of the Carse of Gowrie, a portion of 
 Dundee, and the county of Fife as far as St Andrews. This 
 hill comprises spruce and fir, and has a bare top, with the 
 remains of an old wood. 
 
 St Martins has long been favourably known to arborists and 
 others as a place of more than ordinary interest, and under the 
 present proprietor, Colonel W. Macdonald Macdonald, it has 
 been considerably improved. The place was originally known 
 as the Kirklands, but was changed to St Martins, on the 
 property being acquired by the Macdonalds. The purchaser of 
 the property was William Macdonald, W.S., of Ranathan, and 
 the circumstances under which he acquired it are rather interest- 
 ing. While on his way north he happened to stay at the old inn, 
 now used as the landsteward's house, and he was so strongly 
 impressed with the beauties of the place, that he there and then 
 expressed his resolution to purchase it should it ever come into 
 the market. He was a man of considerable prominence in his 
 day. Along with the then Sir John Sinclair, Bart, of Ulbster, 
 his most intimate and lifelong friend, he was the originator o 
 the Highland and Agricultural Society, as well as its first 
 Principal or Hon. Secretary, and that body has on several 
 occasions placed on record its high sense of the ability with 
 which the duties of that office were discharged. At the general 
 meeting on 29th June 1792, it was unanimously resolved, as a 
 mark of the grateful sense which was entertained of the 
 Secretary's unremitted and spirited attention to the objects and 
 prosperity of the institution, that a piece of plate should be 
 presented to him, with a suitable device and inscription. Mr 
 Mac.donald, while expressing his warm acknowledgements to the 
 Society for the compliment, asked that the motion be deferred
 
 ST MARTINS. 521 
 
 till the funds of the Society were in a better position, as, in the 
 meantime, lie considered the repeated approbations of his con- 
 duct a sufficient return for his exertions. The proposed presen- 
 tation was, accordingly, delayed, but at the general meeting on 
 30th June 1800, a Committee suggested the propriety of the 
 Society's voting a piece of plate, valued fifty guineas, to Mr 
 Macdonald, and that he should be requested to sit for his portrait 
 to Sir Henry Raeburn. This suggestion was cordially carried out, 
 -and the painting, bearing the following inscription, was placed in 
 the Society's hall :— " William Macdonald, Esq. of St Martins, 
 Secretary of the Highland, Society of Scotland, as a mark of 
 their regard and esteem, and of the high opinion they entertain 
 of his services to the institution. 1803." A duplicate, con- 
 sidered to be the better of the two, was, at the same time, 
 presented by the Society to Mr Macdonald, and is now in the 
 dining-room at St Martins Abbey. Several pieces of plate were 
 on various occasions presented to Mr Macdonald, and are highly 
 valued as heirlooms at St Martins. Next year, Mr Macdonald 
 resigned the Secretaryship, and was elected Honorary Treasurer. 
 Still further to show its respect for Mr Macdonald of St Martins, 
 upon his death, in 1814, a marble monument was erected inside 
 St Martins Church, bearing the following inscription : — " To the 
 memory of William Macdonald, Esq. of St Martins. Born 2nd 
 April 1732; died 17th May 1814. Secretary to the Highland 
 Society of Scotland from the time of its original institution till 
 the year 1804, when he exchanged that appointment for the 
 office of its Treasurer, which he filled till his death. This 
 monument was erected by the Society in testimony of its deep 
 and grateful sense of his eminent and important services." He 
 was succeeded by his son, William Macdonald, advocate, who 
 married Grisel, daughter of Sir William Miller, Bart, of Glenlee, 
 a Lord of Session by the title of Lord Glenlee. Mr William 
 Macdonald died without issue, when the estate came into the 
 possession of the present proprietor, his cousin. Colonel 
 Macdonald Macdonald is the representative of the branch of the 
 great Clan of Macdonald which settled on Deeside after the Lord 
 ■of the Isles engaged the King's forces at the Battle of Harlaw in 
 1411. There is no authentic account of this branch of the clan
 
 522 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 till 1630, when mention is made of Alexander Macdonald, 
 known by the name of Marcus. His great-great-grandson was 
 James Macdonald of Eanathan, father of the purchaser of St 
 Martins. He fought for the Stuarts in 171.5, joining with a 
 younger brother, the standard of the Earl of Mar. Colonel 
 Macdonald still owns two splendid claymores, Andrea Ferrara's, 
 worn by his ancestors in that famous campaign, and which are 
 made of metal so pure that the weapons can easily be bent 
 double. This family did not go out in the '45. The Clanranald 
 did so, but the ancestors of the Colonel always held to the Lord 
 of the Isles, from whom they descend. Colonel Macdonald still 
 retains, near Balmoral, two acres on the Hillside, being the 
 burial place of the Macdonalds of Ranathan. The two last 
 generations, however, lie under the Church of St Martins. 
 Colonel Macdonald Macdonald is the only son of Major-General 
 James Alexander Farquharson of Oakley, Governor of the 
 Windward Isles, who died in 1834, by Eebecca, eldest daughter 
 and co-heir of Sir George Colquhoun, Bart., of Tilly-Colquhoun ? 
 and a grandson of John Farquharson of Booughdarg in Glenshee, 
 a military officer, and lineal descendant of Findlamore, by 
 Christina, eldest daughter of James Macdunald of Eanathan. 
 Upon the death of General Farquharson in 1834, from whom 
 the present laird of St Martins inherited Glenshee, a magnificent 
 monument was erected to his memory by the Government at 
 the scene of his official labours, in connection with which he- 
 earned considerable distinction. Colonel Macdonald shortly 
 afterwards obtained a photograph of this monument, and has 
 erected a fac simile of it at the Dove Craig Park, St Martins, 
 overlooking a beautiful artificial lake, with an island in the 
 centre. A silver epergne of great beauty and massive 
 proportions was presented to the Governor by the planters of 
 St Lucia for the prompt suppression of a servile rebellion, very 
 similar to the disastrous one which broke out more recently 
 under Governor Eyre. "William Farquharson Macdonald, on 
 succeeding his uncle, the last male representative of the house 
 of Colquhoun, in 1838, took the name of Colquhoun, but did 
 not assume the baronetcy of Nova Scotia. On the death 
 of William Macdonald of St Martins, Colonel Macdonald
 
 ST MARTINS. 52o 
 
 was obliged by his cousin's will to adopt the name and arms of 
 Macdonald solely, and lie, accordingly, became William 
 Macdonald Macdonald, but his children bear both the names of 
 Farquharson and Colquhoun. Colonel Macdonald claims the 
 chieftainship of the Colquhouns, as nephew of the last heir male 
 Sir Robert Barclay Colquhoun, of Colquhoun and Luss. He 
 lias claimed to be called out, through his mother, as co-heiress 
 of his father, Sir George Colquhoun of Colquhoun and Luss, in 
 the Nova Scotia baronetcy, created by Charles I. in 1625, in 
 the same way as is often done with female baronies of England 
 after they have been long periods in abeyance, but the claim has 
 not yet been recognised. The honour of belonging to this dis- 
 tinguished family is one of which Colonel Macdonald may well 
 be proud, as there are few periods of Scotland's history in which 
 the heads of this ancient race did not perform their duty to 
 their country, and adhere to the noble motto, noblesse oblige. 
 Their intermarriages were with the first families of Scotland, 
 including twice with the royal line of Stuarts and twice with 
 the Grahams of Montrose. Among many distinguished marriages 
 of the daughters of the House of Colquhoun that of Margaret, 
 daughter of Sir John Colquhi mi, Lord High Commissioner of 
 Scotland, one of the greatest men in Scotland in his time, to 
 Sir William Murray of Tullibardine, in 1459, connects the 
 House of St Martins with all the Perthshire Murray s. This lady 
 is said to have borne her husband 17 sons. Two marriages with 
 the House of Montrose connect this branch of the Macdonalds 
 with all the Perthshire Grahams, while other marriages less 
 direct connect them with the i )rummonds of Drummond Castle 
 The rnansioivhouse, a massive and commodious building, was 
 erected towards the close of last century, but has been considerably 
 enlarged and adorned by the present proprietor, who has styled 
 it St Martins Abbey, in consequence of monastic remains 
 in the vicinity, and also of his intention gradually to change 
 the architecture into an ecclesiastical baronial pile. The Colonel 
 it maybe remarked, holds his lands in the vicinity of the Abbey 
 from the monks of Dunkeld, now represented by the Dukes of 
 Athole. The policies and grounds were planned and laid out 
 25 years ago by Mr Craiggie-Halket of Cramond, a famous
 
 524 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 landscape-gardener. The trees were so thinned as to present 
 handsome groups, avenues, and vistas, and shortly afterwards a 
 splendid grass drive, extending from the mansion to the Coupar- 
 Angus Eoad, was laid out by Mr Eoos, London, who also 
 planned some of the groups of trees along the route of this grass 
 drive. The whole of this work was carried out under the per- 
 sonal superintendence of Colonel Macdonald, who is well known 
 for his knowledge and taste in matters connected with landscape 
 gardening. Many of the avenues are of exceptional interest. 
 .Stretching from the gardens to the Upper Walk leading to the 
 house, is a magnificent double avenue of newer conifers, the 
 inside consisting of about 40 Wellingtonia giganteas, and the 
 outside of the same number of specimens of Picea Nordman- 
 niana, the effect being at once unique and pretty. This avenue 
 was planted by electors of the Angus Burghs after the rapid 
 attack made by Colonel Macdonald on the seat of the Eight 
 Hon. W. E. Baxter in 1868, in which the Colonel defeated his 
 opponent in the old constituency of 1200, but was terribly 
 beaten by the new constituency of 7500, just created by his 
 leader, the late Eord Beaconsfield. This attack is known to 
 history as " The Eaid of Montrose." The avenue bsars this 
 name, and an inscription on a handsome stone, records the cir- 
 cumstances under which it was planted. Perhaps the most 
 remarkable of the newer coniferous trees at St Martins is a 
 splendid Wellingtonia, girthing 9 feet 3 inches at the ground, 
 and reaching a height of 25 feet. This tree was presented to 
 the Colonel by his guardian, the late Sir P. Murray Threipland, 
 Bart., of Fingask, as an acknowledgment of an annual supply 
 of birches sent from St Martin's woods, not, as the Colonel 
 facetiously remarked, for whipping the school-boys, but for 
 clearing the way for the curling stones of their elders. 
 The Colonel has appropriately named the tree after its donor. 
 Another walk leading from the house to the garden is lined 
 with very fine elms and sycamores, many of which are of great 
 size. The best of all these is an elm in a park on the south 
 side of the garden, a really splendid specimen. The girth at 1 
 foot from the ground is 22 feet, and 14 feet at 5 feet, with 15 
 feet of a bole, and a magnificent top. There are about half-a-
 
 ST MARTINS. 525 
 
 dozen of elms closely approaching this size. One near the stable 
 has a grand bole of about 40 feet, with a girth at 1 foot up of 
 12 feet, and 10 feet at 5 feet. The beeches are numerous and 
 large. The best of them girths 14 feet at the narrowest part of 
 the trunk, and although the bole is only 7 feet, it supports an 
 enormous number of gigantic branches, which give the tree a 
 most majestic appearance. Amongst the other trees deserving 
 of special notice is a beautiful sycamore with a bole of 30 feet, 
 and a girth of 13 feet at one foot, and 9 feet 9 inches at 5 feet 
 up. At Friarton, and near one of the policy parks, there is a 
 large ash marking the site of an ancient monastery. Although 
 there is not now anything to indicate the presence of an ancient 
 ecclesiastical edifice, there are a number of old people still living 
 who remember of the last remnants of it being removed. The 
 girth of this ash at 1 foot up is 19. feet, and at 5 feet the girth 
 is 11 h feet. A pinetum was formed about twenty years ago, 
 and is stocked with many thriving specimens of the best-known 
 varieties. At Cairnbeddie, which was at one time a separate 
 property, there is a relic of the reign of Macbeth. Here he had 
 one of his principal strongholds, and it was not until he fancied 
 that he was insufficiently secure at Cairnbeddie that he built 
 the great Castle of Dunsinane. The remains at Cairnbeddie 
 were examined by the late John Murray Graham of M array s- 
 hall, during the minority of Colonel Macdonald, his ward, and 
 a considerable number of objects, but of no great interest, were 
 discovered. Most of them are still at Murrayshall. Tradition 
 has handed down the story, contrary to the version of Shake- 
 speare, that it was here the tyrant met the weird sisters, and a 
 remarkable conglomerate boulder is still pointed out as " The 
 Witches' Stone." At Bandirran, a beautiful property in the 
 neighbourhood, acquired sometime ago by Colonel Macdonald, 
 there is a commodious and substantial mansion-house, surrounded 
 by a number of aged trees of good size. Some of the finest 
 of these are hedgerow trees on the road between St Martins 
 and Bandirran. These include two large beech trees, the 
 one having a girth of 15J feet at 1 foot, and 11| feet 
 at 5 feet, with a bole of 24 feet ; and the other has a girth 
 of 14 feet at 1 foot, and 11 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of
 
 526 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 14 feet. Two silver firs near the mansion girth 15 feet and 
 11J feet respectively at 5 feet up, with boles of about 20 feet. 
 The celebrated hill known as the King's Seat, a little to the 
 east of Dunsinane, is on St Martins estate, in the parish of 
 Cargill, where the Colonel is, after the Drummonds of Drummond 
 Castle, the largest heritor. The greater part of the hill, which 
 rises to a height of about 1200 feet above the level of the sea, is 
 moorland, but Colonel Macdonald, with excellent taste, intends 
 planting groups of trees, and forming lakes. From the laird of 
 Dunsinane, he has obtained permission to make a green drive 
 through that property, so as to connect St Martins Abbey by a 
 ten miles ride with this beautiful hill. The plantations upon 
 the property, including some valuable timber at Glenshee, are 
 very extensive. A large proportion of this wood has been 
 planted since the present laird succeeded to the property. 
 During the forty years he has been in possession, Colonel 
 Macdonald has planted at least thirty miles of hedges, and other- 
 wise done much to improve the general aspect of this part of the 
 country, which, up till about 1745, was a bleak moor, with the 
 exception of the valley of St Martins, extending about 10 miles 
 from the Sidlaws to the Tay, but not above half-a-mile broad. 
 
 At Cakdean, in the extreme north-east corner of Perthshire, 
 and partly in Forfarshire, we have an excellent example of what 
 can be done within a very few years to improve the appearance 
 of a property, when taste, energy and capital are brought into 
 play. Situated in one of the most delightful parts of the fer- 
 tile valley of Strathmore, the natural surroundings easily lend 
 themselves to artificial adornment, and these have been taken 
 full advantage of by the present proprietor, James Cox of 
 Cardean and Clement Park, Lochee, the senior partner of the 
 eminent firm of Cox Brothers, Dundee. Although it is only 
 recently that Mr Cox became a landed proprietor in Perth- 
 shire, he has all his life occupied a prominent position in the 
 adjoining County of Forfar, where he is a Deputy-Lieutenant, 
 a J.P., and an ex-Provost of Dundee, and can trace his descent 
 from two notable families in Perthshire, both hailing from the 
 Carse of Gowrie. On the one side he is connected with the
 
 GARDE AN. 527 
 
 family which was instrumental in saving the life of "Wallace, 
 while making his escape from Dundee, after killing the 
 Governor's son ; and, on the other, he owns the hlood of one of 
 those sturdy families from Holland, who settled in this country 
 as artisans, during the reign of James IV., or early in the 16tt 
 ■century. The story of Wallace's escape from assassination, as 
 it is told in the Old Statistical Account of Longforgan, is pretty 
 well known. As he was flying from Dundee, hotly pursued, he 
 sat upon a stone standing by the side of the door of a house 
 belonging to a family named Smith, to rest himself, and was 
 supplied with bread and milk by the good wife of the house, 
 which was the means of restoring his exhausted strength. 
 This stone was such a peculiar one, that there has been no 
 difficulty in identifying till this day the family to whose hospi- 
 tality we are indebted for aiding in the preservation of the life 
 of the qreat Scottish Patriot. In Sir John Sinclair's work, 
 mention is made of " a very respectable man in Longforgan," of 
 the name of Smith, a weaver, and the farmer of a few acres of 
 lands, who had in his possession a stone called "Wallace's 
 Stone " with the traditionary story attached. The stone was 
 hollow in the centre, like a large mortar, and had been used in 
 ancient times for making pot barley, its usual place, when out 
 of use, being outside the door. This stone continued in the 
 possession of the same family up till twenty years ago, when it 
 was presented to Mr Paterson, Castle Huntly, by Miss Smith, 
 when she vacated the house which is believed to have been 
 occupied by her ancestors, with some alterations, since the days 
 of Wallace, or for more than 500 years. Miss Smith, who is 
 well advanced in years, is still livingin Dundee, and is a second 
 cousin of Mr Cox of Cardean and Clement Park, Mr Cox being 
 related to this notable family through his paternal grandmother. 
 The connection was brought about by the marriage, in 1739, of 
 John Smith to Helen Cock, their daughter, Helen, being Mr 
 Cox's grandmother, while their son was the father of Miss 
 Smith, to whom we have referred as living in Dundee. The 
 pedigree of the family of Cox, as we have indicated, goes back to 
 the beginning of the 16th century, when they settled in the 
 Carse of Gowrie on arriving, as is believed, from Holland. It is
 
 528 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 thought that from the first they were weavers and bleachers, the- 
 trade being carried on from father to son. At all events, they 
 can be traced in this connection for eight generations, the works 
 gradually increasing in their hands until they have attained their 
 present enormous proportions, being the largest works of the 
 kind in the world. Upon the introduction of jute into this 
 country, Mr Cox at once realised its importance, and adopted 
 its manufacture with such success that employment is now given 
 to 5000 workpeople, who are engaged in working up the raw 
 material from bales brought direct from their house in India 
 till it is placed in the market in such widely diversified forms 
 as the coarsest packing and the finest imitation of human hair. 
 The family registers show that the orthography of the name has r 
 like so many other family names, passed through many changes. 
 The first spelling of the name we find in the records is " Cock," 
 the same as that of the valiant Burgomaster of Amsterdam, 
 " Frans Banning Cock," represented in the " Night Watch " by 
 Rembrandt. At other times we find it spelt "Coke," "Coock," 
 " Cuik," " Cok," " Cocks," &c, the present mode of spelling 
 the name having been adopted by Mr Cox of Caidean in 1842. 
 The estate of Cardean was purchased by Mr Cox in 1878, from 
 the heirs of the late Admiral Popham. For about one mile, it 
 is bounded on the north by the Isla and by the Dean, one of the 
 finest fronting streams in Scotland. The Dean takes its rise in 
 the Loch of Forfar, flows through the policies, and presents many 
 charming little " bits " of scenery. Openings have been made at 
 the most romantic points, the beauties of some of which could 
 scarcely be excelled, particularly at those parts which include a 
 view of a very ancient bridge, believed to have been original^ 
 constructed in connection with the Roman camp in the neigh- 
 bourhood. The old name of the property, " Caer-Dean," 
 signifies the camp, or fortress upon the Dean. The camp from 
 which Cardean derives its name was in a good state of preser- 
 vation between twenty and thirty years ago, but it has since been 
 almost entirely ploughed up. When Mr Cox entered into 
 possession he found the fine old bridge leading to the camp in 
 a state of ruin, the northmost of the three arches having been 
 blown up with gunpowder about 50 years previously, to prevent
 
 2 L
 
 530 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 it being used by the public in preference to a new one which 
 had been some years previously built farther down the river. 
 The ruined arch has been restored by Mr Cox in its original 
 style, the stones having been partly taken from the dry arch on 
 the south side, which is now built up. The entire bridge was 
 at the same time thoroughly renovated, and now forms a very 
 picturesque feature in the landscape, as well as a serviceable 
 road. The Dean bounds the property on the south-east for 
 about 2i miles, and its passage through the policies is the only 
 
 OLD HUMAN BRIDGE. 
 
 part of its course where the water has a good fall, producing 
 that gentle murmur which is so delightful to the ear. The 
 northern bank stands high above the river, and is richly wooded 
 with good specimens of oak, mountain ash, beech, sycamore, 
 and a few soft-wood trees. When Mr Cox. acquired the pro- 
 perty, the river flowed through the policies at its own sweet 
 will, a large portion of the southern bank having been washed 
 away, while the walls of a lade which runs along the river side 
 were broken down, so that the water formed little islands Avhere
 
 CAKDEAN. 531 
 
 these were most objectionable. The whole of this portion of 
 the policies, indeed, was a veritable wilderness, and those who 
 know it only by its former state will scarcely recognise it now. 
 The southern bank of the Dean and the channel of the lade have 
 been substantially built with stone, and the ground has been 
 tastefully laid out with ornamental trees and shrubs. At the 
 top of the lade a very fine croy has also been built by 
 Mr Cox, to enable the salmon, which frequent the river 
 in great numbers, to ascend. An old quarry, which inter- 
 fered with the amenity of the place has been filled up, and 
 •converted into a bowling green. Numerous walks have also 
 been formed, an elegant new bridge has been thrown across 
 the river, and a gas-work erected. The mansion-house is 
 comparatively new, having been built in 1852, and is a 
 beautiful structure, finely situated, and surrounded by a number 
 of grand old trees. The first of the trees to attract attention is 
 as magnificent a specimen of the lime as can be seen anywhere. 
 With a height of 40 feet, it is compactly clothed with rich 
 foliage to the ground, the branches spreading along the lawn in 
 a most beautiful manner. The circumference of the branches 
 is 120 feet, and the tree throughout is in perfect form, adding 
 not a little picturesque beauty to the house. There are a number 
 of gigantic beeches on the lawn and neighbourhood. These are 
 the remains of an avenue which at one time led to the mansion. 
 There are eight of these old avenue trees still standing, and the 
 one nearest the house, which we measured, may be taken as a 
 fair sample of the whole. Clear of the swell of the roots, the 
 girth is 16 feet 2 inches, and at the narrowest part of the bole 
 the girth is 15 feet. The bole is only about 6 feet, but the chief 
 beauty of the tree is its magnificent arms, ten of which break off 
 from the trunk with a considerable girth, and bring the height 
 of the tree up to fully 100 feet, making it altogether a truly 
 noble specimen. An oak, which had formed part of the same 
 avenue, girths 15 feet 10 inches at 1 foot up, and 11 feet at 5 
 feet. It has a bole of 9 feet, and carries a very fine head. 
 There are a few specimens of the newer coniferous trees. The 
 most notable of these is a nice Wellingtonia gigantea, 30 feet 
 high, and girthing 7 feet 1 1 inches at the ground. As the soil
 
 532 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 is mostly rich loam, the plantations are not very extensive, hut 
 in an estate of 2000 acres there are fully 150 acres under 
 wood, which is well mixed with the common varieties of hard 
 and soft timher trees. 
 
 THE GREAT BEECH AT CA11DEAN. 
 
 Clathick, in the neighbourhood of Crieff, and the property of 
 Colonel W. Campbell Coloquhoun, also affords a very striking 
 example of what may he done within a comparatively short 
 period to improve the amenities of an estate. The property is
 
 CAKDEAN. 533 
 
 a small one, nicely situated between Ochtertyre and Lawers, 
 and enjoys much of the natural advantages of these famous 
 places. The house is handsome and commodious, and possesses 
 every modern convenience. An ample supply of splendid spring- 
 water was recently introduced at a cost of £200, the pressure 
 being sufficient to throw a column of water 30 feet above the 
 top of the house. There is very little old timber, although there 
 are a few trees of considerable size. In the North Park, for 
 instance, there is an oak girthing 17 feet 8 inches at 1 foot from 
 the ground, and 12 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, with a good round 
 bole of 11 feet. It is altogether a fine spreading and highly- 
 ornamental tree. A grand ash has a bole of 19 feet, with 
 .a girth of 12 feet at 1 foot, and 10 feet at 5 feet. An oak 
 measures 19 feet of bole, with a girth of 13 feet 6 in. at 1 foot, 
 and 1 1 feet 8 in. at 5 feet. There are several other oaks which 
 reach a similar girth. A beautiful silver fir on the east approach 
 girths 13 feet at 1 foot, and 9 feet 9 inches at 5 feet. There are 
 close upon 150 acres of plantation, the principal of these being 
 the High Wood, 110 acres in extent. It consists almost entirely 
 of larch from 50 to 60 years old. It was originally pretty 
 well mixed with Scots fir, but these did not thrive, probably on 
 account of the variety being inferior to the ones at Lawers, 
 Dunira, and Ochtertyre, where there are so many grand 
 specimens. A good many of the larches in the west portion of 
 the High Wood are suffering from disease. The Home Wood, 
 adjoining the North Park, was planted in 1876, and extends to 
 20 acres, oak coppice having been cleared out to make way for 
 larch. The plants were bought in as saplings, each one being 
 properly pitted, and they are doing so well that many of them 
 have reached a height of 15 feet. Colonel Colquhoun is strongly 
 of opinion that the best larch seed is not preserved for propaga- 
 tion. It is chiefly, he says, old men who make a livelihood by 
 gathering larch seed, and they are disposed to take the easiest 
 means to secure the cones. Old and effete plants bear the largest 
 number of cones, and these being nearest the ground are the most 
 •easily collected. He also believes that an exchange of seed 
 between different counties would be advantageous. By these 
 means he considers that they would be able to grow larches of
 
 534 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 the Dunkeld and Monzie stamp, instead of seeing them pine 
 away when they hecome sleeper size. A considerable extent of 
 fencing has been erected within the past few years, notably in 
 1876. The Colonel has a very high opinion of Morton's 
 galvanised tubular sheet upright wire fencing, of which he had 
 one mile erected in 1876 at a cost of 2s. 4d. per yard. The back 
 stays have proved extremely effective, and almost invisible above 
 the ground. The fence has given him entire satisfaction, being 
 strikingly handsome and strong, although rather expensive. 
 Many other improvements of a useful and ornamental character 
 have been effected since Colonel Colquhoun came into possession 
 of the property, in the management of which he takes a 
 thoroughly practical interest. 
 
 Cultoquhey, also in the neighbourhood of Crieff, is deservedly 
 famed for its fine collection of newer coniferous trees, in the rear- 
 ing of which the proprietor, James Maxtone-Graham, takes a 
 very great interest, most of these having been planted by himself. 
 It is only in recent years that the latter appellation has been 
 added to the family name. The name and arms of Graham were 
 assumed when the present laird succeeded to the property of his 
 uncle, Eobert Graham of Eedgorton, cousin and heir of Thomas 
 Graham, M.P. for Perthshire, the celebrated commander in the 
 Peninsular War, who achieved the memorable victory of Barossa,, 
 and was created Baron Lynedoch. The mansion-house at 
 Cultoquhey was built from a design by the late Sir Eobert 
 Smirke. It is in the early Tudor style, and is a pure and good 
 example of that great architect's work. Perhaps the grandest 
 of all the trees is a magnificently-furnished Pinus Cembra, 40 
 feet high, and one of the finest trees of the kind in Scotland. 
 The girth of the stem is 9 feet 2 inches at 1 foot, and 6 feet 3 
 inches at 5 feet. This tree was brought in a pot from Cumber- 
 nauld in 1826, and planted in what was then the garden, where 
 it now stands. So little were the coniferae valued in those 
 days, that the old gardener of the place was in the habit of 
 pruning it annually because it encroached on one of his black 
 currant bushes. The tree bears the marks of this early and 
 severe castigation till the present day. There are also many
 
 CULTOQUHEY. 535 
 
 beautiful specimens of Wellingtonia giganiea, the best specimen 
 hiving a girth of 10 feet 6 inches at the ground, and a height 
 of 35 feet. A fine compact specimen of Tlmjopsis dolobrata, 
 planted in 1871, has a circumference round the branches of 27 
 feet. The best Cedrus Deodara reaches a height of 60 feet. 
 One of the specimens of Abies Douglasii has a girth of 8 feet 
 at 1 foot, and 6 feet at 5 feet up. This plant was a seedling of 
 1844, from the parent tree at Lynedoch, which was given, with 
 others, to Lord Lynedoch, by Mr Douglas, the introducer of 
 the tree. There is a grand plant of Picea nobilis, from which 
 large numbers of seedlings have been raised. The girth of the 
 stem is 7 feet 10 inches at 1 foot, and 6 feet 6 inches at 5 feet. 
 There are two fine specimens of Picea Nordmanniana, about 
 50 feet high, and 6 feet 2 inches in girth at 1 foot from 
 the ground. There are also fine specimens of Picea Orientalis, 
 Picea grandis, Picea Morinda, Picea Webbianna, Picea magni- 
 fica, Cupressus Latcsoniana, Cnjptomeria Japonica, &c. Twc 
 of the larches are above the average size, the one having a girth 
 of 12 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, 
 and the other having a girth of 10 feet 2 inches at 1 foot, and 
 8 feet at 5 feet up. The best of the hardwood trees is a 
 beautiful oak near the house. The girth at 1 foot up is 15 feet, 
 and at 5 feet the girth is 12 feet G inches, there being a bole of 
 10 feet. An oak and Spanish chestnut over-hanging the terrace 
 in front of the house, are interesting from the fact that the 
 acorn and chestnut from which they grew were brought from 
 the Hague by the late Mrs Maxtone in 1827. A younger oak 
 on the same terrace is from an acorn off the great oak in 
 Knolle Park, Kent, one of the largest oaks in England, and 
 brought by Mrs Maxtone-Graham in 1851. One of the features 
 of the policies is a splendid collection of rhododendrons. The 
 principal objects of interest, however, as we have already said, 
 are the coniferous plants, and their chief characteristics are their 
 compactness and vigour. There are a variety of soils, but the 
 bulk of the land is strong, resting upon red sandstone. The 
 best of the plants grow upon a slope in front of the house, 
 having a southern exposure, and formerly the kitchen garden, 
 the soil of which is a fine black loam.
 
 536 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Monzie Castle, in the neighbourhood of Crieff, is celebrated 
 for the possession of four of the original larches, which have 
 attained a great size. This estate was long the property of a 
 branch of the noble house of Breadalbane, but is now in the 
 possession of Mr Johnston of Lathrish and Kilwhis, who 
 accpuired it some years ago by purchase. The ancestor of the 
 old Monzie family was Archibald, fifth son of Sir Duncan 
 Campbell — created first Baronet of Glenurchy in 1625 — by 
 his wife, Lady Jane Stewart, second daughter of John, Earl of 
 Athole. Several of the Campbells of Monzie have occupied 
 prominent positions in the civil and military annals of the 
 country ; the last male member of the family who possessed 
 Monzie being Member of Parliament for Argyllshire from 1841 
 to 1843. The Castle is one of the most magnificent and 
 pleasantly-situated mansions in Scotland, and is of great age, 
 one of the older portions bearing the date 1634. On every side 
 it is surrounded with magnificent timber. The beauty of its 
 sylvan adornments attracted the attention of the writer of the 
 New Statistical Account so much that he was led to remark 
 that " were it not a well-authenticated fact that Dr Johnson 
 regarded Scotland as a region destitute of trees, one might be 
 tempted to conclude that he had visited this spot, and received 
 from it his first impression of the ' Happy Valley ' in Rasselas.'' 
 The principal arboreal attractions, however, are the great larches 
 in the garden. Although there are now only four of them, 
 there were originally six, and are said to have been brought or 
 sent by Mr Menzies of Culdares, who brought the ones at 
 Dunkeld. The largest of the four girths 26^ feet at the 
 surface of the ground, at 3 feet the girth is 18 feet, and at 5 
 feet the girth is 16 feet 3 inches. The height is fully 100 feet, 
 and the tree contains about 380 cubic feet of timber. The tree 
 is splendidly clothed with branches almost to the ground. 
 Some of these branches are about 45 feet in length, and are so 
 fantastically twisted and curved that they have to be supported 
 on forked poles to preserve them from injury. On the south 
 side, the branches are particularly beautiful, hanging over the 
 carriage drive, and dipping into the waters of an ornamental 
 lake. The girth of the second largest one is 22 feet 3 inches
 
 MONZIE CASTLE. 537 
 
 at the base, 15 feet G inches above the swell of the roots, and 
 12 feet at 5 feet, measuring from the highest part of the ground 
 — the cubic contents being about 300 feet. The third in size 
 girths 16 feet at the base, 10 feet 1 inch at 3 feet up, and 9 feet 
 7 inches at 5 feet — the cubic contents being about 270 feet. 
 The smallest of the four has a girth of 14 feet 8 inches at the 
 base, and 9 feet 11 inches at 3 feet up, and 8 feet 8 inches at 5 
 feet — the cubic contents being about 200 feet. The height of 
 these three trees is very little less than the largest one, all of 
 them approaching 100 feet. Although now about 145 years old, 
 they are exceedingly healthy, and continue to make wood 
 rapidly. The soil is dry, and slopes gently on what was once 
 the side of a shrubbery fence. The second largest tree has a 
 peculiar protuberance, the result of having stood in the way of the 
 fence. The exposure is to the south and east, and the trees are 
 sheltered from the north and west by rising ground and um- 
 brageous trees. The " Planting Duke " of Athole took a par- 
 ticular interest in these rivals of the Dunkeld larches, and 
 annually sent his gardener to report upon their progress. When 
 this functionary reported that the Monzie larches were outstrip- 
 ping the ones at Dunkeld, his Grace would jocularly allege that 
 his servant had permitted General Campbell's good cheer to 
 impair his powers of observation. Besides the larches, there are 
 many other fine trees in the garden. An elm has a girth of 15 
 feet at 1 foot up, and 13 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 18 feet. 
 A beech tree, with 23 feet of a bole, has a girth of 17 feet at 1 
 foot, and 15 feet at 5 feet. A lime in one of the parks girths 
 1 7 feet 5 inches at the narrowest part of a bole of 8 feet, and 
 has a spread of branches of 80 feet. The circumference of the 
 tree is altogether 256 feet. At one time it was much greater, 
 but on the removal of a protecting fence it was pruned. 
 Another lime near the Castle girths 14 feet at the narrowest 
 part of a bole of 10 feet, and also carries a magnificent head. 
 There are several fine beeches. One girths 1 4 feet at the narrowest 
 part of the bole. Another girths 14 feet 8 inches above the 
 swell of the roots, and 13 feet at 5 feet up. There is a very 
 peculiar oak, with a short bole of 5 feet, after which it breaks 
 into two great branches. The bole girths 1 4 feet 8 inches, and the
 
 538 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 branches girth 10 feet 6 inches and 9 feet 10 inches respectively. 
 " Eppie Callum's oak " is so named because of its having been 
 planted by that genial old lady of a former generation in a tea- 
 pot, from which it was transplanted to her garden, where it has 
 become a great tree. There is also a grand silver fir in the 
 policies. The girth at the base is 20 feet 8 inches, 18 feet at 1 
 foot up, 14 feet 6 inches at 3 feet, and 13 feet 10 inches at 5 
 feet. Her Majesty, when residing at Drummond Castle, paid a 
 visit to Monzie, in commemoration of which she planted three 
 trees. The Castle has been let for a number of years to Mr 
 John Bald, London, who has effected many improvements both 
 in the policies and within the Castle. 
 
 Delvine, the property of Sir Alexander Muir Mackenzie,. 
 Bart., is prettily situated in the Stormont, and includes as fine 
 a tract of agricultural land as is to be found in Perthshire. 
 The estate is remarkably well farmed — a circumstance which is 
 largely due to the spirit of enterprise infused into the tenants- 
 by the present and recent proprietors. The original name of 
 the family was Muir, but on Alexander Muir succeeding, at the 
 beginning of the century, to the estate of his great uncle, John 
 Mackenzie of Delvine. he assumed the name of Mackenzie, and 
 was created a baronet in 1805. On succeeding to the property 
 he found it in a condition that may be expressively described 
 as a wilderness. He was, fortunately, a man of indomitable 
 energy and enlightened enterprise, and at once recognised in his 
 estate a congenial field for the exercise of these qualities. He 
 first of all set to work in laying out the farms, making roads, 
 planting hedgerows and woods, and otherwise putting the 
 property into something like the condition it is to-day. He had 
 the pleasure of seeing the improvements he had inaugurated 
 fully carried out, and when he died, in 1835, he was succeeded 
 by his son, Sir John William Pitt Muir Mackenzie. He was- 
 trained for the Bar, to which he was admitted in 1830, but he 
 devoted a large share of his attention to the management of the 
 estate. The laying out of some 12 miles of walks, and other- 
 wise improving the amenity of the place, was the work of the 
 late Sir John M. Mackenzie, who also, along with Lady
 
 DELVINE. 539 
 
 Mackenzie, laid out the tastefully formed gardens and 
 shrubberies. He died in 1855, when he was succeeded by his 
 son, the present laird, who possesses, in a large degree, the 
 characteristics of his grandfather. Time, as a matter of course, 
 wrought its ravages upon the farm buildings, and modern 
 experience has worked quite a revolution in agriculture since 
 Sir Alexander's grandfather carried out his improvements. Sir 
 Alexander Muir Mackenzie, however, has more than progressed 
 with the times, and at the present moment his steadings and 
 farm buildings are about the most complete in the country. 
 He has, at a very considerable expense, had all his farm build- 
 ings overhauled and enlarged, and the whole of the cattle courts, 
 covered with corrugated iron roofs. Special attention has also 
 been paid to the conveniences of the farm. Water has been 
 introduced in abundance wherever necessary, and the various 
 additions have been so arranged as to reduce labour to a 
 minimum. Altogether, the estate, from an agricultural stand- 
 point, may be described as a model one ; and that the efforts of 
 the laird to maintain it in this honourable position are not 
 unappreciated by the tenants, may be inferred from the remark 
 of one of them, who merely gave expression, in a few words, to 
 the sentiments of all with whom we have come in contact, " We 
 have a grand farm, and a grand landlord." While Sir Alexander 
 Muir Mackenzie has, very properly, devoted the largest share of 
 his attention to the maintenance of his agricultural subjects, he 
 has not been unmindful of his woods. He prides himself upon 
 being his own forester, and a pretty minute examination showed 
 that the woods are not suffering at his hands, either in the 
 policies or the plantations. The policies, or rather the North 
 Bank adjoining the policies, are adorned with three splendid 
 larches, believed to have been planted at the same time as the 
 parent ones at Dunkeld. They are all nearly 100 feet in height, 
 and the girth of the largest one is 15 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 
 11 feet 2 inches at 5 feet. The others girth 14 feet 10 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 11 feet 2 inches at 5 feet ; and 14 feet 6 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 10 feet 2 inches at 5 feet. The whole of this 
 North Bank is filled with splendid timber trees, the beeches- 
 being especially good — one which was measured girthing 1 -
 
 540 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 10 inches at 5 feet. On the 
 South Bank there are also a large number of splendid trees, 
 including beech, oak, ash, larch, and Scots fir. These banks 
 form the sides of Incb.tu.thil, a fiat of about 200 acres, on the 
 north point of which Delvine House is beautifully situated. 
 This place derives its name from its having at one period 
 been surrounded by the waters of the Tay. Tradition even 
 says that Delvine was, in comparatively recent times, on the south 
 side of the river, instead of the north as at present ; and the 
 names of some of the places, such as " Laird Young's Cast," in- 
 dicate that salmon have been caught at spots which are now far 
 from the river. Mr Crerar, who has been landsteward at 
 Delvine for close upon sixty years, pointed out to us a spot 
 where he has frequently killed salmon, with the present laird's 
 grandfather, but which is now beyond the reach of the river 
 except when there is a very high flood. Inchtuthil was an 
 important Roman station, and is supposed by some to be 
 the station In medio, to which Tacitus says that his father- 
 in-law, Argicola, led his troops after the battle of Mons 
 Grampius. Prior to the Roman invasion, Tulina, one of 
 the principal towns of the Picts, stood upon this quondam 
 island, and vestiges of Pictish defences are still to be seen. 
 The Romans had a large camp on the north-east portion of the 
 island, the remains of which are also still tolerably complete, 
 and which have yielded several valuable relics, including a 
 Roman bath in good preservation. The approach to Delvine 
 House is through a splendid avenue, about one mile long, 
 leading from Dunkeld Road. At the entrance the trees are of 
 different varieties— beech, oak, and sycamore chiefly — ranging 
 about 10 or 12 feet in girth, but towards the house both sides 
 are planted with finely-shaped lime trees in the full vigour of 
 their growth. The policies are adorned with several trees of 
 considerable size. The beeches include a gnarled but very 
 picturesque and branchy tree, with a short bole about 13 feet 
 in girth ; and another beautiful timber tree girthing 12 feet 10 
 inches at 1 foot, and 1 1 feet 2 inches at 5 feet. There is also a 
 magnificent purple beech, with a great spread of branches. 
 There are several fine silver firs, the largest one girthing 13 feet
 
 DELVINE — SNAIGOW. 541 
 
 at 1 foot, and 11 feet at 5 feet up. The best of the spruce 
 trees has a girth of 1 1 feet 8 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 4 
 inches at 5 feet. The newer coniferous trees are chiefly repre- 
 sented by young specimens, although there is a well developed 
 Wellingtonia gigantea girthing 9 feet at the ground, and some 
 handsome araucarias. Sir Alexander Muir Mackenzie has 
 done a good deal of planting, chiefly in strips, since he came 
 into possession of the property. The plantations extend to 
 about 35.0 acres. The most interesting of these is the Hill of 
 Caputh, where there are over 1 20 acres of wood. This hill 
 rises to a considerable elevation, and commands a wide stretch 
 of the fairest country in Perthshire. About six miles of the 
 Tay, from Dalpowie to near Meikleour, are seen at a glance ; 
 and on the southern bank of the river the whole of the 
 Murtly property, with its magnificent castle, rare avenues and 
 park trees, extensive plantations, trackless moors, and highly- 
 cultivated fields, are spread out before us. To the north and 
 west the view is bounded by the Birnam and Logiealmond 
 Hills, and to the south the eye wanders over a variety of 
 interesting properties until it rests upon the towers and 
 chimneys of the " Fair City." The wood here, as in the other 
 plantations is chiefly larch, spruce, Scots fir, and Abies 
 Douglasii, with a sprinkling of hardwood, the bulk of the 
 timber being of mature age. Sir Alexander has the additional 
 honour of having added considerably to the family possessions, 
 the adjoining property of Glendelvine having been purchased 
 by him about ten years ago. It is a very pretty little estate, 
 with a nice house, and lies right in the heart of Delvine itself, 
 so that its possession was very desirable to square the property. 
 
 Snaigow, which marches with Delvine, was purchased in 
 1874, from the widow of Mr Keay, a well-known advocate, 
 by William Cox, brother of Mr Cox of Cardean, and a 
 member of the firm of Cox Brothers, Dundee. Mrs Keay 
 occupied the property for a considerable number of years before 
 it came into the hands of Mr Cox, who found it very much out 
 of repair. Like his brother at Cardean, Mr William Cox at 
 once commenced to effect a transformation on the estate, and
 
 542 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 has spent large sums of money upon improvements of all kinds. 
 He has reset about thirty miles of dykes, drained all the wet 
 parts of the property, and made numerous broken roads passable. 
 For the mending of the roads he utilised many loads of stones 
 that had been accumulating for years at the corners of fields, 
 and by the sides of dykes, where they were an eyesore, and 
 had thern broken up by a stone-breaker which he procured 
 for the purpose. At many parts of the estate there were 
 no dykes, but these places have now been enclosed with 
 wire-fencing. All the farm steadings were out of repair, and 
 these Mr Cox has put in first-rate order, and erected covered 
 reeds, without any charge being made on farmers under 
 existing leases. There were about 30 parks laid out in grass 
 when Mr Cox purchased the property. These fields he caused 
 to be ploughed up and put through a course of cropping, and 
 afterwards sown out with grass, without a grain crop, the result 
 being pasture lands of unusual richness, rendered all the more 
 valuable for grazing by the nicely undulated character of the 
 ground, which causes burns to flow alongside almost every field 
 and supply the stock with abundance of water. About one-fourth 
 of the property was covered with wood, principally matured 
 larch, when it was purchased by Mr Cox, who has since planted 
 about half-a-million of trees, chiefly Scots fir, spruce, and larch, 
 on the rougher ground and the worst of the fields. In the 
 policies there are a number of very good beech, lime, elm, and 
 oak trees about 150 years of age. The largest of the trees, how- 
 ever, are at Dungarthill, a nice-lying place near Stenton, and 
 where there was at one time a mansion. A number of the 
 larches here are about the same age as the parent ones at Dun- 
 keld, and have attained considerable size. The three best larches 
 measure as follows : — ~No. 1, 113 feet high; girth at 1 foot up, 
 1 4 feet 2 inches ; at 5 feet up, 9 feet 9 inches ; at 20 feet, 8 
 feet 6 inches; and at 100 feet, 2 feet : — No. 2, 105 feet high ; 
 girth at 1 foot, 1 2 feet 8 inches ; at 5 feet, 9 feet 3 inches ; and 
 at 20 feet, 7 feet 6 inches: — and No. 3, over 100 feet high; 
 girth at 1 foot, 13 feet; at 5 feet, 10 feet; and at 20 feet, 7 
 feet 8 inches. There are also a few fine old larches varying in 
 height from 80 to 100 feet, and having an average girth of from
 
 SNAIGOW — STENTON. 
 
 543 
 
 8 to 9 feet at 5 feet up. An elm has a girth of 16 feet at 5 feet 
 up. There are also a number of ash, beech, and lime trees, 
 girthing from 12 feet 6 inches to 16 feet at 5 feet up, and 
 having a height of from 30 to 40 feet. On the farm of Cults on 
 the higher lands of Snaigow, there are three Druidical stones 
 highly prized by antiquarians, the best of them being about 10 
 feet high. This part of the estate is exceedingly attractive from a 
 scenic point of view, as it is sufficently high to command a view 
 of the beautiful chain of lochs between Dunkeld and Blair- 
 
 gowrie. 
 
 STENTON. 
 
 Stenton, the property of Thomas Graham Murray, W.S., 
 brother of the late John Murray Graham of Murrayshall, and 
 uncle of the present proprietor, is one of the most sweetly- 
 situated residences on the banks of the Tay. AVedged in on 
 either side by Delvine and DungarthiU, it directly overlooks, 
 with a southern exposure, the lordly domain of Murtly, and is 
 backed by a tree-clad hill and cliff of singular beauty. Looking
 
 544 WOODS, FOEESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 from the river, it would be difficult to conceive a more ckarmino- 
 picture than is presented by this quiet retreat. The name is 
 supposed to be derived from "stane toun," or the town 
 (Anglice, buildings) beside the rock, the place having been long 
 the residence of a family of Stewarts of Stenton. The Eock of 
 Stenton rises to a height of 300 feet above the house, and the 
 summit, reached by a gently winding walk through a wood, has 
 the remains of several ditches belonging to a former stronghold, 
 known in the country as " The Eobber's Hold," from which, 
 tradition reports, pilgrims to Dunkeld Cathedral were descried 
 and plundered. The views from two points of the summit are 
 most extensive and varied. To the east, the view looks over the 
 Stormont, and the windings of the Tay, with part of Strathmore, 
 to the Sidlaw and Ochil ranges, and the Lomonds of Fife 
 beyond. The view to the west commands further windings of 
 the river, with Birnam Hill, the entrance to Dunkeld, &c. The 
 oldest existing part of the house bears the date of 1745, and it 
 is said that the slaters Avere roofing it when Prince Charles 
 Edward passed along the road. The larger portion of the 
 present house was built by Mr Murray in 1860, and is in the 
 Italian style. The garden is beautifully laid out at the foot of 
 the Eock, which forms an unusual and picturesque background. 
 There are in the grounds some good specimens of the newer 
 coniferous trees, and some good timber trees, although not 
 sufficiently large to be specially mentioned. 
 
 At Birxam, the property of John Guthrie Lornie, there 
 are some very fine specimens of beech, sycamore, and other 
 trees, as may be understood from the fact that the estate is 
 situated in the centre of the original forest of Birnam, " the 
 last of Great Birnam Wood," as represented in the frontispiece, 
 being in front of the mansion-house, although on the Murtly 
 property. In one part of the estate, there are twelve beeches 
 having a girth, at 5 feet from the ground of from 8 feet 6 inches 
 to 16 feet 2 inches; and two sycamores girthing 9 feet and 14 
 feet 6 inches respectively. They have a splendid spread of 
 branches, and are two of the most beautifully -proportioned trees 
 in the district. There are also numerous young oaks, limes
 
 BIRNAM — LOGIEEAIT — BONSKEID. 545 
 
 beeches, chestnuts, cedars, larches, and firs in a most healthy 
 state. At Pitcastle in Strathtay, also the property of Mr 
 Guthrie Lornie, there are a number of very good trees, although 
 few of them are above the ordinary size. The situation of this 
 estate is exceedingly picturesque, and in the " Broad Shot," a 
 graceful bend of the Tay, it possesses one of the best angling 
 stretches of the river. There are about 30 acres of woodlands, 
 including many fine oak standards, as well as good beech, elm, 
 sycamore, and other trees. Both at Birnam and Pitcastle, Mr 
 Guthrie Lornie contemplates adding considerably to the planta- 
 tions. 
 
 At Logierait, there is an enormous ash in the hotel-keeper's 
 garden. It attracted the attention of the writer of the New 
 Statistical Account, who gives the girth at the ground as 53i 
 feet; at 3 feet the girth was 40 feet; and at 11 feet from the 
 ground, 22 feet, the height of the tree being 60 feet. The 
 height is said to have been 90 feet at one time, but the top was 
 blown away. There is an opening of 5 feet 9 inches on the 
 south side, and the trunk is perfectly hollow. Maimed as it is, 
 it has still the enormous girth of 47 feet 7 inches at 1 foot from 
 the ground, and 32 feet 5 inches at 5 feet, so that in its perfect 
 state, it must have been a very great tree indeed. In spite of 
 the wide gap on the south side of the trunk, the north side is 
 clothed with luxuriant foliage, springing from numerous branches. 
 The main trunk is thickly covered with ivy. Advantage has 
 been taken of the opening in the trunk to form a summer-house, 
 which is large enough to hold a large party. 
 
 Bonskeid, the Beat of George Freeland Barbour, is deservedly 
 classed amongst the most beautiful properties in Perthshire, 
 and is of considerable interest from an arboricultural point 
 of view. It occupies a delightful situation between Blair- 
 A thole and Pitlochry, and is surrounded by an amphitheatre of 
 line hills. On the south it is bounded by the classic Tumniel, 
 and on the east by the Garry and the famous Pass of Killie- 
 •crankie. It was to the woods around Bonskeid that Kincr 
 Robert the Bruce retired after the Battle of Methvcn in 1306 
 
 2 M
 
 546 WOODS, FOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 and it was as a reward for the hospitality then shown to the 
 defeated Scots that the lands were granted to the ancestors of 
 the family still in possession. The building of the mansion has 
 a curious history attaching to it. One Sabbath, about a 
 hundred years ago, the house was burned to the ground while' 
 the family were at church. Thirty years afterwards, Lady Bath 
 and her husband, Sir James Pultney, were so much charmed with 
 the place that they took a lease of it, and set about building a 
 new house, taking up their abode in a tent, that they might 
 enjoy the scenery and superintend the work. Lady Bath died 
 before the house was finished, but Sir James completed the 
 work, and furnished the house, but he never had the good 
 fortune to inhabit it, as, while testing a firelock which he had 
 purchased, the piece went off and inflicted a fatal wound. The 
 present proprietor took down the greater part of this house, and 
 rebuilt it in 1868, from plans prepared by Mr A. Heiton, Perth. 
 The site of the house commands an extensive view of the grand 
 valley of the Tuiumel, the Howe of Moulin, &c. Perhaps the- 
 most notable of the trees is that known as the " Stewart Larch," 
 planted by Dr Stewart upwards of 100 years ago, and is the 
 only survivor of three planted at the same time. At 1 foot from 
 the ground the girth is 1 2 feet, and at 5 feet the girth is 9 feet y 
 and at 12 feet from the ground the girth is 8 feet 9 inches. The 
 height of the tree is 97 feet, and it contains about 190 cubic 
 feet of timber. We are indebted to Mr Michie, author of The 
 Larch, for our illustration of this fine tree. Several other 
 larches on the estate are considerably over 100 feet in height, 
 but, although they are splendid timber trees, they cannot be 
 compared with this one for symmetry. There are also several 
 fine specimens of the Scots fir. A number of the newer.' coni- 
 ferous trees have done very well. One of the specimens of 
 Cupi'essus Laivsoniana belongs to the first batch of seed- 
 lings raised by Mr Lawson, and a more symmetrieal tree 
 could not be found. The height is 38 feet, and the tree 
 has never been pruned. Abies magnified does very well, reach- 
 ing a height of 33 feet, and beautifully clothed to the ground. 
 A Wellingtonia gigardea reaches a height of 37 feet ; and Abies 
 Alhertiana and Aranearia imbricata to a height of 30 feet.
 
 BONSKEID. 
 
 547 
 
 Shrubs which do not stand the winter at places further south 
 are here found to thrive very well, including such plants as 
 
 XHJJ STJEWAKT LAfiCH. 
 
 Escallonia macrantha, Catdljpa syringcefolia, &c. The planta- 
 tions extend to 7G0 acres, and consist of natural birch, larch,
 
 548 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Scots fir, and oak. The birches present one of the grandest 
 features of the estate. The trees, which are chiefly of the weep- 
 ing variety, are of fine form, and in the autumn especially, when 
 they are taking on their golden hues, their light tassellated 
 branches waving in the air present a most lovely sight. A good 
 many Abies Douglasiih&ve been planted out, and are doing well. 
 
 The estate of Lude, in the Athole district, the property of 
 Air MTnroy, contains several trees of more than ordinary size. 
 The most prominent of these are the larches. On the Beech 
 Walk there is a larch, planted in 1737, having a girth of 9 feet 
 9 inches at 1 foot, and 8 feet 5 inches at 5 feet, with a height 
 of 75 feet. At the west end of the Long Terrace, there is 
 another aged larch, probably about the same age, having a girth 
 of over 12 feet, and a height of 50 feet. On the Garden Walk 
 there are the following fine specimens of the larch : — No. 1, 11 
 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 9 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, and 85 feet 
 high ; ISTo. 2, 11 feet at 1 foot, and 8 feet at 5 feet, with a height 
 of 85 feet ; and Xo. 3, 9 feet at 1 foot, and 8 feet at 5 feet, 
 with a height of 85 feet. There are also a number of very good 
 Scots firs, about 130 years of age, one of them, which may 
 be taken as an average, having a girth of 11 feet at 1 foot,' and 
 9 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a height of 80 feet. There are 
 several silver firs over 100 feet in height and of corresponding 
 girth,- — one of those 100 feet high girthing 12 feet at 1 foot, 
 and 10 feet at 5 feet. Some fine standard oaks are scattered 
 over the parks and policies ; and on the Lower Terrace, which 
 extends to about 680 yards in length, there is a row of fine 
 lime trees, while immediately to the right of the present mansion, 
 are four very old sycamores of respectable size. About 80 acres 
 of moorland have been enclosed with the intention of planting 
 larch, and a few Scots firs, in the spring of 188L 
 
 Kilbryde Castle, about three miles from Dunblane, 
 is the seat of Sir James Campbell of Aberuchill and Kil- 
 bryde, the representative of that branch of the Campbells 
 whom we have already referred to in connection with Lawers. 
 The barony of Kilbryde, with its fine historic castle, a seat
 
 KILBKYDE CASTLE. 54'J 
 
 of the ancient Earls of Monteifch, was acquired by Sir Colin 
 Campbell of Aberucbill in 1669. Sir Colin took an active 
 part in public business. After the Ee volution he was 
 appointed an ordinary Lord of Session, taking his seat on 
 the Bench in Xovember 1689. In January following, he was 
 made a Lord of Justiciary and Erivy Councillor, in which offices 
 he was continued upon the succession of Queen Anne. Sir 
 Colin frequently appears in the Acts of Parliament as Commis- 
 sioner of Supply for the county of Perth. From 1690 to 1702 
 he represented Perthshire in Parliament. In 1689, he is men- 
 tioned as being appointed a Commissioner for ordering the 
 Militia, and as overseer of the election of the Magistrates and 
 Town Council of Perth. In 1670, a Charter under the Great 
 Seal erected Aberuchill, and all his other landed property, in a 
 free barony to hold of the Crown, and erected Inneruchill into 
 a burgh of barony. In 1680, the Bishops of Dunblane granted 
 to Sir Colin the chaplainry of Trinity Altar in the cathedral 
 there, for life. He suffered very severely during the Revolution. 
 In 1690 we read of Parliament passing an Act in favour of Sir 
 Colin on his petition, showing that the rebels then in arms in 
 the Eighlands had wasted his property, and remitting to the 
 Sheriff-Depute of Perthshire, the Steward Depute of Monteith, 
 and the Sheriff Depute of Stirlingshire to value and liquidate 
 the damage. Three years later, he presented another petition, 
 showing that this remit had not been attended to, and another 
 Act was passed empowering the Commissioners of Supply to 
 assess the damage. They estimated it at .£'17, 201, 12s. -Id. Scots, 
 and the case was sent by Parliament to the Privy Council for 
 recommendation to the king. This also appears to have been 
 ineffectual, as in 1695 a petition by Sir Colin craving thai his 
 losses may be stated was read in Parliament, and remitted to 
 the Committee for Private Affairs. Their report, which was 
 equally favourable, having been read, Parliament recommended 
 his case to the favourable consideration of the king, but with 
 what, success is not known. There is a tradition in the 
 family thai Sir Colin, who ranked among the most consider- 
 able personages of his time, was offered, bul declined, the 
 honour of a peerage, probably as a recompense for the
 
 550 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 losses he suffered at the Revolution, and for which he had so 
 long and so vainly tried to obtain compensation. Sir James 
 Campbell, the fifth and present baronet, is also heir-male of the 
 Earls of Loudoun as well as of the Campbells of Lawers. He 
 is Deputy Surveyor of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, 
 and resides at Whitemead Park int hat county, of which he is 
 a Magistrate. He was born, on 5 th May 1818, and married, 
 28th July 1840, Caroline, daughter of Admiral Sir Robert Howe 
 Bromley of Stoke Hall, Nottinghamshire, representative of the 
 elder branch of Lord Carrington's family, and has a son, Major 
 Alexander Campbell, R. A., born 10th August 1841. Kilbryde 
 was at one time a separate parish, but was united to Dunblane 
 in 1618. The castle was built between 1400 and 1450, and 
 was a place of great strength. Five years ago, Sir James had 
 begun to re-roof and repair the castle, when one of the main 
 walls gave way, and he had to rebuild a great part of it, the 
 plans being prepared by Mr Heiton, Perth, who has retained 
 the main characteristics of the old castle, and has most success- 
 fully worked in the best parts of the original structure. The 
 castle is delightfully situated on an eminence commanding a 
 view of a wide tract of country, and is surrounded by richly- 
 wooded policies and a large extent of plantation. Many of the 
 trees around the * castle are very old. The most noticeable 
 feature in the policies is a number of splendid sycamores, the 
 best of which girths 14 feet 9 inches at 1 foot, and 15 feet 6 
 inches at 5 feet up. There are several oaks of great size, the 
 best of them girthing 1 6 feet at 1 foot, and 1 2 feet 9 inches at 
 5 feet. The best specimen of the other varieties measured, are 
 as follows : — Ash, 10 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet at 5 
 feet ; beecb, 14 feet at 1 foot, and 13 feet at 5 feet ; lime, 11 
 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 10 feet 6 inches at 5 feet ; silver fir, 
 1 4 feet 4 inches at 1 foot, and 1 1 feet 6 inches at 5 feet ; Scots 
 fir, 7 feet at 1 foot, and 6 feet 6 inches at 5 feet ; and larch, 
 1 1 feet at 1 foot, and 9 feet at 5 feet from the ground. 
 
 Aegaty, near Doune, the property of George-Horae-Munro- 
 Einning Home, is exceedingly well wooded. Up till about 100 
 years ago, the whole of this district was destitute of timber, the
 
 ARGATY. 551 
 
 present laird's grandfather, Mr George Home, being the first to 
 t .ke away the barren aspect of the landscape by planting strips of 
 Scots fir, larch, oak, &c, on the Drum of Argaty, a round hill 
 •of considerable height. Mr Geonre Home was also a noted 
 agriculturist in his day, and was the first in the district to plant 
 turnips and potatoes in drills. Mr David Munro-Binning, 
 father of the present laird, continued the work of planting on a 
 much larger scale, and Mr Binning-Home has also done a little, 
 principally for shelter. The mansion-house, indeed, is completely 
 surrounded by wood, with the result that the climate here has 
 been very considerably ameliorated within the memory of those 
 still living. The present mansion is the third which has been 
 built. The original house was a noted stronghold, the tradition 
 being that it was the largest castle in the district after that of 
 Doune. Cromwell burned the first house, some of the remains 
 of which wrre found in the second, which the present laird took 
 down in 1857, and replaced it by a splendid baronial mansion, 
 ■of which he was himself the architect. The largest of the trees 
 are those immediately surrounding the castle. The finest of all 
 is a great ash girthing 18 feet at 1 foot up, and 14 feet 8 inches 
 at 5 feet, with a bole of 30 feet. Another very old ash girths 
 15 feet at 1 foot, and 14 feet at 5 feet. Amongst the other trees 
 mention may be made of an elm girthing 1 1 feet 3 inches at 5 
 feet, a sycamore girthing 13 feet at 5 feet, with a bole 
 of about 20 feet; and a beech girthing 12 feet 6 inches at 5 
 feet. There are many trees about the same size scattered 
 throughout the policies and the woods, the extent of the latter 
 being about 100 acres. The families represented by the present 
 laird are of great antiquity and historic importance. Regarding 
 the family of Binning, tradition relates that, in 1308, William 
 Bynnie, took the Castle of Linlithgow from the English 
 by concealing himself and seven sons in a waggon of 
 hay, which was stopped in the threshold, when the 
 porter and those with him were instantly slain, while the 
 garrison was put to the sword by a large party lying in ambush. 
 As a reward for his gallant adventure, he received a -iff, of 
 Lands. There is a want of information as to who the first Sir 
 Patrick Home was, but the belief is thai he married an Edmon-
 
 552 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIKE. 
 
 stone of Duntreath in Stirlingshire, and got the estate of Argaty 
 from the Crown when the Earldom of Monteith was forfeited, 
 the first charter being dated 1446. 'The Homes of Polwarth, 
 were at that time a very powerful family, and seem to have been 
 put clown at Argaty and Kednoch for the express purpose of 
 watching the keepers of Doune Castle, and the residence on the 
 island in the Lake of Monteith. The second Sir Patrick of 
 whom mention is made was married, first, to Margaret Sinclair, 
 from whom are descended the present Lor I Polwarth and Sir 
 Hugh Hume Campbell, through the Lords Polwarths and the 
 Earls of Marchmont. Sir Patrick's second wife was Helen Shaw, 
 widow of Archibald Haliburton, Lord Dirleton, whose only son, 
 George, married the Lady Margaret Erskine, second daughter of 
 Robert, third Lord Erskine of Mar, and accompanied his father in- 
 law to Flodden, where Lord Erskine was slain, and George Home 
 escaped. Harry Home, who succeeded in 1629, was a strong sup- 
 porter of Charles I., and, in consequence of great losses on behalf 
 of the king wadsetted the lands of Rednoch and Inchinnoch, to 
 Gilbert Graham of Auchlye, of which wadset the present laird 
 has a copy. At that time the Argaty family was much reduced 
 and nearly ruined by Cromwell. It is somewhat singular that 
 had the present laird been Home of Argaty by male descent, he 
 would now have been Earl of Marchmont, and had the Earldom 
 of Morton gone to heirs general, he should now have been Earl 
 of Morton. As it is, he is the oldest heir of line of the 
 Macdonalds, Lords of the Isles, Earls of Ross, and Lord Skye. 
 
 Lanrick: Castle, in the parish of Kilmadock, is one of the 
 most beautiful and interesting estates in that district. It was 
 originally a seat of a branch of the Haldanes of Gleneagles, but 
 as the laird of Lanrick of the day took part in the Rebellion of 
 1745, his estate was confiscated by the Crown and acquired by 
 the York Building Company. It was subsequently purchased by 
 Sir John Macgregor, whose son, Major-General Sir Evan John 
 Macgregor, K.C.B., and G.C.H., Governor of the Windward 
 Isles, sold it, in 1840, to William Jardine, M.P.. a founder 
 and partner in the well-known mercantile firm of Jardine; 
 Mathewson, & Co. The present proprietor is Robert Jardine,.
 
 LANEICK CASTLE. 553 
 
 M.P. for Dumfriesshire. The property is kept in excep- 
 tionally good order, and extensive improvements have heen 
 carried out since it came into the possession of the Jardines. 
 There are three fine approaches to the castle from the north, the 
 south, and the west. The northern approach leads over the Teith 
 by a highly ornamental and substantial iron bridge, 44 yards 
 long, with one graceful span, and erected about four years ago. 
 The castle is situated on the north bank of the Teith, at a spot 
 where the river flows very rapidly through over-hanging woods, 
 and is a massive and picturesque structure. It has evidently been 
 built at various dates, the centre part being of considerable 
 antiquity, with walls of massive thickness. The policies are 
 adorned with many valuable hard and soft-wood trees. In a 
 secluded part of the policies there is a monument of a very unique 
 design, and of special interest to arborists. It is built in imita- 
 tion of the trunk of an oak tree, 35 feet high, and has a girth 
 of 46 feet at the base. It is altogether a splendid piece of 
 masonry, the curves about the swell of the roots and the knots, 
 being most artistically carved, a good tree having evidently been 
 taken as a model. At the top of the trunk there is an orna- 
 mental frill springing from a band, which supports a number of 
 columns, awnings, Sec. There is no inscription upon the monu- 
 ment, nor does there appear to be any record to show its origin. 
 It is, however, comparatively modern, the state of the masonry 
 indicating a probable age of seventy or eighty years. There are 
 a variety of large trees growing in the neighbourhood of the castle. 
 Quite close to the castle are four ash trees of the following dimen- 
 sions; — No. 1, on the west side of the castle, 19 feet G inches at 1 
 foot up, and 13 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a bole of about 30 feel ; 
 No. 2, on the north side, near the river, 18 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 15 feet G inches at 5 feet, with a bole of about 30 feet ; No. 
 3, on the east side, 14 feet both at 1 and 5 feet up, with a short 
 bole running out into two large branches; and No. I. on the 
 north-east side, with a shorl bole running out into four large 
 branches, the trunk girthing 15 feel 6 inches at '2 feet from the 
 ground. Another fine ash grows close to the burying ground, 
 the girth being 18 feet at 1 foot, and 13 feet at 5 feet, with a 
 bole of 12 feet, supporting two great limbs. At the burying-
 
 54 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 ground, which lies a little to the west of the Castle, there is 
 a grove of ancient yews forming a complete circle, the largest of 
 the trees girthing 7 feet at 3 feet up. The sycamores include 
 one in front of the castle having a girth of 13 feet 6 inches at 1 
 foot, and 12 feet at 5 feet, with a bole of 10 feet, and carrying 
 a splendid head ; and another, near the burying-ground, having 
 a girth of 11 feet 3 inches at the narrowest part of a bole of 6 
 feet. A very picturesque Spanish chestnut near the castle 
 girths 15 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, and 14 feet 4 inches at 5 feet, 
 with a bole of about 20 feet. There are over 700 acres of 
 plantation, principally larch, spruce, and Scots fir, with a mix- 
 ture of oak. The greater part of this wood is a first crop, the 
 country having been previously almost destitute of trees. The 
 oldest of these plantations is between eighty and ninety years, 
 about one-third of the whole being about that age. The 
 remainder of the plantations range from forty to sixty years of 
 age. The bulk of the soil, although a little stiff, is of good 
 quality for growing timber. The plantations have been all 
 thoroughly drained. There are some very good hedges, chiefly 
 on the roadsides, but wire and bar fencing have been principally 
 used. On curved and angular ground, a novel and effective 
 fence is used, the invention of Mr Dinwoodie, the forester, and 
 the patent for which has expired. The peculiarity of this fence 
 is that it adapts itself to curves and angles without the aid 
 of side or end stays. It is a wire fence with a three-quarter 
 inch top rod, the latter being the backbone of the fence. The 
 principle upon which it is constructed causes it to bulge out, 
 and to keep its perpendicular, instead of yielding to the strain. 
 The standards are 3 feet apart, and are held in the ground by 
 two forks 14 inches in depth, with flat rests 6 inches by 3 
 inches, with a catch in the inside, turning up 3 inches to 
 prevent them from sliding. The effect of this mode of con- 
 struction is that the greater the curves and irregularities of the 
 ground, the greater the strength of the fence. 
 
 Cambusmore, two miles east of Callander, is an exceedingly 
 pretty and interesting property, its historic associations being as 
 rich as its natural beauties. John Buchanan of Arnprior, and
 
 CAMBUSMOKE. 555 
 
 formerly of Auchleshie, to whom Strathyre (yet to be referred 
 to) was restored, married Murray Kynnymond Edmondstone of 
 'Old Newton, near Doune, whose family were hereditary Standard- 
 hearers to the Royal Stuarts. At Cambusmore there is pre- 
 served part of the staff on which the Royal Standard floated at the 
 battles of Killiecrankie and Sheriffmuir, as well as a wineglass 
 out of which Prince Charles Edward drank as he passed the 
 house of Old Newton on his way from Dunblane. This John 
 Buchanan was a great narrator of the events of those stirring 
 times, and from him Sir Walter Scott, who was a constant 
 visitor at Cambusmore gathered many of the anecdotes to be 
 found in his works. Along with the daughters of the house, 
 Sir Walter roamed over the then almost unknown district of 
 the Trossachs, and from Cambusmore, where a great part of 
 The Lady of the Lake was written, he took the ride, 
 immortalised as Fitz-James' in that poem. A few of Sir 
 Walter's letters are treasured at Cambusmore, but most of 
 them were, unfortunately, destroyed some years ago. John 
 Buchanan of Arnprior, to whom we have referred, had three sons 
 -and four daughters. His youngest son, James Edmondstone, 
 Scots Guards, fell at the battle of Talavera in 1808 ; his 
 second son, Thomas, married a daughter of General Sir Ralph 
 Abercromby, and was father of the present John Buchanan of 
 Powis. John Buchanan of Arnprior died in 1817, and was 
 succeeded by his eldest son, Alexander, late 39th Regiment, a 
 Deputy Lieutenant of Perthshire, well known in the district for 
 half a century as "The Major," and in whose time, as in his 
 father's, the hospitality of Cambusmore was a household word. 
 His only son, Alexander, survived his father but two years, 
 leaving, in 1848, an only child, Catherine E. Grace, the 
 present possessor. She married, in 1869, John Baillie 
 Hamilton of the family of Haddington, J.P., Commissioner 
 of Supply, and a Deputy-Lieutenant of the County, who 
 has assumed the name of Buchanan in addition to his own. 
 The mansion-house, which is partly old and partly new, is 
 exceedingly picturesque and commodious. The original portion 
 appears to be about 200 years old, and seems to have been 
 added to about 100 years ago. In 1880 a very extensive
 
 556 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 addition to the mansion was commenced, the work not being- 
 completed till 1882. The practical part of the work was 
 carried out under the superintendence of Mr Baldie, Glasgow. 
 The design, which was sketched by Mrs B. Baillie Hamilton, 
 not only shows considerable taste and skill, but not a little 
 ingenuity. At the west front there is a natural dip in the 
 ground, and advantage is taken of this to construct a terrace of 
 six arches, in the Gothic style. Underneath the terrace two 
 ancient stones belonging to the original house or castle have 
 been inserted for preservation. Although the weather has- 
 made itself felt to a large extent, it can still be seen that the 
 stones have been elaborately carved, and bear the date 1580. 
 A prominent feature in the newer portion of the house is a 
 massive Gothic tower with an arched porch. Various styles of 
 architecture have been introduced, but care has been taken to 
 make them harmonise. The whole of the stone — a nice hard, 
 bluish sandstone — was obtained on the property, within one 
 mile of the house. Cambusmore consists of about 5000 acres,, of 
 which 1000 are moor and 350 woodland, chiefly larch, Scots fir, 
 and spruce, with a mixture of oak coppice. Formerly, the 
 woods were much more extensive, as may be seen from the 
 remains still visible. Indeed, during the last 30 years upwards 
 of £20,000 worth of timber are known to have been cut down 
 and sold, and the probability is that the destruction was much 
 greater. These blanks are being gradually filled up by the 
 present proprietor, who has added 40 acres to the plantations 
 during the last five years alone, the additions consisting of a 
 mixture of larch, Scots fir, silver fir and spruce, the whole 
 having an outside fringe of sycamore and beech as a protection 
 from the wind. The policies are enriched by many fine 
 specimens of the best known varieties of trees. Immediately 
 behind the house there is a magnificent specimen of the fern- 
 leaf beech, there being an exceptionally grand spread of branches. 
 A sycamore at the garden gate girths 10 feet at the narrowest 
 part of a bole of 12 feet, or at 5 feet from the ground. A larch 
 within the policies girths 10 feet at 1 foot from the ground, and 
 7 feet 10 inches at 5 feet, the height being about 100 feet 
 without a single strong branch. A silver fir on the edge of the-
 
 CAMBUSMORE. 557 
 
 •approach girths 13 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 10 inches 
 at 5 feet, with a height of 100 feet. About 8 feet up there is a 
 .strong off-shoot growing straight up go the full height of the 
 tree and serves to balance it on the weakest side. About 12 
 years ago a slight upheaval of the ground was observed round this 
 fine tree, and the proprietor had a cairn of heavy blocks of stone 
 placed on the weak side as a counterpoise, and there is not now 
 the slightest appearance of the tree giving way. An oak in the 
 park girths 15 feet 7 inches at 1 foot, and 11 feet 5 inches at 5 
 feet. This is an exceedingly well-balanced and health}^ tree, 
 with particularly fine branches. In the cow park, close to the 
 public road there is a splendid Scots fir, with a height of 80 
 feet, and a bole of 25 feet before a branch is reached. The 
 girth at 1 foot up is 9 feet 4 inches, and at 5 feet the girth is 8 
 feet 1 inch. There are also a number of very good ash trees, one 
 of these at Drumvaich, close to the roadside, girths 21 feet at 1 
 foot, and 15 feet 6 inches at 5 feet, with a magnificent bole of 
 24 feet. At Easter Coilechat, near the march with the Lanrick 
 Castle property, there is another splendid ash with a girth of 21 
 feet at 1 foot, and 14 feet 9 inches at 5 feet, after which the 
 bole swells very considerably, and breaks out into a number 
 of huge branches, at a height of 15 feet from the ground. Near 
 these ash trees there are four sycamores of considerable size, and 
 although they are not so large as the one in the garden, they pre- 
 sent such a gorgeous mass of foliage to the roadside that they 
 at once attract attention. Besides the trees mentioned, the 
 policy parks contain many trees of noble proportions and fine 
 foliage, the chief varieties being beech, oak, birch, and lime. 
 The place also owes not a little of its attractions to the Keltie, 
 a fine mountain stream which Hows from the well-known Falls 
 of Bracklyn through the woods and grounds of Cambusmore till 
 it joins the Eiver Teith. The Barony of Strathyre, to which 
 reference has already been made, has been in the possession of 
 the Buchanans since the 15th century, but there is little worthy 
 of note connected with the property till the exciting time of 
 '45, when its possessor, Francis Buchanan of Arnprior, at that 
 time residing at Leny, which belonged to his wife, was seized 
 and carried off to Carlisle, where he was hanged for complicity
 
 558 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 in the Rebellion. There is mention of him in most of the- 
 histories of that time. Though not himself actively engaged in 
 the Rebellion (he having been prevented by his friend and 
 neighbour, the Laird of Blair-Drummond, from personally joining- 
 the standard of Prince Charles), he had sent all the Buchanans 
 he could gather, under his cousin and heir, a youth of seventeen, 
 to join the rebels ; and it was well known that he had kept up 
 a secret correspondence with the exiled Royal Family, and in 
 order to assist them sold the third part of the lands of Buchanan 
 to the Duke of Montrose in 1744. On the restoration of his 
 forfeited estates, the remaining portion of his land at Arnprior, 
 Kippen, were sold by John Buchanan of Auchleshie to Mr 
 Stirling of Garden, to defray the expenses due to the Govern- 
 ment. The family, however, still retain the superiority, and 
 the lands of Strathyre and Cambusmore are now held together 
 as the Arnprior estates. The Disannexing Act restoring 
 Strathyre to John Buchanan of Auchleshie as cousin and male 
 heir of the attainted Francis Buchanan of Arnprior includes 
 the right of the salmon fishings of Loch Lubnaig, and the pro- 
 prietors have also the right, over the adjacent lands of Stank, 
 of lowering the level of the loch. Strathyre is 7000 acres in 
 extent, of which 150 acres are in wood. The trees in the planta- 
 tions are of exceptionally good quality. A splended larch wood 
 at Creegan of 26 acres, 60 years old, was cut in 1872, and 
 replanted with Scots firs" in 1875, the young wood being in a 
 most thriving and vigorous condition. Immervoulin Wood, 64 
 acres in extent, contains, besides some thriving young larch and 
 other trees, a number of very fine specimens of old Scots fir the 
 character of which may be gathered from the f ollowi'ng table, 
 showing the size of twelve of those measured at random as fair 
 specimens of the lot : — 
 
 Extreme Height 
 
 Height of 
 
 GlKTH AT 1 
 
 GlETH AT 5 
 
 IN PEET. 
 
 Bole. 
 
 Foot. 
 
 Feet. 
 
 56 
 
 35 
 
 8' 3" 
 
 7' 7" 
 
 66 
 
 20 
 
 8' 3" 
 
 7' 3" 
 
 58 • 
 
 35 
 
 6' 8" 
 
 6' 0" 
 
 71 
 
 38 
 
 9' 3" 
 
 8' 3" 
 
 76 
 
 35 
 
 10' 11" 
 
 10' 5"
 
 
 
 CAMBUSMORE- 
 
 -INVERTROSSACHS. 
 
 6! 
 
 Extreme 
 
 Height 
 
 Height of 
 
 Girth At 1 
 
 Girth at 5 
 
 IN FEET. 
 
 Boll. 
 
 Foot. 
 
 Feet. 
 
 66 
 
 
 40 
 
 7' 4" 
 
 6' 8" 
 
 70 
 
 
 40 
 
 6' 6" 
 
 5' 11" 
 
 72 
 
 
 20 
 
 10' 9" 
 
 9' 8" 
 
 69 
 
 
 27 
 
 11' 10" 
 
 9' 8" 
 
 70 
 
 
 35 
 
 9' 9" 
 
 S' 9" 
 
 68 
 
 
 25 
 
 12' 10" 
 
 11' 5" 
 
 60 
 
 
 18 
 
 12' 0" 
 
 ir o" 
 
 Invertrossachs, the property of George Addison Cox, brother 
 of Mr Cox of Cardeau and Mr Cox of Snaigow, is not only an 
 exceedingly pretty place, hut it illustrates in an eminent degree, 
 what has been done to improve the country by planting within 
 recent years. It extends along the greater part of the southern 
 shore of Loch Vennachar, or for about 4.1 miles out of the 5 
 miles to which the loch extends. The road from Callander leads 
 directly to Invertrossachs House, where it ends, the road to the 
 Trossachs being on the northern side of the loch. In approach- 
 ing the loch from Callander, we pass Coilantogle Ford, 
 
 " Clan Alpine's outmost guard," 
 
 where the combat took place, according to Sir "Walter Scott, 
 between Roderick Dhu and Fitz- James. A bridge now spans 
 the river near the place where it was formerly forded. Within 
 the past few years the road from Callander has been re-con- 
 structed. Formerly it ran quite close to the water, but when 
 the Glasgow Water Commissioners were taken bound to raise 
 the level of the loch 8 feet, so as to maintain a full supply for 
 the Teith, the road had to be shifted to a higher level, and the 
 old road now forms part of the bed of the loch, but can still be 
 traced by the stumps of the trees with which it was lined. 
 Invertrossachs House stands on an eminence about a mile and a 
 half from the top of the loch, of which it commands a complete 
 view, with Hen Ledi in the foreground, and Ben Venue in the 
 background. Its beautiful and retired situation commended it 
 to the attention of Queen Victoria, who resided here for a fort- 
 night in September 1869, and made numerous tours to the 
 places of interest in the neighbourhood. The house was 
 originally built in 1843, but it has been twice enlarged.
 
 5G0 WOODS, FORESTS, AND ESTATES OF PERTHSHIRE. 
 
 Although there was at this time an old oak wood along 
 a portion of the loch side, it was not of great extent, and 
 about 24 years ago it was cut down, a few of the best trees, 
 of about 150 years old, being retained as standards amidst 
 the coppice. There had, evidently been at one time a good 
 deal of old timber in the neighbourhood of the house, prin- 
 cipally sycamore and ash, as the stools of these trees to be 
 met with in the young plantations are of considerable size. 
 With the building of the house, systematic planting was com- 
 menced, and the work is still being continued at regular 
 intervals. Mr Cox purchased the property, in 1875, from Mr 
 Stuart Macnaughton, now of Southampton, and at that time 
 there were about 300 acres of well matured timber. Since then 
 200 additional acres have been planted on the hillside. The 
 main crop is larch, but Scots fir and spruce are liberally mixed, 
 and a few hardwood trees have been planted on the dryer 
 portions. These young plantations are growing splendidly, and 
 in the course of a few years will effect a great improvement upon 
 the appearance of the estate, and afford excellent shelter for 
 cattle and sheep. Throughout the whole property, spruce trees 
 thrive amazingly, and grow in unusually fine form. The grazing 
 is entirely in Mr Cox's own hands. As many as 2500 black- 
 faced sheep and 50 Highland cattle are kept, and as he has 
 drawn upon the best strains of blood for sires, a considerable 
 improvement upon both sheep and cattle has been effected- 
 within the past few years. The whole of the land has also been 
 much improved by surface drainage, and substantial dykes and 
 wire-fencing have been extensively erected. 
 
 Lexy, which lies a little to the west of Callander, is interest- 
 ing both on account of the specimens of the rarer trees which 
 it contains, and also on account of the extent of planting which 
 has been done in recent years. The mansion-house, which 
 occupies a situation excelled in picturesque beauty by few 
 residences in Scotland, is surrounded by parks that are notable 
 alike for their extent, and for their tasteful diversity of timber. 
 The original home of the lairds of Leny was about a cpiarter of 
 a mile to the south of their present residence, and is taid to
 
 LENT. 561 
 
 have been burned down shortly after the battle of Pinkie in 1 5 17. 
 A portion of the original building has been preserved and 
 incorporated in the existing house. The proprietor, John 
 Buchanan-Hamilton, is the Chief of the Buchanans, and the 
 representative of the Hamiltons of Bardowie, his property also 
 including that of Spittal in the county of Dumbarton and 
 Bardowie in Stirlingshire. Both families took a prominent part 
 in the making of Scottish history, but perhaps the most eminent 
 member was Dr Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, author of a number 
 of works on India, and father of the present laird. Dr Hunter, 
 in a postscript to his Imperial Gazetteer of India, expresses his 
 obligations to Dr Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, remarking that 
 he was by far the greatest man Avho during the first century of 
 our Indian rule devoted himself to the study of the country and 
 the people. He was born in 1762, and took his degree as 
 Doctor of Medicine in Edinburgh in 1783, and went out to 
 India in 1794, in the service of the East India Company. 
 He returned in 1816, and succeeded, on the death of his brother, 
 to the Buchanan estates of Leny and Spittal, together with the 
 property of his mother, who represented the Hamiltons of 
 Bardowie. He was a rural investigator, and a man of science. 
 During his Indian career, he served for some time on the 
 personal staff of the Marquis of "Wellesley, Governor-General. 
 It was under the promptings of Dr Buchanan-Hamilton that an 
 establishment was formed in the Governor-General's park at 
 Barrackpore for investigating the natural history of India. 
 His chief work was the Statistical Survey of Bengal. Hia 
 labours were so highly appreciated by the Marquis of 
 Wellesley, that, on the retirement of the doctor in 1817, his 
 lordship wrote that no part of his governorship of India afforded 
 him more matter of satisfactory reflection than the opportunities 
 he had of rendering the abilities and knowledge of Dr Buchanan- 
 Hamilton useful to the world. "In discharging this public 
 duty, the intimate acquaintance and friendship which was 
 established between us enabled me to appreciate the integrity, 
 independence, and frankness of your character, and the manly 
 spirit of truth and honour Avhich animated your intercourse with 
 all persons in power." Dr Hunter further states that Dr 
 
 2n
 
 562 WOODS, EOKESTS, AND ESTATES OF PEETHSHIEE. 
 
 Buchanan-Hamilton knew more about India than any European 
 of his time, and always stated his views freely, whether they 
 were pleasing or displeasing to those who sought his opinion. 
 He died at Leny in 1829, at the age of 67, and was succeeded 
 by his son, the present proprietor. During his stay at Leny, 
 Dr Buchanan-Hamilton planted very extensively about the 
 glens, and in clumps, and 200 or 300 acres of land on the verge 
 of the moors were reclaimed. The present proprietor has 
 planted between 400 and 500 acres on the hills between 
 Callander and the famous Pass of Leny, a work which has 
 vastly improved the appearance of this jjart of the country. 
 Perhaps the most notable plant in the policies is an Irish yeAv, 
 said to be the second largest in Scotland, and a splendid bushy 
 plant. The tree is about 25 feet high, and about 18 feet in 
 diameter. There are fine specimens of the American walnut, 
 plain-leaf ash, and fern-leaf beech, the latter girthiug 4 feet 10 
 inches at 5 feet up. The best of the sycamores girths 1 2 feet 6 
 inches at 5 feet, the oaks about 10 feet, and limes and beeches 
 about 1 1 feet, at 5 feet from the ground. There is a very good 
 collection of newer coniferous trees, although none of the 
 specimens are particularly large. 
 
 Edinchip, the property of Sir Malcolm Macgregor of 
 Macgregor, chief of the clan Macgregor, at present a minor, ten 
 years of age, is beautifully situated in Balquhidder, the name 
 signifying " the hill in the shape of a shoemaker's last." It is 
 noteworthy as possessing a number of grand old Spanish chest- 
 nuts. These, numbering 23 in all, grow on the west side of the 
 house at the very edge of a high bank overhanging the river 
 Ceann Drom, and they are said to have been planted at the same 
 time as the famous ones at Inchmahome. The four largest 
 girth as follows : — No, 1, 15 feet 10 inches at 1 foot from the 
 ground, and 12 feet at 5 feet; No. 2, 15 feet 5 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 11 feet 7 inches at 5 feet ; No. 3, 13 feet 6 inches at 1 foot, 
 and 10 feet 10 inches at 5 feet ; and No. 4, 13 feet 4 inches at 
 1 foot, and 10 feet at 5 feet. Of the remaining 19, all but 3 
 girth from 8 J to 10 feet at 5 feet from the ground. A little 
 farther down the river, there are seven characteristic and self-
 
 ED1NCHIP — CONCLUSION. 563 
 
 sown Scots firs, the two largest of which girth 13 feet 2 inches 
 at 1 foot, and 9 feet 4 inches at 5 feet ; and 1 1 feet 4 inches at 
 1 foot, and 9 feet 5 inches at 5 feet respectively. These trees 
 we regret to say, suffered severely in the Tay Bridge gale. On 
 the east side of the house is a row of (for the Highlands), fine 
 horse chestnuts, planted early last century, and to the north of 
 the house there are some very good sycamores of about the same 
 age. 
 
 "We have now concluded the work which we set before our- 
 selves, but we have by no means exhausted the subject. With 
 so much material at our disposal, this we could never hope to do, 
 but we trust we have succeeded in accomplishing what we 
 chiefly had in view. Our main object has been to point out what 
 has been done to improve the face of the country by planting 
 within the past century, and we have endeavoured to show that 
 Perthshire now presents a very different aspect from what it did 
 in comparatively modern times ; while we have sought to collect 
 and preserve whatever information we could obtain regarding 
 those old, remarkable, and historic trees which have a special 
 charm for all Avho have a love for that sylvan scenery which, 
 Lord Beaconsfleld has said, never palls. Our labours, we need 
 hardly say, have afforded us genuine pleasure. They have led 
 us into all parts of the county, and brought us into contact with 
 the woods in their various moods and aspects ; — in the delight 
 ful freshness of spring, the season which " unlocks the flowers to 
 paint the laughing soil ; " in summer, when the trees an' clothed 
 in all their leafy beauty; in the rich and "yellow autumn, 
 wreathed with nodding corn ;" and in winter, the stern "rulei 
 of the inverted year." In sunshine and in shower, in calm and 
 in storm, our task lias taken us into the heart of the woods, 
 which have never failed to yield a pleasure thai amply rewarded 
 us for whatever trouble may have been endured.
 
 INDEX TO OLD AND NOTABLE TREES. 
 
 Abies Albertiana— Pages 123, 136, 211. 280, 359, 399, 546. 
 
 Abies Douglasii— 77, 103, 112, 123, 186, 215, 216, 288, 321, 322, 343, 361, 465, 
 
 487, 500, 535. 
 
 I raucaria imbricata—$] ', 78, 175, 205, 217, 281, 343, 487, 492, 493, 518, 546. 
 Ash— 68, 123, 125, 126, 133, 160, 164, 175, 187, 188, 204, 231, 232, 238, 259, 
 265, 287, 298, 314, 321, 340, 344, 378, 388, 398, 441, 454, 455, 463, 471, 
 
 488, 494, 502, 506, 517, 525, 533, 545, 550, 551, 553, 557. 
 
 Be< Ax— 52, 69, 75, 120, 122, 125, 143, 151, 160, 162, 175, 203, 214, 237, 252, 
 287, 298, 308, 314, 320, 340, 379, 388, 397, 442, 455, 463, 471, 476, 486, 
 
 489, 494, 498, 506, 507, 513, 517, 525, 531, 537, 539, 550, 551. 
 Black Italian Poplar— 127, 187, 287, 344, 346, 490, 500, 513. 
 
 ( ledar of Lebanon— 124, 135, 142, 204, 234, 287, 314, 320, 454, 488. 
 
 Elm— 122, 124, 134, 143, 194, 234, 259, 287, 298, 308, 314, 320, 342, 343, 442, 
 
 463, 471, 478, 486, 488, 490, 493, 494, 495, 498, 506, 517, 519, 524, 537, 
 
 551. 
 Horse Chestnut— 125, 134, 142, 233, 287, 342, 345, 489, 490, 506. 
 Larch— 51, 53, 54, 60, 61, 68, 122, 164, 233, 255, 280, 287, 300, 314, 345, 346, 
 
 352, 362, 389, 390, 398, 423, 455, 476, 479, 486, 488, 494, 498, 535, 536, 
 
 539, 542, 546, 548, 550. 
 
 Lime— 78, 141, 157, 175, 234, 254, 341, 353, 379, 388, 442, 463, 490, 498, 531, 
 
 537, 550. 
 Oak— 51, 53, 68, 73, 74, 102, 103, 110, 112, 121, 122, 125, 133, 142, 145, 151, 
 
 162, 165, 175, 187, 194, 195, 204, 218, 230, 232, 251, 282, 287, 298, 308, 
 
 314, 321, 340, 344, 371, 398, 457, 461, 471, 489, 490, 493, 495, 498, 513, 
 
 517, 531,533,535, 550, 557. 
 3co1 s Fir— 106, 122, 150, 163, 165, 218, 233, 254, 259, 282, 298, 344, 345, 353, 
 
 415, 443, 456, 463, 502, 550, 557, 558, 563. 
 Sycamore— 73, 102, 103, 115, 121, 124, 151, 171,175,187,194,204,230,233, 
 
 240, 254, 259, 264, 265, 266, 285, 287, 297, 298, 314, 321, 341, 343, 371, 
 
 379, 389, 396, 463, 486, 489, 493, 494, 495, 502, 506, 525, 550, 551, 554, 
 
 556, 562. 
 Silver Fir— 54, 69, 112, 142, 151, 160, 164, 170, 171, 175, 186, 215, 234, 236, 
 
 257, 266, 281, 287, 314, 342, 345, 352, 378, 464, 488, 494, 526, 533, 538, 
 
 540, 556. 
 
 Spanish Chestnut— 50, 54, 69, 122, 124, 141, 160, 165, 218, 233, 254, 282, 311. 
 
 319, 342, 343, 344, 378, 388, 395, 455, 463, 485, 490, 498, 519, 554. 562. 
 Spruce-60, 124, 135, 151, 162, 234, 321, 352, 360, 479, 486, 541. 
 Tulip Tree— 145, 287, 371, 400, 519. 
 Walnut— 54, 69, 151, 194, 203, 232, 259, 350, 490, 498. 
 Wettingtmia gigantea— 79, 143, 219, 237, 288, 299, 343, 398, 454, 477, 487, 493, 
 
 498, 500, 524, 531, 546. 
 Yew— 53, 187, 219, 238, 287, 308, 343, 432, 461, 498, 502, 508, 513, 554.
 
 
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 THE LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 Santa Barbara 
 
 THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW. 
 
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 Scries 9482
 
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