Gazetteer of Scotland

DUB
strong towers, which shew this district I
to have been the scene of much cohten- 1
tion and bloodshed. The great Ro-
man road can be distinctly traced near
the town of Lockerbie, and on the o-
ther side of the Dryfe. Population
in 1801, 1G07.
DUBIESIDE ; a village in Fifeshire,
en the Frith of Forth, at the mouth
of the river Leven. Though surround-
ed by the parish of Wemyss, it be-
longs to the parish of Markinch. It
contains about 200 inhabitants.
DUCHRAY; a river in Stirling-
shire; one of the most considerable
branches of the Forth, which it joins
nearly opposite to the church of Aber-
foyle.
DUDDINGSTON; a parish in
the county of Edinburgh. It extends
from the foot of Arthur's-Seat about
4 miles in length, gradually increas-
ing in breadth to the eastern extremi-
ty,, which is nearly 2 miles broad.
There is not a more highly cultivated
spot in Scotland ; for, although the
soil is not naturally good, it is so im-
proved with the street dung from the
metropolis (which i6 distant only 2
miles) that the inclosures are still e-
steemed the best pasture in the neigh-
bourhood* The village of Wester
Duddingston, in which the church is
situated, stands on an eminence un-
der the S. cope of Arthur s-Seat, wash-
ed on the W. and S. by the lake of
Duddingston, and protected on the
'N'. by the mountain. The most beau-
tiful and picturesque scenery expands
before it and On every side ; the mag-
nificent villas of Duddingston, a seat
of the Marquis of Aber'corn ; of Pres-
tonfield, the seat of Sir Alexander
Dick; the rich valiies, the populous
villages, and the lake below, the bold
basaltic columns of Arthur's-Seat be-
hind, and the hills of P'entland and
Lammermuir, with the distant sea
bounding the prospect ; compose a
rich and finished landscape. Wester
Duddingston was formerly a large and
populous village, but of late it has
much decreased, and now contains
only about 200 inhabitants. Easter
Duddingston is mostly occupied by
coalliers, and contains about 90 inha-
bitants. The other villages, Portobel-
lo and Brickfield, are the most thriv-
ing though of more recent date. They
are situated on the road from Edin-
DUF
burgh to Musselburgh, and are much:
resorted to in the summer season for
the benefit of the sea-bathing. Salt
has been long prepared in this parish ;
and it is calculated that, from the 6
pans, 18,000 bushels of salt are annu-
ally delivered. Coal abounds every
where, and the quality is in general
excellent, and procures a ready mar-
ket in the metropolis. The strata of
limestone and ironstone, which run
N. E. and S. W. through the county
of Mid-Lothian, dip into the Frith of
Forth, and are said to be again recog-
nised on the opposite coast of Fife.
In the freestone quarries on the coast,
m iny of the crevices are found con-
taining petroleum or rock pitch, and
fine specimens of oxyd of manganese.
Clay is found near the village of Brick-
.lay
ield,
field, of so pure a kind, that it has
been made into crucibles capable of
resisting a great degree of heat, and,
from its excellence, a manufacture of*
stoneware, similar to that of Stafford-
shire, has been set on foot.- Near the
limestone strata, curious and rare pe-
trifactions of plants and trees have
been found ;■ some of them plaitrly
formed of reeds and exotic plants,
now known to be indigenous in the
tropical regions only. Small pieces
of chalcedony, porphyry, and agates,
are found on the coast. Marl abounds-
in Duddingstone loch, and is occa-*'
sionally wrought. The botanist, in'
this district, will find great scope for
the gratification of his taste : the base
of Arthur's-Seat, and borders of Dud-
dingston loch, contain many rare and
curious plants. Population in 1801,.
1003.
DUFFUS ; a parish in the county
of Moray. It extends 5 miles in-
length from E. fo W. along the S,-
coast of the Moray Frith, and is from
2 to S miles in breadth. Except a small
rising ground in the middle of the'
parish, it is a continued plain, whicli
is every where arable. Along the'
coast there is a' sandy plain of half ar
mile in breadth, covered with a mea-
gre, green, benty pasture. AH this
ground had formerly been a rich cul-
tivated soil, but for many years has
been overblown with sand from the
western shore. The sand has now
ceased to blow, and the proprietors
have hopes of regaining their rich
ground, by the use of the spade or