Gazetteer of Scotland

DAL
crops are on that account rather late,
but they are sometimes very abundant.
Like the greater part of the Lothians,
much attention is paid to regular farm-
ing, and rotation of crops. Ironstone
is found on the shore, and the parish
possesses excellent quarries of free-
stone and limestone. Grind-stones
are made here of the freestone, and
the fine carving in front of Duff House,
at Banff, the seat of the Earl of Fife,
were executed at the quarry, and the
stories sent in eases by sea. At Dun-
das hill is a fine specimen of irregular
basaltic columns. There are several
marl pits in the parish, and coal has
been recently raised on the estate of
Lord Hopetoun. There are a few an-
tiquities, of which the church may be
considered as the chief. It is a small
elegant fabric, of Saxon architecture,
apparently 800 years old. There is a
large cairn, and the remains of a mo-
nastery. Barnbougle Castle is a very
ancient edifice, but is still inhabited,
and is only remarkable for its curious
situation. It is within flood-mark,
having strong buttresses and embra-
sures to keep off the sea. In the pa-
rish are several very ancient families,
who have possessed estates in unin-
terrupted hereditary succession for
700 years. Dr. Wilkie, author of the
* ( Epigoniad," was born here. He
cultivated a srhall farm, and struggled
long and hard with penury in his
youth; He afterwards became mini-
ster of Ra'thoVand at last professor of
natural philosophy in the university
of St. Andrews, where he died in 1773,
Though the other parts of the Epi-
goniad were buried in oblivion, the
episode of Hercules, in that poem, is
sufficient to entitle the author to per-
petual fame. Craigie-hall, Dundas
Castle, and Duddingstone, are the
chief seats in the parish. Population
in 1801, 765.
DALNACARDOCH ; a stage inn
in Perthshire, on the great Highland
road to Inverness, 85 miles from Edin-
burgh.
DALRY ; a parish and village in
the county of Ayr. The parish ex-
tends in an irregular figure nearly 9
miles from S.to N* and about the same
distance from E. to W. The surface
rises gradually from the banks of the
rivers Caaf, Rye, and Garnock, which
water the parish. The flat ground on
DAL
the banks of these rivers' is a deep
loam, apparently composed of slime
and sand deposited from the overflow-
ing of the waters. The greater part
of the soil is clay* of different colours,
upon a cold till bottom: both these
soils are intermixed with patches of
mossy ground, which have of late bceii
much improved by the use of lime as
a manure. The village of Dairy is
much admired by strangers for its si-
tuation. It stands on a rising ground,
almost surrounded by waters, and
these run in their different directions
so near the village, that when the
streams are swelled by heavy rains, it
has the appearance of an island. Some
years ago a good deal was done in the
silk manufacture, but that branch has
yielded to the cotton, which is now
generally carried on. It contains about
820 inhabitants. Dairy gives the title
of Baron to the eldest son of the Earl
of Glasgow* Limestone and ironstone
abound, and there are three valuable
coal pits within a mile of the village.
Lately in boring for coal a very strong
sulphureous spring was raised, which
has been much used in scrophulous
and scorbutic cases. In a limestone
crag there is a remarkable cave scoop-
ed by the hand of nature. It is about
183 feet in length, and the breadth
and heigh th varies from 5 to 12 feet.'
The roof affords many fine specimens
of stalactical petrifactions. Popula-
tion in 1801, 2321.
DALRY ; a parish in the stewartry
of Kirkcudbright. Its greatest length
from N. to S. is about 15, and its
greatest breadth about 10 miles. To-
wards the S. the soil is arable, and ca-
pable of cultivation ; but by far the
greater part is hilly, and only fit for
pasture. Along the river Ken, which
is the boundary on the W. for up-
wards of 6 miles, there are some na-
tural woods of considerable extent.
There are several small lakes ; and,
besides the Ken, the parish is watered
by the rivulets Garpool, Blackwater,
Earlston, and Stonriggan. In Loch-
invar are the remains of an ancient
fortified castle, with a draw-bridge,
said to have belonged to the Gordons,
anciently knights of Locliinvar, and
lately VisGbunf s of Kenmure. Thei e
are also several moats and ruinous
places of defence. A village called St.
John's Clauchan, the property of the
Q