Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-12-03

charming ride. The Fisk in its chatter
my stream, seems To sing the glOries of
The scene; and man, and bird, and leaf
and Hover, have made an Eden on It's
banks Soon we were in Long eholm--
sooner than ] wished and Long holm is
not II place Of little interest by any means,
for here and hereaboul begin the border
stories Of the border wars. In Lang
holm too IN by-gone days, there were
many curious customs. This is the place
where shrews were tanned. The husband
who had scolding wife put over her
head IA curious iron instrument, called
'the Branks,' which fitted upon the head
ofthe shrew, and prole citing IA sharp spike
into her mouth, subdued the tongue with
in. do not know but that some hus-
band may need such instrument now.
but if no wife needs it too, she will not
scold me just for the serlion Of a hint
Here too, they had curious way Of
marrying Gin days Of auld lang syne."
The people had no clergyman to go
through the form, and there they agreed
to live as man and wife till IA Priest came.
round, and Monk from Melrosc came
once year, who solemnlZed the con-
tract And then too, ifeither party chose
to retract from the engagement, it mi ght
be done without loss Of character
From Langholm we took another stage
to Hawick, now "A place quite rema'ka-
bic Tor the manulactorv of woodland at
Hawck we were on the banks Of the
Teviot, IN the far famed Tevotdale.- -
n lot far from here is "Branksome Tow
cr," the principal scene OF the "lay of
The Minstrel" and once the residence
of the Buccleugh family, among the ia
nous, and now the richest family in Scot.
land, for the annual income, / am told,
of,he Duke Of Bucclongh is now 81 500,
600! Indeed every thing of landed prop
erly in this part Of Scotland seems to be-
long to him. Every spot about Hawick
is full OF historical associations, which
the genius OF Scot has embodied and vivi-
fled, and made as well Lnown in Ameri-
ca as in Britain. But we did not stay
long in Tevio,dale, but were soon on our
way TO Selknk and indeed "ihe way
was long, the wind was cold" over II
moor a. dismal as one can well imagine
I i-unrelIe, e,ed by any variety except hun
dreds, aye thousands Of sheep, feeding
upon the green sid, oIthe hills for miles,
with here and there shepherd and his
dog to watch them; exhibiting in reality
| the picture have read of so olle. the
real pastoral lite-now there was a heavy
shower with sleet, anon the sun would
glimmer out, and then it would rain IL
gain, bringing an atmosphere of pnchng
coldncss. ] never had II more uncom-
Portable or dreary ride. Indeed II large
extent of country here and further back
is but IA wilderness stripped OF almost all
its ,rees-wilh some large ruined fortress
in every mountain pass, glooming in the
way like some wild ghost haunting Ia
vorite spot. Never was there ii better
scene for wild and fearful story. The
Germans would make this the very land
of diabelrc.
The "Sutors o Selhirk" ae even
now numerous IN the principal streets, it
not as numerous as when they made so
many shoes for the Highland army in
Il I145. To be made sutor Of SelkIrk
even now, | believe, il but another
phrase for being made burgess-and
every candidate for burgal honors is
compelled to lick, or pass thro' his mouth
a small bunch of blistles, such as are us
ed by shoemukers, which too has been
previously licked or smoothed by all the
members of the town council, who may
he present This is called licking The
Jirye, and signifies allegiance or respect
TO the craft who here have sway. How
many horrors m Eng lishman would have,
if he were to find such II custom in Lynn
or Haverhill! Selkirk of itself has now
but little TO attract the traveller, though
IN history i, makes an important figure.
From Selkirk the usual dotour is made
up the Yarrow, and to Eitrick Forest
distance only twelve or fourteen miles
in extent, and inhabited chiefly by shep-
herds, but which, it has been truly said,
has been the subject of more verse than
| Tempe itself. had letter for "Altive
Cottage" the home Of Iogg, the Eft
rick Shepherd, but remembering that
Scot has written
"1he scenes are desert now and bare.
! Where hourished once forest iair"
and feeling the cold winds and "snaws
of Selkirk hills had frozen all the poetry
in my veins, had no heart for wander
ing
Up patbless E,trick. and on yauow,
Where erst the outlaw drew his arrow
do not love romance out Of doors IN
cold weather, nor the dolcfuness OF the
wind, ms il is sung Of Ynrrow, and ] saw
quite enough of "pastoral melancholy"
a lew miles back to have nt least fancy
of the Dou;e dens o. Yarrow, on which
so many old ballads, and the pens Of