The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-10-19
PR The t~Cil W u
NOTES OF FOREIGN TRAVEL.

| have been requested To write another
letter, giving a description of some of the
places visited whilst in Europe; and al
( though have in former letters very briefly
described the places hereinafter mentioned
yet not as fully as desired. cannot re.
sist the temptation of complying with the
request of different persons, aud | offer this
AS an apology FOR again intruding upon the
! kind foGbearance of the readers of Tie
/ Wing. Charlotte Cushman, the late fam.
Gus Actress, bade farewell to the stage, and
made her last appearance about tsenty Seren
times: surely | will be pardoned if make
my last appearance bat once more
wish again To describe Burns Cot
tage, the Castle of Montgomery, the River
| Doom and the stone bridge which crosses
it, and also the quaint I'D town of Ayr.
The town of Alloway is located about
forty two miles south OF Glasgow The
Scottish railway takes you within two
miles of it, terminating at Ayr. From
Ayr you continue your journey in that
delightful, easy going, but odd-looking
vehicle, combination Of an Irish iaunt-
ing car and two seated sulky running on
two wheels and pulled by little swift
footed Scotch pony SO small that | felt
ashamed Of myself, and felt half inclined
to get out and put the little thing in our
carriage. The road from AYR TO Alloway
is two miles in length, solIdly and com
pactly macadamized, quite wide, and Dor
dercd with the fragrant Scottish thorn
hedge, which At that time was in bloom.
and threw out a delightful fragrance like
our buckwheat fields in Summer Allo
way Is called the Tonn IF -iiiOudy, but it is
only village, and a very small village at
that. The fist object OF interest you see
when you enter the village is an old ruined
church on the right hand side of the road,
windowless and rooflcss, about the size of
the Episcopal Church in Elkton, and in
deed | would imagine that the model of the
said church was taken from that of Kirk
Alloway, except the side windows are
shooter, and the bell which formerly rang
the curfew is placed in an alcove upon the
VI hHt ShuiIu, aut ubts not occupy
separate tower by itself as that of the
Episcopal Church in Efkton. But if any
persons desire TO picture To themselves old
Kirk Alloway, let them imagine the Epis
copal Church in this place to be ivy-cov
cred, rooiless, windowless, and place in
imagination in the yard in front OF the
church a few weather beaten and stained
tomb stones, and you will then imagine
the actual appearance of Kirk Alloway as
it stands at the present day. | have not
been informed 10 what denomination this
old church belonged, or why it has been
permitted to fall into ruin. | asked the
Scotchman. who took me to the church,
thi. question, and although he has lived in
that neighborhood for over thirty years, he
could not give NE the desired information |
have thought that the Episcopalians at one
time worshiped there, but am led To this
belief only from the appearance OF the ruin,
resembling as it does the Episcopal churches
in this country. | wonder if the Cove
nanters or Calvinists did not worship there
From the poem, Tam O'Shauter." by
Robert Burns, have thought that perhaps
the Catholics might have used it as place
of worship. But if so, how is it that it is
now in ruins for it is a vell-kuown fact,
where church is built by that denomina.
ton. the very ground is held sacred, and it
is not likely that they would suffer the
church to fall into utter ruin. Now let us
turn our attention again to the poem of
" Tam O'Shanter:
In the town of Ayr there remains until
this day an old odd looking building it'll
a steep roof, located on the right hand side
of the street As you come from the depot,
and about as far distant AS the court house
IN Elkton is from our depot. The house
is designated TO the stranger by an old
weather beaten sign, upon which is painted,
nearly ! can recollect, these words:
- la this house Tam O'Shanter and SoutoI
Johnnie held their midnight carousals'
You enter the doorway, and see a tight of
stairs ascending into an upper chamber:
you ascend the stairway, and on the left
hand side you enter the room-a small room
where Robert Burns often slipped the
flowing bowl and sang his merriest songs
Souter johnnie means Shoemaker Johnnie,
or Johnnie the Shoemaker: and Tam O'Shan-
ter means Tom O'!ShaEter, who was an hon
est, good hearted man, and who lived at the
village of Shauter, between Turnberry and
Colzean. His correct name was Douglas
Graham. His wfe's name was Helen.
She was 4 spright, buxom Scotch lassie,
and was firm believer in witches. Dou.
glas would go every market day, accom-
panied by Shoemaker Johnnie, to the town
of Ayr, and being fast friends and bosom
cronies, they would naturally get drunk
So, one night, when Tam O'Shanter was
riding home, and was about crossing the
Doom bridge, his Scotch bonnet blew off,
which contained the money he had collected
at the market in Ayr, and after fruitessly
cropping around in the dark, gave up the
hunt for his hat aud money, wendell his
way home hatlcss and moneyless to meet
his wife, whom he knew was just boiling
over with rage, when the happy thought
struck him OF telling his wife that he had
been chased by witches; that he had lost
his hat and money; and more than that,
his gray mare Meg; had lost her ain grey
tail" No doubt but this amusing fabrica-
ton was entirely satisfactory to Mrs. Ora
ham or O'Shanter, for she was n firm be-
lever in witchcraft, and she had often told
him that he
-" Was a skellum,
blethering, clustering, drunken, blcllum;
That frae November till October:
Ae market day thou was nae sober;
That ilka melder, wi the miller,
Thou sat as lang thou had siller:
That ev'ry naig was cad a shoe on,
The smith and thee CAT roaring fou on:
That at the Lords house. ev'n on Sunday,
Thou drank vi kirtou Jean till Monday
She prophesied, that, late or soon,