, 1890-08-28
One of the Most Delightful
Wales in Scotland.
The FIRST HOME OF BRUCE
Quaint Homes and Peculiar Poo
pie and Somo Odd
Sayings.
fCopyrirht 1880.

the sweet ana pastoral Annandaie,
though not among the most noted
yet one of the most lovely valleys
of the Scottish border. To the
leisurely and sentimental pilgrim
tarrying among its pleasing scenes,
1t appeals with gocdly fascination.
1t Is but tiny vale, thirty miles
long, the river Amman, from which
1t takes Its name, having its source
In tho Hartfell mountains, and
winding with gentle How through
and between characteristic Scottish
villages, It's banks dotted with hum
BILE crof,s, larger fnrmsteads, and all
the lang syne features of country
side Scottish homes. Though the
little valley Ii accorded no special
fame among the Scottish people
themselves, and Is scarcely ever WIS.,
tied by tourists, TO me 1t seems that
In q few particulars 1t possesses
extraordinary interest Within
the distance of one dey's
tramp across five parishes
through which winds the gentle
Amman, can be seen ono Of the most
ancient, aud certainly one OF the
most historic, castle ruins OF Scot
land, the first home in Scotland of
Robert the Bruce, at Lochunaben;
the birthplace, at Amman, of the
greatest and most unfortunate of all
Scottlsch preachers, Edward Irving;
the wonderful phenomena the tides
of Solway Firth, which are perhaps
better observed from the great
Anna viaduct connecting England
with Scotland than at any othe,
spot along the Solway shores; and
the birthplace and burial-place of
the one philosopher, essayist and
critic who has undoubtedly left u
deeper impression upon intellectual
minds In Great Britain and America
than any other individual who ever
adorned and perplexed this country
Grabbed, crafty, mighty and
glorious old Thomas Carlyle.
PECULIAR FISH.
AT about the center of AMMAN
dale, In the parish of Lochmaben,
are eight curious little lakes, shall
low and with sedgy shores In
these are found the vendace fishes
from five to six inches in length.
nowhere else discoverable In Great
Britain, of brilliant silvery appear
ance, ard In anatomy and flavor
much resembling those famous
American clscoes which In June at
tract such hosts of anglers to the
shores of Lake Geneva, in Wiscon-
sin. They are the most delicate
fish known to the British gour-
mand. Their heads are extraordi-
narily marked, in puce-colorsd.
transparent substance, with the per-
fectly-dehned figure of heart,
through which, when freshly
caught, the brain may be seen.
Along the haughs and moss-banks
of the lochs the deadly adder turks,
and the peasantry will tell you that
these dreadful reptiles are kept down
by their implacable foes, the herons,
which arc certainly continually
eeeu dodging In and out among, and
lowering over the surrounding
reeds and moses. About mile
from the ancient burgh town of
Lochrnaben, ON the tongue-shaped
peninsula which extends into the
lake called the Castle-loch, are found
the ruins Of the grandest fortress the
border ever knew. Whether or not
II was the original residence of the
Bruces, granted by David l., In
1l24, or an enlarged successor built
in the thirteenth century, it covered
sixteen acres of ground, and in
known to have been absolutely i'm
rregnable before the invention of
gunpowder. 1t was a stupendous
and magnificent pile, and the care
and perfection with which II was
built are attested in the immense
walls still traceable, and in the fact
that though its masonry has been
exposed TO the elements for 900
years, one will to-day as often break
the stone itself as separate by
strokes of sledge hammer the
stone and mortar with
which the walls were constructed.
1t seems unfortunate that 40 noble n
ruin could not have been given bet
ter care and preservation. One halt
Of the structures of Lochmaben
burgh have built from the material
In the majestic stone-pile. Cow
houses and byre-walls for halt
dozen miles In every direction dis.
close the source from which Their
material was ravaged by prc:ruding
molding, splendid ashlar work oi
grinning gargoyles; 1t Is said that Il
citizen of Lochmaben burgh warns
his shins ut the identical pair ol
jauibs which once rested on the pa.
ternal hearth Of Bruce; and the old
key to the outer gate of the majestic
pile, In which had been nutured the
proudest line of Scottish patriot
kings. on being discovered half.
century since by the leaden- headed
hinds of the district, was regarded
AZ such an antiquarian prize, as II
weighed several pounds, that IL was
NJ once turned over to the Loch.
maben blacksmith for conversion
Into pair OF utilitarian turf-spades
QUAINT HOMES.
Tho prim and ancient town o
AMMAN, at the side of the Solway
where the Amman water flows int,
that estuary, Is u burgh of quaint
old granite homes, inhabited by
quaint, old granite Scotch folk, rich
contented, indolent. Great, square
houses, great, square doors, great
square windows with great, squar,
faces in them, tell the story of older
thrift and older border prowess
with now and then quiet era of u,