The record-union., 1891-07-11

have played some act of their historic
lives in Berwick! The early Morse Kings,
the Saxon Thames and Eldormen, the Nor
man Conqueror, Rufus, the Edwards,
Henry VI, and Margaret of Aniou, fol-
lowed by Warwick, Surrey, Somerset,
Norfolk, Russell, Dacres, Bolingbroke
and northumberland, with Queen Mary,
England's first James, Charles I. and H.,
relentless Cromwell, grim John Knox,
and the dauntless Scottish Kings. David,
Gregory, Donald, Alexander and iron
hearted Bruce, all and countless more,
are wrought into the brilliant perspective
OF its history. and spring into wraithful
being with every football upon its grim
old streets. n
border to the southwest, every hill,
haugh, brae, burn or acre of ground has
its glorious or bloody memory. Some
portion of the Cheyiots, Lammermoors,
Eildons or kylo Hills are ever in sight.
Wherever one turns, it seems that there
must be heard through the screech of the
pibroch-
March! marchi Ettrick and Tex io.dale,
Why, my lads, dinra ye marsh ward in
order
March. march! Eskdale and Liddesdale,
All the blue bonnetS are over the border!
Here at Coldstream you can look over
upon Flodden Field where James ".
brought his army and himself to sIaugh-
ter. They passed its ford, as have scores
Of Scottish and English armies before and
since. 1t was Monks headquarters be-
fore he marched to London to restore
Charles IL, and it was IN this lovely Old
town upon the Tweed in which he raised
the regiment, existing to this day, and
known the world over as the famous
Coldstream Guards. a wonderful old pri-
Ory for ClStercian nuns once existed here,
but all that is left is tons of human bones,
for the Scottish heroes of Flodden We're
borne back here for burial. The dream
fui old place once enjoyed nearly as high
repute as Gretna Green for the celerity
with which ''Scotch marriages were per-
formed by the priests" Of Hymen, all
the runaway couples of Northwestern
England securing safety and consunlma-
ton here, the ford OF the Tweed once be-
ing crossed.
A little farther on is ancient Kelso,
where the Teviot stI cam forms a conflu-
ence with the Tweed. What tourist ever
came here? Yet it is one OF the quaintest
and most beautiful places in Britain.
Built around a huge market square, its
fine old structures, shady wynds and
closes, give you an almost exact reproduc-
tlon OF the oldest burghs of Holland. It's
abbey ruins, of which few outside of it's
own shire know, or ever looked upon, are
among the finest to be found IN Europe
1tlG dDDGy WAS JJlIJ tlElN III the IWeIICD
century, and received its confirmation
from Pope innocent II. a few miles to
the south is Yetholm, cradled IL the Che
viots, and headquarters OF the Scottish
gypsies. 1t was in kelso that the boy
Walter Scott, afterwards Sir Walter
passed his first school years at public
school, which had been fitted up within
the Old abbey walls, and formed the ac-
quaintance of the brothers Ballentyne,
70 inf ta. of bO nl -hr fto,.
wards became the great noveIist's pub
fishers, 1t is but three miles, for | have
tramped it. from kelSo to the former
home OF Thomson, author of the Sea
sons" And over there on that emerald
haugh opposite the city, where the Teviot
and Tweed unite, once stood the royal
castle Of RoXburgh, perhaps the first of
Scotland's sJupendous border castles,
now the site of a famous annual border
fair.
4 little farther to the westward are the
sylvan Jed" of Thomson and its lovely
vale, and the old shire town of Roxburgh-
shire, waspish, ,uncomprorising but beau
tiful Jedburgh. No tourists ever come to
it, but here is a known antiquity OF over
LOCO years, and an abbey nearly 500
years old, wonderfully interesting in the
mixed character of its arches and inter
laced arcade, the schoolboy home of
Thomson, and the place in whose an
cient castle, celebrated in song and story,
the spectral mask appeared at the mar
riagc festivities of Alexander III. In the
hard old burgh, the scene of countless
grim and CORY clashings in border war
fare, in ancient times scores of male Gyp-
sizes were hanged, and dozens Of female
gypsies were drowned in Teviot's sing
ing waters. Indeed here originated the
term Scotch Justice" or ''Jethart ius-
tice," implying the practice of first hang
ing and subsequently Judging culprit
And roundabout, every hill, stream and
mountain glen is given weird fascination
by remains OF ROman camps and fort
resses, with uncounted relics in tumuIi
and cromlechs of the Gaelic age beyond.
And thus, all the way through this bor-
derland OF cloud-kisSed hills and misty
valleys to the Irish Sea, book thrilling
with legend, romance and sad and glori-
Gus history could be made upon every
city, town or slumberous clachan and
hamlet. Here at Langholm, at the meet
ing of the waters of the Ewes and Esk in
lovely Eskdale, with ancient Wauchope
Castle hanging from the brow OF the
precipice above, is q perfect mine of weird
memories for romance or poet, with
myriad scenic gems for the artist. Be-
sides, who has not heard of the Lanpholm
witches and ''the brankS' to subdue
them? This was a simple instrument
formed so rs to lit firmly on the head, and
to project into the mouth sharp spike
for subjugating the tongue. 1t was much
preferred 10 the ducklng stool, (which
not only endangered the health of the
patient, but also gave the tongue liberty
betwiXt every dipi' Scores of these
patients" were burned alongside Lang
holm Castle, and the spot is tully as in
gentle days, Gailows Hill, at Salem.
Then comes sunny Annaudale. 1t is
also unknown To tourists. Yet il seems to
me in few particulars TO possess extra
ordinary interest. At the very border is
little Gretna Green, one of the most IA
nous courts OF Hymen on earth, whore
William Laing, village poStman and
knot, for consid ration, with his weaz-
ened and deaf Old wife as witness. At
Lochmaben are the ruins of one of the
oldest and certainly one of the most his
toric of ancient Scottish castles, the first
home in Scotland of Robert the Bruce,
In AMMAN, where those wonderful phe-
nomena, the tide-bores of the Solwav
may be best seen, is the birthplace of the
greatest and most unfortunate of all Scot
tish preachers, Edward Irving. And at
Eccleiechan is found an almost unknown
yet noble shrine, as the memories of men
are measured, the birthplace and grave of
Grabbed, crafty, mighty and glorious old
Thomas Carlyle.
And even now you are at the threshold
of another border region, magnificent
Nithsdale. Here, at its sweet old metrop-
oils, iegend haunted Dumfries town,
your eye may range TO the east. over be-
yond fair Annandale. across Kirkcud-
brightshire TO the west, to the noble hills
skirting Aver; to the north, up dream
land Nithsdale, past bonnie Ellisland, the
farm-home of Burns, to the far grim
turrets Of Drumlanrig Castle, and, to the
south, TO the vast expanse ofSolway Firth,
whore, to the right of NTH h's-mouth, looms
gray -browed Criffel, and, to the left. is
caught gleam of the sands by Brow