word 'Lanarkshire,' and on the other, Ayrshire,' | fail to effect a considerable amount of good both to the warns us not to go beyond the legitimate bounds of agriculture and the manufactures of the district. our subject. THE VALE OF THE IRVINE-DARVEL. In the vale of the Irvine the ground on both sides rises in a graceful manner; to the southward it attains a considerable height, extending for several miles in this direction over Galston moors, which now present a very different aspect to that of forty years ago. Indeed the whole county has, since the Union, made a very rapid advance in agriculture; and, from being in the lowest depths of ignorance and misery, the inhabitants have become prosperous and contented. Walking westward, on the road to Kilmarnock, we shortly enter the village of Darvel, consisting of one street, about a mile long; and about two miles onward, we gain the little town of Newmilns. Westward of this town or village stands 'Patie's Mill,' the scene of one of Allan Ramsay's songs. LOUDOUN CASTLE-GALSTON. Descending the valley of the Irvine, from the source of that river near Loudoun Hill, we perceive a gradual change taking place in the face of the country: at first, displaying all the bleakness of a morass, it passes into the newly-enclosed, and as yet not over-productive moorland; finally changing into a highly-cultivated, rich, and pre-eminently beautiful district. The last change takes place as we approach Newmilns,-the road between which and Galston, distant about two miles, affords a most pleasant walk. From this road we obtain a fine view of the princely mansion of the Hastings' family, Loudoun Castle. Standing prominently forward on the summit of a slight rising ground the beautiful proportions of its massive castellated towers surrounded by noble trees, have a most impressive effect. There is a tradition, that under the shading boughs of a tree in the vicinity of this castle, the articles of the Union between England and Scotland were signed. Situated on the south bank of the Irvine, in a hollow finely sheltered by woodlands, the little town of Galston has a pleasant appearance. At an adjacent spot, called Beg, a sanguinary conflict took place between Sir William Wallace and a vastly superior force of English, under Fenwick; which proved favourable to the former. In the town itself is the ancient Castle of Bar, from which John Knox on one occasion preached to the people of Kyle; and near to this castle, on the banks of a little stream called the Burnawn, is a large and ancient elm-tree-the largest, it is said, in the county-among whose branches Wallace occasionally found "how hard it was to climb," when his enemies were at hand. A branch of the Cumnock Extension of the Ayrshire Railway has recently been established to Galston; and it is to be further extended to Newmilns. This cannot The houses constituting the 'Colliers' Raws,' as the little communities of miners are technically rather than elegantly termed, were, up to a very recent period, of a very unfavourable character; but desire, happily increasing among masters, for the comfort and welfare of the employed, has been productive of considerable change in this respect; and both in the mental, as well as the physical condition of the miners, a rapid reformation is being effected. KILMARNOCK. Unequalled in beauty and importance by any town. in Ayrshire, finely situated at the bottom of a fertile basin, and sheltered by gentle and picturesque uplands, Kilmarnock enjoys advantages which are sufficiently manifested in the magnitude of her manufactures, and the industry of her inhabitants. First, with regard to its name: it is supposed, on veritable authority, to signify the Kil, or Cell, of Marnock-the name of a saint who lived at the beginning of the fourth century, and who founded a church at this place. At the beginning of the sixteenth century Kilmarnock was a mere hamlet; but, mainly from its agricultural and mineral wealth, it grew in prosperity and importance; and in 1591, was constituted a burgh of barony by James VI. From time immemorial the inhabitants were engaged in the manufacture of the peculiar braid-bonnets,' generally worn by the Lowlanders, until the introduction of the present hat. Formerly the most irregularly-constructed town in the west of Scotland, Kilmarnock, towards the commencement of the present century, underwent a considerable change. Its streets were lengthened, and improved in various respects; and in the present day the majority of them are wide, airy, and creditable in appearance; although Kilmarnock, like most large towns, has its neighbourhoods of misery and destitution. The stranger who wishes to see everything worth seeing in the shortest space of time, would do well to commence his ramble at the Cross,-situated in the centre of the town, and forming a point into which the chief thoroughfares converge. This Cross-a very handsome square-is adorned by a marble statue of Sir James Shaw, Bart., alderman and member of Parliament for London, who was born in this neighbourhood, executed by Mr. James Fillans. Near the Cross is the Laigh Parish Kirk, a modern building without any attempt at architectural adornment. In the place of burial adjoining the church are deposited the remains of Tam Samson,' the hero of one of Burns's principal poems. On the stone over the grave the poet has inscribed the following tribute to his friend and benefactor : "Tam Samson's weel-worn clay here lies,- Giving a glance at the Towns' House,-which will scarcely repay greater attention-we proceed down King Street, at the lower extremity of which stands one of the United Presbyterian churches; a building in which the Corinthian, Tuscan, and Ionic styles of architecture are finely blended. This was the first Dissenting place of worship in Scotland which was allowed to be decorated with such an enormity as a spire; and here did Puritan prejudice for the first time tolerate Sabbath bells! A finely-ornamented structure of recent erection is St. Margaret's Church, to the left of the above it is surmounted by a splendid tower. Nearly opposite is Kilmarnock House, formerly the town residence of the proud and powerful Boyds, of Kilmarnock. Twenty years ago, according to Chambers, this mansion was "a boarding-school for the young cotton-lords of the west." At the present time it is occupied partly as a dwelling-house, and partly as a seed-store, by a merchant of the town. The only object in the town which is not offensively modern to an antiquarian, is a small monument at the eastern entrance to the High Parish Church, marking the spot where a Lord Soulis was killed by one of the Boyds, in 1444. There are various other buildings in the town, of more or less interest. Besides a number of other schools, Kilmarnock has a very flourishing Academy, conducted upon a very good system. It was built in 1807. The town library is very valuable, and is particularly rich in the various branches of history. There is a newspaper published in the town. In addition to what are here enumerated, a Mechanics' Institute, Philosophical Institution, Reading-room, and Libraries, supply the inhabitants with a fair opportunity for mental cultivation. The public, too, have access to the observatory of Mr. T. Morton, and the private gallery of paintings of the celebrated native artists, John and William Tannock, which contains many fine works of the old and modern masters. With a sigh of sympathy for this distinguished and fallen family, we pass on; and after a walk of a mile arrive at the Castle of Craufurdland,—a fine specimen of Gothic architecture, situated on a wooded knoll on the banks of the Kilmarnock, or rather Fenwick, Water. Another mile brings us to the village of Fenwick, which, in appearance, is but little inviting. But the religious zeal for which the inhabitants were, and are, famous, invests the place with some interest. The celebrated and eccentric preacher, Guthrie, generally known as the Fool of Fenwick,' was minister of the parish. The tombs of a large number of Covenanters may be seen in the churchyard. KILMAURS-ROWALLAN CASTLE, A short stroll up the moors of Fenwick brings us to the boundary of the county of Renfrew. Retracing our steps, and inclining to the northward, we enter the ancient burgh of Kilmaurs, situated on the right bank of the Carmel water. The village consists only of one long street of thatched houses; and a small courthouse, surmounted by a spire, adds not a little to the melancholy and miserable aspect of the place. The only reputation enjoyed by the place was on account of its cutlery; but even that small celebrity has long since vanished. A ruined castle stands on the left bank of the Carmel. Originally it was the seat of the Lords Kilmaurs, and subsequently of the Earls of Glencairn. Three-quarters of a mile northward of Kilmaurs stands Rowallan Castle, situated upon a little insulated crag, the appearance of this mouldering and decaying monument of past times is picturesque and imposing. Standing in the midst of old trees, it is no less sur Kilmarnock will ever enjoy inseparable association with the name of Burns. From the press of that town his immortal poems were first issued; and among its inhabitants were included many of his most generous friends. It is generally supposed that the printing-rounded by old associations. Some portion of the office (Wilson's) was situated in a tenement at the eastern angle of the Cross, now an ironmongery warehouse. The prosperity of Kilmarnock is steadily increasing, and will doubtless be materially assisted by the proposed Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ardrossan Direct Railway, and the connections of the Ayrshire line with the Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle, by which Kilmarnock will be placed within a few hours' journey of England. The railway accommodation already afforded to the town has had a marked and material effect upon its progress. pile, however, is of comparatively modern origin. 6 Proudly prominent among the old families of Scotland were the Mures of Rowallan, the possessors of this old castle. The beautiful and accomplished Elizabeth Mure was the first wife of Robert, High Steward, and afterwards King Robert II. of Scotland; and the descendants of this marriage filled the Scottish throne, and eventually that of Great Britain. The Historie and Descent of the House of Rowallene,' was written by Sir William Mure, who lived in the seventeenth century. The MS. from which it was published was found in the castle in the course of the present century. The volume is curious and valuable,—as illustrative of the ancient manners, history, and literature of the county. Sir William had received a superior educa Leaving Kilmarnock, we proceed for about half a tion, and was the author of many poems, in Latin and THE CASTLES OF DEAN AND CRAUFURDLAND— FENWICK. We next pause at Dunlop-so celebrated for its dairy produce. In the parish churchyard may be seen the tomb of Barbara Gilmour, who lived during the religious troubles of the reign of Charles II., and to whom fame attributes the honour of having discovered the mode of manufacturing the peculiar cheese for which the locality is still duly honoured. Dalry, to the north-west of Dunlop, may be said to have arisen out of a mine-since it is to the mineral resources of the locality that it owes its importance. The majority of its population find employment at the Ayrshire Iron-works, adjacent. But, in pursuance of our design, it is here necessary that we should retrace our steps back to Kilmarnock: the reader will therefore be good enough to imagine us back again, sallying forth from that ancient town RICCARTON-YARDSIDE. On the south bank of the Irvine, and connected with Kilmarnock by two bridges, stands-and it stood there ages ago-the village of Riccarton, famed for its connection with Sir William Wallace. The parish church has some points of attraction, and occupies a conspicuous position in the landscape. A few hundred yards to the west of the village is the farm-steading of Yardside-a one-story thatched cottage, occupying the site of the residence of Wallace's maternal uncle, with whom the hero seems to have spent his youthful days. It was here that he performed the feat which first marked him out for distinction-the discomfiture of the English soldiers, who demanded of him his fish, the fruit of his day's sport. The anecdote is preserved by tradition and Blind Harry. The metrical version of the Minstrel is very graphically given. The Bickering Bush,' so long sacred in the eyes of patriotic Scotland, as marking the place of battle, existed until the year 1825, when some ruthless woodman did not "spare that tree" which, either through ignorance or irreverence, was |