CONTENTS. The Home of Annie Laurie. Rev. Sir E. Laurie Botanical Notes for 1894. J. M'Andrew Dumfries Sixty Years ago. R. H. Taylor Antiquities of Dunscore. Rev. R. Simpson 89 ANNUAL MEETING. Mr WILLIAM J. MAXWELL, M.P., in the Chair. New Members.-Colonel Edward Blackett of Arbigland and Mr William Barber of Terreran. Mr Frederick R. Coles, of Edinburgh, was elected an honorary member. Donations. Cooke & Berkeley's Fungi, presented by Mr. William Thomson, Kirkcudbright; Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1894; Report of the British Association, 1893; Catalogue of Grierson's Museum, presented by Mr J. R. Wilson; Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, 1894; Report of Marlborough College Natural History Society, 1893; Proceedings of Natural Science Association of Staten Island, 1893; Transactions of Canadian Institute, 1894; Report of Kirkcaldy Naturalists' Society; Cystopteris Montana in Stirlingshire and Records from the Scilly Isles, by A. Somerville. SECRETARY'S REPORT. The Secretary (Dr E. J. Chinnock) read the Annual Report:There are 182 members of the Society, of whom 19 are honorary and 8 life members. Ten new members were elected during the year. The Society sustained a loss by the removal from the town of two active members, Mr Robert M'Glashan and the Rev. Robert Macintosh. This was somewhat counterbalanced by the accession to our working membership of Mr Peter Gray, who for many years has been an honorary member and a frequent contributor to our Transactions. Eight evening meetings and two field meetings have been held. At the former 25 papers were read, some of which were of permanent value, and all of which were interesting. The communications of Messrs M'Andrew, Johnstone, Coles, Murray, Shaw, Dudgeon, and Fingland were especially valuable. In the absence of Mr ScottElliot in Africa, the herbarium has been carefully protected and enlarged by Miss Hannay. Mr Andson has continued his meteorological observations with unremitting diligence. Unfortunately the bad weather prevented us from having more than two summer excursions, one to Leadhills and the other to Threave Castle. TREASURER'S REPORT. The Treasurer (Mr J. A. Moodie) read his Annual Report, from the 1st October, 1893, to the 30th September, 1894 : : CHARGE. Balance in Savings Bank at close of last Account £4 10 0 (Sgd.) J. A. MOODIE, Hon. Treasurer. DUMFRIES, 4th December, 1894.---I have examined the foregoing Account and the Cash Book of the Society, compared them with the Vouchers, and find the Balances stated to be correct. (Sgd.) JOHN NEILSON. ELECTION OF OFFICE-BEARERS. The following were elected Office-bearers and Members of the Council for the ensuing session :-President-Sir James CrichtonBrowne, F.R.S.; Vice-Presidents-Rev. William Andson, Messrs Thomas M'Kie, William J. Maxwell, and James G. H. Starke; Secretary--Edward J. Chinnock, LL.D.; Treasurer-Mr John A. Moodie; Librarian-Mr James Lennox; Curator of Museum -Mr Peter Gray; Curators of Herbarium-Mr George F. Scott Elliot and Miss Hannay. Members of the Council-Messrs James Barbour, James Davidson, Thomas Laing, James C. R. Macdonald, Robert Murray, John Neilson, George H. Robb, James M. Ross, James S. Thomson, and James Watt. The Rev. Sir EMILIUS LAURIE, Bart., M.A., then read a paper entitled" The Home of Annie Laurie" : The home of Annie Laurie enjoys any notoriety which it may possess, not from its antiquity, for there are many older houses even in this part of Scotland, not from any peculiarity of structure, not from any part that it has played in history; but from its association with the name of Annie Laurie; and that lady owes her fame, such as it is, not to any accident of birth or to anything remarkable in her character or career, but simply to the song composed by the man she threw over. The air was, as you know, composed by a lady who is still living, Lady John Scott of Spottiswoode, widow of a brother of the late Duke of Buccleuch. The song, however, is old. Annie, or more correctly, Anna Laurie was born at Barjarg in December, 1682. She was the youngest of four daughters of Sir Robert Laurie and Jean Riddell, daughter of Riddell of Minto. In due course she became engaged to Douglas of Fingland, who composed the song in her honour. For what reason history does not tell; whether the engagement went off on the settlements, or was off by mutual consent, or was a simple case of jilting, I know not; but in spite of the lyric, in spite of "her promise true," in spite of the personality of her lover, Miss Anna threw him over, and married Alexander Fergusson of Craigdarroch. Douglas, however, seems to have survived the disappointment; he did not "lay him doun and dee," but married one Betty Clark of Glenboig. His poetic phrenzy, however, must have died out, for there is no second lyric handed down descriptive of the swan-like neck and dark blue e'e of Betty Clark; possibly she could not compete in beauty with her rival, possibly the braes of Glenboig were not as bonnie as those of Maxwelton. The song, I have said, was old. I had a curious confirmation of this a few years ago. A lady and gentleman, Mr and Mrs Bennoch, of London (he was a native of Durisdeer), spent a day at Maxwelton. In the course of conversation Mrs Bennoch, then a lady of perhaps 70, told me the following anecdote :- "When I was a girl I was staying in Yorkshire, and being asked to sing I sang the song of Annie Laurie. An old lady, a Miss Douglas, aged 90, was in the room; she complimented me upon my singing, and then said-But those are nae the words my grandfather wrote.' She then gave : a slightly different version of the first verse, saying that her father had often repeated them to her, as taught him by his father, the Douglas who wrote the song." This is strong confirmatory evidence of the genuineness and authenticity of the song in question. So far as we know, then, there was nothing remarkable about Miss Anna Laurie; her first lover immortalised |