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A Journey From Edinburgh Through Parts of North Britain (v. 1)
A Journey From Edinburgh Through Parts of North Britain - v. 1 Author:Alexander Campbell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: by his predecefibr, as forming a check on the incurfions of the Barbarians, conftructed a rampart along this neck of land, which, he vainly fuppofcd, was, when g... more »arrifoned by his chofen bands, impregnable. Tradition reports it, however, to have proved otherwife. Grime, a powerful chief, with a band of defperate Britons, is faid to have formed the defign of fiirprifmg the Roman garrifon, pofted near to a place now known by the name of " Elf-hill." This he actually accompliftied ; and that valorous achievement is perpetuated by this ftupendous piece of art, thenceforward called Grime's Dyke. On entering Falkirk, we are apt, from its mean appearance, to form an unfavourable idea of its inhabitants; but this im- preffion wears off when we come more narrowly to examine the buftle and induftry obfervable as we pafs on. Its vicinity to the great canal (with which, on leaving this town, we fall in, and pafs under, through an aqueduct arch, conftructed with much judgment, and fubftantially built) gives it an advantage that few towns in Scotland poflefs, excepting fuch as are fituated on the principal rivers and fea-fhores. If Falkirk, on account of its inelegant appearance, be uninte- refting to the traveller, the grounds adjacent will furnifh him with objects fufficient to awaken his curiofity with regard to trade, commerce, and hiftorical incident. Before Falkirk was eftablifhed as the principal mart of the north for horned-cattle, it was little better than an overgrown village, the inhabitants of which were ahnoft without employ, and poor in the extreme. No fooner were the try/Is as they are called, which are held in the months of Auguft, September, and October, reforted to by drovers from almoft every part of Scotland, andand many parts of England, than this town became a fl...« less