K ir k a l d i e«.
are any Fifiures. George Agricola, the great metallurgy (jil
notice of the phenomenon at this place *.
Buchanan, from this, circumftance, fixed on the neighborhol
of Byfart for the fcene of exorcifm in his Francifcanus, and gi J
an admirable defcriptive view of it under the horror of an eni|
tion: ,
Campus erat late incultus, non floribus horti
Arrident, non meiTe agri, non frondibus arbos :
V ix fterilis liccis veftitur arena myricis
E t pecorum rara in folis veftigia ter ris :
V ic in i Deferta vocant. Ib i faxea fubter
Antra tegunt nigras mulcania femina cautes
Sulphureis paffim concepta incendia venis.
Fumiferam volvunt nebulam, piceoque vapore
Semper anhelat humus : cascifque inclufa cavernifr
Flamma furens, dum laflando penetrate fub auras-
Conatur, totis pailim ipiracula campis
Findit, et ingenti tellurem pandit hiatu :
Te ter odor, triftifque habitus faciefque locorum*
A little beyond this once tremendous place is the town of
a royal burgh, large, and full of people. Leave, on the left, thl
caftle of Ravenfheugh, feated on. a cliff, granted by James III. til
William Sinclair, on his refignation of the earldom of Orkney. Pa#
by Berth head, a place of check-weavers and nailers: a moderJ
creation, for within thefe fixty years,, from being fcarcely inhabited!
about four hundred families have been colledted, by the encoul
ragement of feuing. Adjoining is K ir k a l d i e , a long town, contain!
* De Natura Foffilium, p. J97. Agricola died, in 1555;.
m
fixteen hundred' inhabitants: this is another royal burgh, where
experienced the hofpitality and care of Mr. Ofwald, its repre-
[entative, during a fhort illnefs that overtook me here.
This, like moft other maritime towns of Fife, depends on the
I I and fait trade. The country is very populous, but far lefs
[an it was before the middle of the laft century, when the fifh-
[ries were at their height. During winter itpofiefled avail herding
fifhery s in fpring a moft profitable one of white-fifh. One
Satal check to population was the vidlories of Montrofe. The na-
L 0f this coaft were" violently feized with the religious furor of
the times, and took up the caufe of the covenant with moft dif-
tinguifhed zeal. Inftigated by their preachers, they crowded under
ihe banners of the Godly, and five thoufand fell vidtims to enthu-
haftic delufion, at the battle of Kilfyth.
[ Of late years many of the inhabitants have removed to the
Ibuth-weftern parts of this kingdom-, yet ftill fuch numbers re-
pain, that more provifions are confumed than even this fertile country
can fupply. There is one clafs of men on this coaft, and I believe
in moft of the coal countries of North-Britain, from whofh
all power of migrating is taken, be their inclinations for it ever fo
pong. In this very iiland is, to this day, to be found a remnant
|sf flavery paralleled only in Boland and Rujjia : thoufands of our fel-
|ow-fubje£ts are at this time the property of their landlords, appurtenances
to their eftates, and transferrable with them to any purcha-
[Cl's. Multitudes of colliers and falters are in this fituation, who are
pound to the fpot for their lives ; and even ftrangers who come to fet-
fe there are bound by the fame cruel cuftom, unlefs they previoufly
tyulate to the contrary. Should the poor people remove to
StAVEI tY OF
C o l l i e r s .