of the county, about thirty miles from its influx into the sea, and it runs through the whole breadth of the shire, to which in this view it appropriately gives its name, dividing it into two nearly equal parts. Along the upper part of its course, the scenery is naked and uninteresting, as it flows through a moorland mountainous country, covered with extensive sheep-walks, almost entirely bare of wood, and with hardly any banks above the heaths and meadows that surround it. After it reaches the village of Sorn, however, the scenery becomes exceedingly grand and picturesque, and continues so all the way to its mouth. In fact, for nearly twenty miles, few streams can excel it for richness and variety of landscape. It exhibits the sublime and beautiful in nature's works, in endless succession, and in every possible variety of combination, while at the same time it receives ample assistance from the ornaments of art, in the numerous magnificent mansions and pleasure grounds which adorn its borders, seeking from it in return, variety, beauty, and fertility. It is subject at times to sudden and impetuous floods, during which it carries down great quantities of alluvial matter, which it deposits at its mouth, thereby forming a bar, which is a great obstruction to the entrance and egress of vessels, and a formidable drawback to the harbour of Ayr, as an emporium of trade. At a short distance above the harbour are "the Twa Brigs," rendered famous by the humorous poem of Burns, which bears that title. The new bridge is a handsome structure, and well placed, and convenient enough for the use of the public, though rather too narrow. The other is entirely shut up, except to footpassengers.

River Doon.-This classic stream, which forms the south-western boundary of the parish, rises out of a lake of the same name, about eighteen miles inland to the south-east of Ayr, bounded by high mountains, and situated on the confines betwixt Ayrshire and the stewartry of Kirkcudbright. The lake from which it claims its paternity is exceedingly picturesque, from the elevated mountain ridges with which it is surrounded, and were these covered with wood, instead of being naked moorland pasture, they might vie with the lake scenery of Cumberland. In issuing from this interesting sheet of water, the river formerly ran over the top of a narrow edging of rock, about 15 or 20 feet above the bed of the stream below. But as the lake was found to be nearly of the same depth on the other side, two mines have been cut through the rock through which the water has been brought, and two sluices pla

ced at their mouths, which maintain the complete command of the current. This work was effected with the view of recovering a considerable extent of ground around the lake, by diminishing the depth and extent of its water. The effect contemplated has no doubt been accomplished, in one view, by the diminution of the surface of water to the extent of nearly one-half, but little advantage has been gained, in consequence of the land recovered being entirely useless by its channelly surface, while the lake has been greatly injured in point of beauty and extent. It is still, however, much frequented in fishing excursions. The Doon on its egress, as above described, runs for nearly a mile through a rocky precipitous chasm, overhung with trees and brushwood, along the bottom of which a romantic sequestered walk has been cut for foot-passengers, where the rocks on both sides are so perpendicular and rugged to a great height, as almost to exclude the light of the sun, and to form a scene exceedingly sublime and striking. The scenery on its banks below Dalmellington is very tame, as the river runs for several miles through a flat bog and meadow, with hardly any declination of surface, and nothing to give interest or variety to its banks. When it reaches Skeldon, however, it assumes a very picturesque appearance, its banks rising in prominency, and being well covered with wood; and these features it preserves till it mingles its waters with the sea, two miles to the west of Ayr.

The Sea-Beach--Change in the Course of the Doon-The coast to the same extent is much frequented by the inhabitants of the town for air and exercise, and the walk along the sands is always interesting, on account of the healthful breeze from the waters, and the never-failing attractiveness of a sea view. The extent of coast, however, within the parish, must have been more confined at one time than it is at present, as the Doon seems to have joined the sea much nearer the town than it does by its present course. This suggests a topic of considerable interest and curiosity; but we have little to aid us, not even tradition, in our inquiries respecting it. There seems to be little reason to doubt, that formerly the river had a different bed at the lower extremity of the parish from what it now retains, and the alteration appears to have taken place immediately below the lower bridge. There are obvious indications that, at or under this point, it ran along nearly the line of the present road by the south of Gowkscraft nursery, and the eastern boundary of the farm of Cunning Park,-that it diverged to the west of Sea

field House and the fields of Blackburn,—and that it joined the sea at, or not far from, the present mouth of the Water of Ayr. It is not easy to determine when or how the change into its present channel took place; whether it was by the unaided workings of nature, or by artificial means, for the sake of the ground that would be recovered by a less circuitous course. The latter consideration was likely to present a motive sufficiently adequate for the undertaking, since, by means of the change, a valuable extent of ground has been gained from the sea, which, quoad civilia, still is attached to Maybole parish, affording an indubitable evidence that it once belonged to it, without the river intervening as at present to separate them. The receding of the sea, no doubt, may also have aided in effecting the change. There are indications which can easily be traced of the former bed of the river, all the way from the new bridge near Belle-isle gate house to the head of the Low Green, a line of low marshy ground running along the whole way, except where it has lately been filled up and cultivated on the Blackburn property. The only difficulty that occurs is to account for the raised up bank at and below the Low Bridge of Doon, which is several feet above the level of the stream. If the course was changed, however, by artificial means, the same means would be used to keep it from getting into its former channel, by the fence of an elevated forced embankment, which the rising ground here above the river evidently is, from the declivity that takes place on the Ayr road immediately after passing the bridge. But we can produce something more than mere conjecture on this subject. A few years ago a very handsome bell of considerable dimensions, with the words Gloria Soli Doe (for Deo) marked upon it in large letters, was found in the marshy grounds behind Blackburn House, which we have supposed to have been the bed of the river, together with some spars of a vessel that seems to have been stranded or sunk near its mouth. From this it would appear to have been navigable like the Ayr for some short distance above its confluence with the sea. Blackburn itself is synonymous with the Doon river.

The Bay of Ayr is by far the finest feature of the scenery connected with the town and parish, and in that view merits a particular description. It is formed by the junction of the Frith of Clyde, with the waters of the Atlantic. On all sides it appears bounded by prominent outlines of land scenery, except towards the west, whence in a clear day the distant coast of Ireland is dim

ly seen in the horizon peering above the wide expanse of ocean which surrounds it. Nearer in the same direction, the view is also relieved by the very prominent Craig of Ailsa, by far the most remarkable object on the coast of Ayrshire. It rises to the height of about a thousand feet above the level of the sea, and is two miles in circumference at its base. To a great distance, both at sea and on land, it is seen towering its majestic conical peak in solitary grandeur, being nearly perpendicular on all sides, and consisting of a stupendous bare rock of the trap formation, on which there is hardly any vegetation, and no signs of life, with the exception of numerous flocks of gannets or solan geese, and other sea fowls. The beholder is struck with awe at its prominent and precipitous appearance, and wonders how such an object could have been produced in so solitary a situation, amid the deep waters of the open sea, without anything to correspond with it in any direction. It generally appears to the eye from afar shrouded in light blue mist, unless when it assumes a more sombre veil amid fogs, and rain, and tempest.

On one side, the bay is bounded by the coast of Ayrshire, commencing at the promontory of Carrick hill, and inclining inwards in a concave form, like a bow upon the stretch. At its termination towards the north, are seen the islands of Cumbraes and the Bute hills, which appear almost contiguous, the inlet of Clyde being hardly perceptible from a distance, and behind these are the prominent mountains of Argyleshire. There is also to be seen in the distance towards the north the majestic summit of Benlomond, recalling to mind the beautiful lake at its base; and the country of the Macgregor, abounding in savage grandeur,-scenes rendered deeply interesting by the magic pen of Sir Walter Scott. But its most marked boundary by far is the island of Arran, with its lofty mountains stretching along nearly the whole of its coast to the north and west, with the projection from behind of the Mull of Cantyre. These mountains communicate to it its principal interest and grandeur, and, according to the state of the weather, it derives from them an endless succession of noble appearances, with which the view of the beholder is constantly relieved and captivated. Sometimes they are bright with sunshine and gladsome serenity, at others dark and frowning amid clouds and storms. summer, they are seen with hazy shadows flitting across their ridges, or are beat upon with an incessant glare of solar heat and radiance ; while in winter they seem grand and imposing in the ex

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treme, with a thick covering of snow, glittering in dazzling whiteness from afar, and with dark or fleecy clouds passing in endless succession over their lofty summits. But the sublimest and most pleasing aspect which they assume is when the sun has "just sunk beneath the western wave" in a calm clear evening, throwing his golden beams over their majestic ridges, so finely and distinctly marked in the serene azure sky, while all other objects underneath have already been thrown into the soft and dusky shade of twilight.

Where Arran terminates, the projecting point of Cantyre prolongs the boundary of the bay considerably further to the west, so that with this apparent contiguity of land all around, except at one point, and that point only seen in one line of view, it looks like a lake of very large dimensions, diversified everywhere along its borders with the most beautiful and striking features. With the exception of the Bay of Naples, there is hardly any thing perhaps of the kind that can rival it in extent, taken in conjunction with its beauty, grandeur, and attractiveness. The Bay of Dublin is both inferior in point of size, and tamer in prominent and magnificent outline. The Wicklow mountains no doubt have a wild grandeur about them, but they form not the fine marginal variety that the mountains of Arran and Argyleshire, and the other scenery around, give to the Bay of Ayr, which is an object of admiration to all strangers, and of delight to all who live upon its borders. Along the far projecting coast of Cunningham, to the north-east, may be seen in a clear day, glittering in the sunshine, the thriving towns of Ardrossan, Stevenston, Saltcoats, Kilwinning, and Irvine, which give interest and variety to the scene, and convey the idea of a district teeming with animation, wealth, and industry. The town of Ayr stands in its south corner, and derives from it principally its healthiness, as well as its enviableness of situation. Its waters present a never-ending variety to the view, and every new aspect which they assume, exhibits different phases of interest, to all who admire the grand and beautiful in natural scenery.

Geology. The parish of Ayr, having something of a peninsular form, by the boundaries of the Ayr and Doon and the sea, on three of its sides,-is greatly modified by this position in its geological character. Though undulating in its surface, it may generally be described as sloping gradually towards the rivers on the north and south, and the sea on the west, the inland part ris