This is to Give Notice,

That there is a muckle Fair to be hadden in the muckle Toun o’ the Langholm, on the 15th day of July, auld style, upon his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch’s Merk Land, for the space of eight days and upwards; and a’ land-loupers, and dub-scoupers, and gae-by-the-gate-swingers, that come here to breed hurdums or durdums, huliments or buliments, haggle-ments or braggle-ments, or to molest this public Fair, they shall be ta’en by order of the Bailie and Toun Council, and their lugs be nailed to the Tron wi’ a twal-penny nail, and they shall sit doun on their bare knees and pray seven times for the King, and thrice for the Mickle Laird o’ Ralton, and pay a groat to me, Jemmy Ferguson, Bailie o’ the aforesaid Manor, and I’ll awa’ hame and ha’e a bannock and a saut herrin’.

   HUZZA!  HUZZAH!!  HUZZAH!!!

[Illustration:  GILNOCKIE BRIDGE, LANGHOLM.]

The monument on the top of Whita Hill was erected in memory of one of the famous four Knights of Langholm, the sons of Malcolm of Burn Foot, whose Christian names were James, Pulteney, John, and Charles, all of whom became distinguished men.  Sir James was made a K.C.B, and a Colonel in the Royal Marines.  He served on board the Canopus at the Battle of San Domingo, taking a prominent part in the American War of 1812.  He died at Milnholm, near Langholm, at the age of eighty-two.  Pulteney Malcolm rose to the rank of Admiral and served under Lord Nelson, but as his ship was refitting at Gibraltar he missed taking part in the Battle of Trafalgar, though he arrived just in time to capture the Spanish 120-gun ship El Kago.  He became intimately acquainted with Napoleon Bonaparte, as he had the command of the British worships that guarded him during his captivity at St. Helena.  Sir John Malcolm was a distinguished Indian statesman, and it was to him that the monument on Whita Hill had been erected.  The monument, which was visible for many miles, was 100 feet high, and the hill itself 1,162 feet above sea-level.  Sir Charles Malcolm, the youngest of the four brothers, after seeing much active service, rose to be Vice-Admiral of the Fleet.

[Illustration:  GILNOCKIE TOWER]

If the great fair-day had been on when we reached Langholm we should not have been surprised at being unable to find lodgings, but as it was we could only attribute our failure to arriving at that town so late in the evening, nearly an hour after the authorised closing time of the inns.  We found we could not stay very long in the distillery without a fire, for a sharp frost had now developed, and we began to feel the effect of the lower temperature; we therefore decided, after a short rest, to continue our walk on the Carlisle road.  Turning over the bridge that crossed the rapidly running stream of the River Esk—­the cause of the rush of water we heard in the distillery—­we followed the river on its downward course for some miles.  It was