PARISH OF RATHO.

PRESBYTERY OF EDINBURGH, SYNOD OF LOTHIAN AND TWEEDdale.

THE REV. JAMES CLASON, A. M. MINISTER.

I. TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.

Name.-THE parish of Ratho is so called, according to Chalmers in his Caledonia, from the ancient baronial residence of that name, which was within its bounds. According to the same authority, the name is of British origin, being derived from the word Rhath, plural Rathau,* signifying a cleared spot, a bared place or plain ; which derivation, although not consistent with the features of the parish as a whole, is yet in accordance with that part of it upon which the present mansion, like its predecessor, stands. It may be farther remarked, that the Celtic Rath, which has the same primary meaning with the British term already mentioned, signifies secondarily, a fort or artificial mount; so that possibly the name of Ratho may have been conferred upon the place, not more on account of its natural situation than the artificial works by which it was defended.

Extent, Boundaries, &c.-This parish is 4 miles long by 2 broad at an average; and contains about 10 square miles of surface. It is bounded on the north, by the parishes of Kirkliston and Corstorphine; on the east, by Corstorphine and Currie; on the south, by Currie; and on the west, by Kirknewton and Kirkliston.

Topographical Appearances.-The general aspect of the parish is one of considerable beauty from the delightful mixture of hill and dale, of highly cultivated fields and thriving plantations. From the eastern boundary to the centre the ground is of a slightly undulating character, but rather flat than otherwise. On the west side, there runs from north to south-west, for about

In ancient charters, the Rathew, Ratheu, Rathow. is spelt Rutha and Rotha. church utensils, which bear

name of the parish is written in the different forms of On two communion cups, which bear the date 1684, it The orthography is the same as at present on other two date only a year later.

a couple of miles, a ridge, or rather a succession of eminences of table-land, crowned with stripes and clumps of trees, which add very much to the beauty of the scene. From the whole of this ridge, which averages from 300 to 400 feet in height, the view is extensive and highly picturesque. We believe there are few spots in Scotland where such a prospect can be obtained with so little exertion. From the South Platt Hill, which is a few minutes walk from the manse, there is a distinct view of portions of at least ten different counties; some say of no fewer than fourteen. The Pentlands circumscribe the prospect to the south, but from the east round to the south-west, the eye ranges over the cultivated plains of the Lothians, the Frith of Forth with the adjacent coasts of Berwick and Fife, the counties of Kinross, Clackmannan, Lanark, and Stirling, and the giant rampart of the Grampians from Benvoirlich to Benlomond. In a clear state of the atmosphere, the view to the west is truly grand; but on an ordinary day, the immediate view of the surrounding parishes, and particularly of Edinburgh with its environs, will well repay the slight labour of ascent to one who possesses the smallest taste for the beautiful in nature.

From the Calder road, to which this ridge descends, the land again rises with a gradual ascent, till it reaches its greatest altitude in the two rocky eminences called the Dalmahoy and Kaimes hills. These two insulated hills, it may remarked, rising from the east, terminate abruptly to the west in the manner of Salisbury Crags, and the similar eminences with which Stirling and its neighbourhood abounds, as if at a distant period they had been washed by some great western tide.

The following is a statement of the altitude of different parts of the parish, as ascertained by actual survey. It is copied from a map of the parish executed by J. Anderson, Esq.

Above Above Below level of Union Union the sea. Canal. Canal.

Climate. Situated in the centre of the extensive valley which

lies between the Pentland range and the high lands that skirt the Forth, this parish is particularly exposed to currents of wind from the east and west. The east wind prevails chiefly during the spring months, but is experienced at intervals throughout the year, bringing along with it occasionally a thick haar, which is very prejudicial to the invalid. The west wind prevails more during the summer and autumn. It is perhaps the most constant, certainly the most violent wind we have, as appears from the fact, that the branches of the trees invariably incline to the east. Our heaviest rains are from the south-east; our most frequent rains fall when the wind is between the west and south, which brings the clouds into contact with the Pentland ridge, whence they descend in showers over the neighbouring parishes.

The free circulation of air that the parish enjoys, is one cause which undoubtedly operates strongly, in conjunction with the elevation of a considerable portion of it, in producing a pure and healthy temperature of the atmosphere. In proof of the natural healthiness of the climate, it may be remarked, as a traditional notice, that when the plague prevailed in Scotland, Ratho was exempted from its ravages. And at a later period, when many of the neighbouring parishes were visited with cholera, only one case, if indeed it was one, occurred in this village. Some thirty years ago, intermittent fevers were not uncommon; but, with the system of draining, to which the land generally has been subjected, these have totally disappeared; and there is now no indigenous disease in the district; nor is it, so far as we are aware, peculiarly liable to any epidemic. An intelligent medical practitioner in the parish, informs us that, if there are any diseases of particular frequency, they are of the glandular kind, and occur chiefly among the poorer classes; but the number of these, from the improved state of the village, is on the decline.

Hydrography.-There are few parishes so destitute of streams as that of Ratho. There is only one, the Gogar Burn, and that of small dimensions, which flows through it, forming a continuous line of demarcation between this and the parishes to the east. There are, besides, few if any open springs; the inhabitants for the most part being obliged to sink wells for their supply. Water, however, is easily found by digging to the depth of ten or twelve feet; and when discovered, commonly contains a quantity of lime in solution. In Addiston grounds, there is one fountain of a slightly petrifying quality. The Union Canal is the only body of water

of any magnitude. Its course through the parish is about three miles in length. It cannot be said, however, that it adds at all to the beauty of the landscape; nor with its muddy waters is it very suitable for domestic purposes.

Geology and Mineralogy.-The ridge of high land which we have already described as traversing the west of the parish, as also the Dalmahoy and Kaimes Hills, abound in trap (whin) rock of the common formation. The stone of the former is of a tough adhesive nature, capable of being cut out in blocks of any size, and wrought into any form; that of the latter is much more brittle, and consequently unfit, except for the common purpose of roadmaking. The trap of the Platt and Norton hills, forms one extensive horizontal compact bed; that of the other eminences approaches much nearer to the columnar structure.

A bed of sandstone dips under the trap formation of the Dalmahoy hill at an angle of about 25°. One of clay, or, as it is popularly called, of calmstone, has been wrought upon the Ratho Hall property, but owing to its position, and its distance from the place where the trap formation is discoverable, it is difficult to say which of them is uppermost, or, indeed, if they are at all connected. We are not aware that any minerals or depòsits have hitherto been discovered in any of the rocks of which mention has been made.

Coal, according to the report of some of the older people, was discovered long ago at Bonnington head; but the pit falling in shortly after the discovery, the existing proprietor was unable to prosecute the experiment, and the mining operations have not been resumed by any subsequent landholder. Experiments were also made at a remote period in the Dalmahoy grounds for the discovery of this precious mineral, but these, probably from want of perseverance, proved unsuccessful. In the Earl of Morton's deer park, several stones are still to be seen standing with the inscription: "Bored for coal 18 fathoms, and none found."

Soil. There is a variety of soil in the parish. A portion of it is clay loam upon a retentive bottom, which produces good grain of all descriptions, and is particularly adapted for wheat. A few patches here and there of the very lowest land consist of black moss. The greatest proportion of the land, however, is a rich dry soft loam, resting in the more elevated situations upon whin or claystone, and in the less elevated places upon gravel or sand. The whole of this land is well calculated for the production of potatoes and tur

nips, which are raised to a considerable extent,-the potatoes being sent to the Edinburgh market, and the turnips consumed with cattle in the farm-yard during winter.

Zoology. The game, which is not very abundant, except in the Dalmahoy preserves, consists of hares, partridges, pheasants, rabbits, and a very small proportion of grouse and black game on the south. Foxes are not uncommon, there being a considerable quantity of cover about Norton and Dalmahoy Hill, which form occasionally places of rendezvous for the Edinburgh lovers of the chase. The Gogar Burn contains some good trout. The Canal abounds in eels and perches. No angler needs come here in the expectation of good sport.

Botany. There is no natural wood in the parish, but a considerable quantity has been planted for the sake of shelter or ornament in distant or later times. All the gentlemen's seats in the neighbourhood are adorned in this way with a considerable extent of plantation. That about Milburn is perhaps the largest of very modern growth. The greatest extent of wood, however, and of the greatest maturity, is that which beautifies the residence of the Earl of Morton. Trees, to the amount of many thousand pounds in value, were cut in the pleasure grounds before the accession of the present nobleman, but, notwithstanding, the woods still present to the eye of the spectator an outline of very dense and luxuriant foliage. Every variety of the common species of trees is to be found here and in other parts of the parish, as beech, oak, plane, ash, elm, lime, and fir. The trees, however, of which there is the greatest abundance, and which seem, from the luxuriance of their vegetation, to be best adapted to the soil, are beech and elm. Around Hatton there was at one time a very large quantity of old timber, but it is now, for the most part, destroyed, much to the disadvantage of the stately edifice which reposed in its shade. A few very fine specimens of the cedar of Lebanon, of ordinary dimensions, but healthy and vigorous, are to be seen at Ratho House. Perhaps some of the finest trees now standing in the parish, and consisting of planes, elms, and ashes, are those which surround the church and burying-ground, imparting to the restingplace of the dead a solemn gloom, not unsuitable to serious feeling.

The following is a list of rare botanical plants found by David Falconer, Esq. of Carlowrie, in Dalmahoy Moss, near the old

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