THE TOPOGRAPHY

OF

THE BASIN OF THE TAY.

THE Topography of a country seems to require, that it should be accompanied with historical notices concerning the region described; not only to render it more interesting, but also to assist the memory, by connecting localities with events: for, unless the actions and sentiments of man be associated with external nature, the best descriptions soon tire the reader.

In attempting, therefore, to give an account of the Basin of the Tay, and the other parts of the country included in the Map, of which this work is intended to be the companion, we shall endeavour to supply such notices of its history, as will be sufficient to connect it with books of more importance. To these we shall refer, rather than detail events already related by historians, whose pages are of easy access.

The history of Scotland commences toward the end of the first century of the Christian era. At this period,

the greater part of the civilized world had submitted to the victorious arms of Rome. It was in South Britain where, according to Tacitus, " Vespasian was shewn to the fates," and he now wielded the energies of the mighty Roman empire. Upon his accession to the throne of the Cæsars, he appointed skilful commanders in the provinces; and in Britain, Petilius Cerealis subdued the Brigantes, who inhabited the north of England. He was succeeded by Julius Frontinus, who conquered the Silures, the inhabitants of South Wales. In the year 78, Cneius Julius AGRICOLA took the command; and, having subdued the Ordovices of North Wales, with Mona, or the island of Anglesey, his unconquered legions, urging their way through countries till then unknown, invaded North Britain.

A. D. 78.

A. D. 79.

In this year, the history of Scotland begins with the Roman invasion, under Julius Agricola, Titus being now emperor of the Romans: and every thing related by our historians concerning Scotland, prior to this date, is pure fable. Tacitus, who was long procurator of Belgic Gaul, wrote the life of Agricola, his father-in-law, in the year of Christ 97, as has been shewn by Brotier, being the first year of Trajan. He has been called the eagle of history; and, truly, his track is sublime; but, so elevated, he seldom stoops to notice particulars of minor importance: concise in narration, and sometimes abrupt, we have to follow him in the essay to trace the operations of Agricola in North Britain. Partial to his father-in-law, and sincere in the admiration of his talents, both as a statesman and a warrior, he celebrates his great actions with an eloquence which, perhaps, has

never been surpassed. He is suspected, however, by the learned Mr Pinkerton, of abridging the fame of Petilius Cerealis, in order to enhance that of Agricola. The former seems not only to have completely subdued the Brigantes, but also to have struck such terror into the neighbouring tribes of the Otadeni and Damnii, that they soon after yielded to the Romans; so that Agricola advanced to the Tay, without any formidable opposition. This appears much more probable, than the conjecture of Mr Chalmers,* the ingenious author of Caledonia, that the Solway was the Tay of Tacitus; and that Nithsdale and Galloway were the scenes of Agricola's first operations in Scotland. The Roman works, in that quarter, seem to belong to a later period of the empire; and a skilful commander, approaching from the south, would prefer carrying his arms into Teviotdale and Lothian, rather than into the defiles of the South Highlands. Here we cannot avoid remarking, that every virtuous mind must revolt at the unprincipled aggression of the Romans, in thus invading steril and inhospitable regions, which they covered with blood, in their attempts to compel the miserable inhabitants to submit to their dominion. Cause of war there was none. When Julius Cæsar displayed the Roman ensigns on the shores of South Britain, 55 years before Christ, he pretended that he chastised the natives for assisting their friends and allies in Gaul, in their efforts to preserve their liberties: but Agricola had no such excuse; at least Tacitus gives no hint of provocation; and yet that virtuous Roman expresses

* Chalmers follows Horsley in this conjecture. See HORSLEY'S Brit. Romana, p. 43.

no sort of compunction at the march of his father-in-law, for the purpose of subjecting the hardy tribes of Caledonia to the yoke of Rome.

A. D. 80.

66

Agricola, advancing into North Britain, carrried his ravages to the estuary of the Tay. Usque ad Taum (æstuario nomen est.") The enemy durst not meet him in the field, and no pitched battle was fought; but his army was greatly distressed with the severities of the climate. He constructed forts in the most commodious situations, which were executed with such judgment, that none of them were taken by force, abandoned through fear, or given up on terms of capitulation. Each fort was supplied with provisions for a year, that it might be able to sustain a long siege. Thus, the several garrisons not only passed the winter in security, but, from their strongholds, made frequent excursions against the enemy. During this expedition, he probably established the post at Loch Ore, in Fifeshire, which is of the permanent, or stationary kind: it is vain, however, to suppose, that it held the army of Agricola, before the battle with Galgacus; or even the ninth legion, when it was attacked in the year previous to that engagement; for this post would not hold more than two cohorts, or about twelve hundred men. It seems to have been again occupied by the Romans at a later period of the empire; for, on the side next the loch, there is a round turret, similar to those at Birrenswork hill, near Middleby, in the south of Scotland, and which are, undoubtedly, posterior to the age of Agricola. A battle has been fought in the vicinity of Loch Ore; for we meet with East Blair, and West Blair*; and Blair, in Gaelic, signifies a battle-field. *Now Blair Adam.

Fragments of arms have frequently been turned up at these places; but traces of battle are found in the neighbourhood of many of the camps of the Romans, in Scotland. Sir Robert Sibbald is clearly of opinion that the ninth legion was attacked here; Gordon, in his Itinerarium Septentrionale, has no hesitation in expressing the same sentiment; Chalmers, in his Caledonia, vol. i. is positive, that, in the camp at Loch Ore, this legion sustained the night assault. Not one of these antiquaries, however, has attempted to shew, that there ever were any vestiges of a camp in this quarter, that could contain a legion. As to the stations of the other two divisions of Agricola's army, Chalmers, supposes one to have been at Dunearn Hill, and the other at the camps of Carnock; but there are no appearances at any of these places, that would indicate a camp sufficiently large to contain a division of the Roman army. Not one of these antiquaries has pointed out where Agricola encamped, before he divided his forces into three bodies. It was to the northward of the Forth, certainly, where the affair took place, as some of the Roman officers had advised their general to retreat, "citra Bodotriam," on this side the Forth. Mention is not made of the estuary; and Fife is not divided from Lothian by the river, but by an arm of the sea, called the Firth of Forth. Agricola had carried his arms into the country of the Caledonians where this engagement happened; but, neither Tacitus, nor Ptolemy the geographer, nor Richard of Cirencester, place the Caledonians in Fife. Sir Walter Scott, in his History of Scotland, vol. i. says, the ninth legion was

*The above spelling, as derived from the Norwegian fiord, is here preferred to Frith, which Dr Johnson derives from fretum.