VITRIFIED FORTS. In our article FORTS, rarified, giving an account of these singular re ' mains, we promised to state in this part of our work, whether any thing new had been discovered, throwing additional light on the subject equally in teresting and obscure. We were surprised by what has been published by Dr. M'Culloch since our ar ticle appeared, because we could not have believed it possible, that any author could allow statements to go before the world which could be so very easily contradicted. A long time did not elapse when Sir G. S. Mackenzie, to whom Dr. M. very point edly, though not very correctly alluded, published a letter to Sir Walter Scott on the subject, in which, ironically we presume, he endeavoured to prove that Dr. M. knew nothing of his theory. In this letter we find not only an exposure of Dr. 1\I'Culloch's misrepresentations of w hat was stated in our former article, every word of which in re gard to fact has been amply confirmed, but some additional information. Since our last article was written, we visited Barryhill in Strathmore. There are no vitrifications on the summit, only the remains of a rampart of loose stones, and of divisions within the area. But it is remarkable that vitrified stones, similar in all respects to those found elsewhere, are to be seen below. The stone of the hill is sand stone, of which the defences of the upper area are constructed, but the vitrified masses are primitive rock. The hill of Dunsinane, or Macbeth's Castle, in the same quarter, is a vitrified fort. It has been reported to us by a gentleman who visited Dun Sniochan, that Dr. l\l'Culloch's account of it is al together incorrect. A great number of hill forts have been discovered, some with and some without vitrifications, on the Beauly, and the Glasswater in Inverness-shire, by Sir G. S. Mackenzie, as dc
scribed in his letter above referred to. One in Ross-shire on the Ord hill of Kessock was subse quently discovered by Mr. George Anderson, se cretary to the Northern Institution. This is de fended by a mass of loose stones, not vitrified, while the melted masses are on the slope of the summit, where it is evident they could not have been intended as ramparts. Vitrified masses* have been recently found by Dr. John Home on the hill of Cowdenknows near Earlstoun. At the request of Sir G. S. Mackenzie, Mr. Fraser of Lovat di rected the summit of the hill of Dun Lion to be ex amined by making a cut across it. Charcoal and burnt bones of ruminating animals were found in considerable quantities, but nothing else that seem ed to throw any light on this curious subject. One additional argument against Lord Woodhouselee's theory is found in the fact of the ramparts of loose unvitrified stones, appearing at what we suppose to have been the entrance, or least defensible part. This, probably, would be the first to have been set fire to, had it been constructed of sand stone. Some further discoveries must be made before any thing approaching to freedom from objection can be offered. We must, therefore, still refer to the questions proposed at the conclusion of our former article. See Letter to Sir halter Scott, Bart., con taining Observations on Vitrified Forts, ‘S-e. by Sir G. S. Mackenzie; published by Waugh & Tunes, Edinburgh, 1824; and the article FORTS, Vitrified.