It frequently occurs in strata of considerable thickness, and is employed in building, for which purpose both the red and white varieties are quarried. It more commonly however occurs in thiu horizontal beds, which are soft, brittle, and easily decomposed. No coal is dug in the county. The trap formations of the border hills comprehend green stone, basalt, trap tuff, amygdaloid, and especially a felspar porphyry of reddish-brown colour. In the red-sandstone districts, trap rocks are frequent. Limestone is procured in some parts of the county, but it is neither good nor abundant Soil and dgriculturc.—The soil in the western parts of the county, where the predominant rock is grauwacke, is generally thin, cold, aud clayey, but capable of improvements by underdraining, aud of pro ducing good though late white crops. The red-sandstone district, where the sandstone is finer grained, and more clayey and adhesive, is marked by a deep rich red soil producing its harvest rather early ; but where the sandstone is more siliceous and loose, the surface is covered with a barren sand. The trap and porphyry district is usually covered by a loose, light, warm, and dry soil, except in the bottoms, where there is commonly a deposit of rich strong clay loam. The highest parts of the trap district afford fine sheep-pasture. The arable land, from the great improvements which have taken place of late years by the introduction of the drill turnip husbandry, the use of manures, better draining, and the intermixture of the feeding and grazing of live stock with tillage, is exceedingly fertile. On the larger farms the incloeures contain from twenty to forty acres. The number of sheep annually raised has greatly increased since the beginning of the century, considerable attention having been shown both to the breeding and the feeding of them. The Cheviots are put on the hill pasture., and the Leicester, or long-wooled, on the lower grounds. The Teesdale, or short-horned, is the common stock of cattle; but the Ayrshire and the Highland breeds are also kept, the breeding of cattle being much attended to.
Divisions, Towns, ct-c.—Thie county is divided iuto 30 parishes, of which 5 are partly in other counties. There are 4 divisions of the county, namely, the districts of Melrose, Hawick, Jedburgh, and Kelso. Its popular division iuto Teviotdale, Liddesdale, &c., has been men tioned above. It contains 5 market-towns :—JEDBUlarti, the county town ; HAWICK and KELSO, described under their respective heads ; Castictown and Melrose, which we notice here.
Castletown, or Newcastleton, a market-town in the southern part of the county, had a population in 1851 of about 1030. Tho castle is a massive border tower, or fortress, nearly 100 feet square. The town consists of two long parallel streets, which are lined with neat new houses, on tho right bank of the Liddel. The old village of Castle town (so called from a border fortress now demolished) was situated higher up the vale.
Melrose, a burgh of barony, is situated on the right bank of the Tweed, 30 miles S. from Edinburgh, and 12 miles N.W. from Jedburgh. The population of tho town in 1851 was 966. It appears to have been the seat of a religious community in the time of the Saxon heptarchy. In 1136 David 1. of Scotland founded here a Cistercian abbey, the ruins of which yet remain. They are chiefly of the abbey church, which was cruciform ; the length of the nave and choir was 258 feet, the breadth 79 feet; the length of the choir alone about 50 feet; the length of the transept was 130 feet, the breadth 44 feet. The walls of the nave, choir, and transept are standing, and part of the central tower. The shaft of an ancient cross in the centre of the village is surmounted by the crest of the earls of Haddington. The town of
Melrose consists of a central triangular space, with streets diverging from it. The place has an air of antiquity, and some of the houses have in their walls stones with inscriptions derived from mediaeval times. The parish church is on an eminence west of the town. There are a Free church, and United Presbyterian and Episcopal chapels ; several schools, a library, and a savings bank. A suspension-bridge crosses the Tweed for foot-passeugers and single horses. The only manufacture is that of woollens, in connection with the mauufactures of Galashiels.
The following villages may be noticed : the populations are those of the parishes in 1851 :— Aneruni, population 1554, is on the right bank of the Ale Water, 4 miles N.N.W. from Jedburgh. The battle of Ancrum Moor was fought in 1545 on a field about a mile and a half north from the village. Near Ancrum are several caves hewn out of the rock on the bank of the river. The remains of a British fort are near the village. In the centre of the village green is an ancient cross. Denholin, population of the parish of Cavers 1495, on the right bank of the Teviot, 5 miles N.E. from Hawick, is a thriving village, depeudent chiefly on the stocking manufacture carried on at Hawick. There are a Free church, a chapel for Independents, a subscription library, a free library which contains about 1000 volumes, and a parochial school. Of the old baronial castle of the Douglases, the former sheriffs of Teviotdate, which was of considerable strength and importance, there are now no remains. The town of Cavers was destroyed by the English in 1596. Lessudden, population of St. Boswell's parish 884, is pleasantly situated on the right bank of the Tweed, 5 miles S.E. from Melrose. Of the ancient village of St. Boswell's there are now no remains. Besides the parish church there is a Free church. An extensive fair for sheep, cattle, horses, linen, pedlery, &c., is held on St. Boswell's Green on July 18th. Lillicsleaf, population 798, about 9 miles W. by N. from Jedburgh, possesses a parish church, a chapel for United Presbyterians, a parochial school, and a library. In the times of border warfare there were in the village and vicinity several forts or peels ; of these the remains of 14 existed till within the last century. There still remain small portions of one or two of the towers. Morebattle, population 997, about 10 miles S. by E. from Kelso, on the Kale or Kail Water, a feeder of the Teviot, contains some good houses. Besides the parish church there are a Free church, a chapel for United Presbyterians, a parochial school, and ri parish library. Roxburgh, population 1141, is on the left bank of the Teviot, 4 miles S.S.W. from Kelso. The ancient town of Roxburgh, formerly the county town, was at one time the fourth in point of importance of the towns of Scotland; but scarcely any remains of it now exist. The houses were mostly of wood. The ruins of the celebrated castle of Roxburgh are a short distance west from the site of the old town. _Kirk Yethobn and Town Yetholm are burghs of barony in the parish of Yetholm, which had a population in 1851 of 1352. The villages are situated near the border of the county and of Scotland, about 8 miles S.E. from Kelso. Two annual fairs are held in each of the villages. Besides the parish church there are chapels in Town Yethohn for the United Presbyterians and United Original Seceders. Kirk Yetholm is remarkable as the head-quarters of a community of gipsies which has been settled here for about 150 years.