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On Thursday morning Surrey left Wooler, leading his army northward. He passed through the village of Doddington, proceeding as far as Barmoor Wood, which lies east from Flodden Hill, and distant from it about six miles. Here they encamped for the night. This was a strategical movement on the part of Surrey, which, as we shall see, proved him to be the skilful and efficient general that he was. His army, being partly hid from the Scots by the Barmoor heights, was unperceived by James. Had the latter been sufficiently watchful as to Surrey's movements he ought certainly to have been aware of the exact position which the English army occupied. This movement of the English leader, when perceived by James, puzzled him not a little. He beheld them marching in a direction every step of which was bearing the enemy farther from the Scottish camp.

Next morning (Friday) Surrey caused the rear and vanguard portions of his army to separate. The latter, under the command of Lord Thomas Howard, marched in a northwesterly direction, or as it seemed, towards the Tweed. The rearguard, under his own immediate command, marched directly westward towards the Till. An examination of the accompanying diagram* will show exactly the disposition and separate routes of the two wings of Surrey's host. The vanguard, with the artillery and heavy baggage, crossed the Till at Twizel Bridge, and thence marched directly towards Branxton Ridge. Their movements are thus graphically described by Sir Walter Scott in his "Marmion":- :

"From Flodden ridge

The Scots beheld the English host
Leave Barmoor Wood, their evening post,
And heedful watched them as they crossed
The Till at Twizel Bridge.
High sight it is, and haughty, while
They dive into the deep defile;
Beneath the caverned cliff they fall,
Beneath the castle's airy wall.

By rock, by oak, by hawthorn-tree,
Troop after troop are disappearing ;
Troop after troop their banners rearing,
Upon the eastern bank you sec.
Still pouring down the rocky den,
Where flows the sullen Till,

And rising from the dim-wood glen,
Standards on standards, men on men,

In slow succession still,

And sweeping o'er the Gothic arch,
And pressing on, in ceaseless march,

To gain the opposing hill."

As already stated, Lord Thomas Howard commanded this portion which was divided into two wings, that on the right under Sir Edmond * From want of space held over till next month.

Howard, on the left under Sir Marmaduke Constable.

Surrey and the rearguard crossed the Till at Sandyford:

Thus over plains and hills they passed,
Until they came to Sandyford."

This portion was also composed of two wings, the right under Lord Dacre, the left under Sir Edward Stanley. James's inaction in thus allowing the English army, disjointed as it was, to cross the Till without striking a blow, is thus again commented upon by Sir Walter :

"And why stands Scotland idly now,
Dark Flodden on thy airy brow,
Since England gains the pass the while,
And struggles through the deep defile?
What checks the fiery soul of James?
Why sits the champion of the dames
Inactive on his steed,

And sees, between him and his land,
The host Lord Surrey lead?”

These two divisions-in accordance no doubt with a previous arrangement-met at the village of Branxton, and, in the fields lying to the south-west at once formed themselves into divisions in a line running directly east and west. The Earl of Surrey with his rearguard was stationed near where the vicarage now stands, supported by Sir Philip Tilney, Henry Lord Scrope of Bolton, with other noblemen from the northern counties. In his rear, and on either side, he was supported by Lord Dacre and the Bastard Heron with 2,000 horse. These were placed in readiness to give speedy assistance to Surrey, whenever occasion arose. Eastward, on Surrey's left, were drawn up a large division of horse and foot soldiers under Sir Edward Stanley, assisted by Sir William Molyneux and Sir Henry Kickley. The vanguard under the command of Lord Thomas Howard, assisted by his brother Sir Edmond Howard and Sir Marmaduke Constable, formed in position at the extreme west-that is at the north-west base of the " Piper's Hill." The whole English force, forming a somewhat narrow line (necessarily so from the nature of the ground), would be about a mile and a half in length.

(To be continued).

Border Motes and Queries.

REPLY.

SAMUEL RUTHERFORD.-In Border Memories, edited by James Tait (1876), it is stated that this well-known divine "was born at Nisbet, then a parish, but afterwards annexed to Crailing."

Glasgow: Carter & Pratt, Printers.

A. T. G.

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J'

Effie, a Border Poetess.

BY WM. SANDERSON.

F there is one thing true about our beloved Borderland, it is the oft repeated statement that it is a land of song; yet not a few of those who glibly use the phrase have but a faint idea of the extent of its truthfulness. Only those who have gone in and out among the people in their Border homes, or trod the floors of our busy Tweed factories, can approximately estimate the extent to which the poetic spirit is diffused among the sons and daughters of the Borderland.

This wide diffusion of the gift of poesy is not altogether to be wondered at, for do not the very winds that sweep along our hill-tops, linger in our glens and valleys, or sigh among the forest trees, seem laden with the refrains of the grand old ballads and lays which fired or soothed our forefathers in "the brave days of old?" A true Borderer cannot help having some of the poetic temperament in him, for he has been accustomed to think poetically from his earliest days, and while the staple employment in most of our Border towns is the manufacture of Tweeds and kindred industries, this does not seem to retard but rather to encourage a literary bent in the employees. The click of the shuttle, as it flies from end to end of the loom, seems to have some rhythmical charm about it, and is doubtless responsible for much of the poetry which appears in the corners of our Border papers, or is "born to blush unseen in humble obscurity.

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It is astonishing how many of our factory girls
have the faculty of verse, but we shall reserve
our space at the present time to a few notes on
the career of one who, by her beautiful poems
beauty to factory life.
and hymns, has done much to give dignity and

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shire, better known as
Mrs. Gavin Dickson, of Romanno, Peebles-
stock, and her literary tastes are attributable in
Effie," comes of a good
some measure to heredity. Her grandfather, who
was employed at the Haining, Selkirk, was an
who delighted to walk with him and discuss poetry
intimate friend of Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd,
and literature. He contributed many letters
to the Kelso Mail on various subjects, and in
many ways proved his decided literary bent.
His daughter, Agnes Milne, afterwards Mrs.
Williamson and mother of "Effie," got most of her
education from her father, and, to a large extent,
inherited his literary tastes.

was a remarkable woman, and her poems were
In many ways she
of such merit that she found a place in the
Living Bards of the Border, a volume published
in 1859, by Messrs. Paton & Ritchie, Edinburgh,
and long since out of print. As an essay writer
she showed considerable skill, and gained three
prizes in public competitions for essays on
"Temperance," "The Bondager System," and
"How to promote harmony between Capital and
Labour."

The subject of our sketch was born in Gala

shiels, where she attended a Dame School for a short time. At eight years of age she went to Walkerburn with her father who was one of the pioneers of that thriving village. The nearest school was at Innerleithen, and the walks which she took to and from it along the hillsides and through the woods with a girl companion, had doubtless much to do with instilling into her that love of nature which has been one of her peculiar joys through life. The trees of the Pirn Wood, as they waved their dark branches overhead, seemed to be real personalities, and the future poetess delighted her companion with the

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wonderful tales she told of their sayings and doings.

After returning to Galashiels for a short time, the family went to Selkirk, where Effie finished her education at Miss Laidlaw's school. Shortly after leaving school she entered one of the woollen factories in Selkirk, and soon became a skilful powerloom weaver. In 1868, her father, Mr. Williamson, obtained a situation as manager in one of the departments in Blarney Woollen Mills, near Cork, Ireland. Thither the family went, and, as the mills were owned by a brother of the celebrated Father Prout, they had frequent opportunities of seeing that humorous and musical poet, as he was a frequent visitor at his

Peebies and West Linton.

Dear Blarney Groves,

Again my willing fancy roves

Thy witching bowers;

Each haunted spot fond memory loves.

Having left Blarney, the family resided for a time in Corran Glen, near Kinsale Junction, and afterwards in Cork city. In Corran Glen they were surrounded by mud cabins, and had four miles to go for their letters, the duty of lettercarrier falling to Effie who might have been seen riding side-saddle on her faithful donkey. Here they had the misfortune to realise the meaning of a Boycott, long before that word had been associated with that particular mode of coercion. The Fenian agitation was at its height, and our

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