769
In Neilston parish there have been found some petrified shells and stones
with the impressions of trees on them (m). Many uncommon minerals and
fossils have been found in the channel of the Cart. There is a stream which
falls into it, a little way above the bridge, which it would appear has the
power of petrifying vegetable substances. Pieces of wood and moss completely
converted into stone have been discovered, bearing all the marks of their
former textures. Spars and crystallizations of very curious forms and appear-
ances have also been found (n). In the parish of Lochwinnoch has been
discovered, two miles from Castle Semple, a very singular magnetic rock.
The compass was sensibly affected all round the rock to the distance of 150
yards; but in every direction the effect was greatest as the compass was
carried nearer to the rock itself (o). In Kilbarchan parish there is a quarry
of excellent free-stone on the western side of the Barrhill, and a remarkable
circumstance attending this quarry is, that the freestone has coal over it, and
whinstone above the coal next the surface. The northern side of the Barrhill
is perpendicular basalt incumbent upon coal, which was formerly wrought to a
considerable extent. This fact seems to overturn the prevailing theories of
natural history (p).
§ IV. Of its Antiquities. The people and their speech are the earliest and
most interesting antiquities of every country. The same Celtic tribes who
occupied South Britain, also planted Northern Britain during very early
times. Their descriptive language still appears on the county maps of
Renfrewshire, and Renfrew, the name of the shire town, is pure British when
properly understood and truly applied to the original site of the town, and the
river which glided by it.
At the epoch of the Roman invasion, the Celtic tribe of the Damnii, which
besides other districts inhabited all Strathclyde, the countries of Ayr, Renfrew,
and Stirling. Their towns were Vanduaria, which is supposed to have been
very near the site of Paisley, Colania and Coria on the east side of Clydes-
dale, Alauna on the river Allan, Lindum near to the present Ardoch, and
Victoria at Dalginross, on Ruchel water.
The Roman period of the North-British annals would supply real anti-
quaries with many objects, such as the Roman roads, their camps, their
villas. All these have been described in the first volume of Caledonia. The
site of Renfrewshire lay within the Roman province of Valentia. The
Roman army forded the Clyde a little above the rock of Dumbarton in
(m) Stat. Acc. of Eaglessham, ii. 148.                                 (n) Ib. v. 346-7.
(o) Ib. xv. 69.                                   (p) Ib. 495.