soon clear it at our expense." After the first
lot was stationed, another and another followed in succession, which
were placed beside the others, till perhaps there were 200 altogether;
the different lots being all kept completely separate for the
inspection of purchasers. Mr Geddes never went south with cattle, but
sold them all at home. In a bad year he once got as far south as
Tillyfour with 120 cattle in November. They were at Tillyfour a night,
and my father bought them in the morning, but they were about a mile on
the road before the bargain was struck. No one could have seen Mr
Geddes without pronouncing him a man of mark.

But the greatest dealer the county could claim, and one at the same
time deeply engaged in agriculture and its interests, was Mr James
Innes of Durris. Mr Innes was born at Leuchars in Morayshire; his
father was Sheriff of Kincardineshire, and proprietor of Leuchars; his
brother, Cosmo Innes, Esq., was Sheriff of Morayshire. The father of Mr
James Innes bought the lease of the estate of Durris for ninety-nine
years from the trustees of the Earl of Peterborough for L30,000 and an
annual feu-duty of a few hundred pounds. Owing to some new views of the
law of entail, the Duke of Gordon, the legal heir of the Earl of
Peterborough, turned Mr Innes out of the estate after he had expended
L95,000 in improvements, and after the case had been in court for
fifteen years. Mr Innes farmed extensively, having had seven or eight
farms in his own occupancy at the same time. He rode on horseback
yearly to Falkirk, and bought a large lot of Highland cattle. He
generally had 200 cattle, 1500 sheep, and from ten to twelve pairs of
horses on his farms. Mr Innes's horses went at the top of their speed
in cart and plough; they had all breeding. No standing was allowed when
the horses were in harness. In a busy day in harvest, and when the
horses were yoked double, you would have seen Mr Innes's horses driving
in the corn at a smart gallop. The harvest-carts were wide, railed and
framed on both sides, with one or two cross bearers. In a "leading" day
Mr Innes was a sure hand at the fork in the stackyard, and the man on
the stack and the man on the cart had to look out. Mr Innes was no
trifler, and would not be trifled with; but if an accident happened he
made no remarks. He did not transact business by commission, but
purchased both the cattle and sheep himself. The aged West Highlanders
were sent to the wood duri