SLAINS-AND-FORVIE, a parish, in the county of Aberdeen, 5 miles (E. by S.) from Ellon; containing, with the villages of Collieston and Oldcastle, 1211 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the shore of the German Ocean, received an augmentation, at what period is uncertain, by the annexation of part of the adjoining parish of Forvie; the rest of which had been overwhelmed by the changing and drifting sands upon the coast. It is of triangtilar form, measures upwards of six miles in extreme length, and is bounded on the south-west by the river Ythan, by which it is separated from the parish of Foveran; and on the north-west by the Forvie burn, separating it from Logie-Buchan. It comprises a total area of about 9000 acres, and the greater part of the land is under cultivation; there are some peat-moss, fifteen acres of wood, and 1900 acres of sand-hillocks, partly covered with short coarse grass called bent, and anciently belonging to the parish of Forvie. The line of coast measures about six miles; it presents in most places bold, craggy, and precipitous rocks, frequently rising 200 feet high, and is deeply indented with fissures, bays, and caves. Some of the caves are celebrated for their interesting petrifactions, especially the Dropping Cave, or White Cave of Slains, which exhibits beautiful white stalactical incrustations. These breaks and caverns were long the haunts of smugglers, and the receptacles of large deposits of contraband goods, being found well adapted for concealment and security. One of them, called Hell-lura, is more than 200 feet in length, with an arch in some parts thirty feet high; while another, called the Needle's- eye, is ninety feet long, four feet wide, and from twenty to thirty feet high; it forms a massive body of rock, and in stormy weather a grand and imposing scene is presented, from the impetuosity of the waves. The surface of the district is undulated, and strongly marked by drifting sands, or links, extending from the shore, and, as already stated, covering an area of 1900 acres. This was formerly under profitable tillage, but is now an irrecoverable desert, and the sands continually, though very slowly, make further encroachments on the good land. The locality is particularly bleak and stormy, and entirely bare of wood, excepting a few acres of plantation on the estate of Leask; the dampness and severity of the climate prevent the growth of trees, and wholly forbid the hope of bringing garden fruit to maturity. Copious springs of excellent water pour forth from numerous rocks on the coast. There are three lochs, two of which, called Cot-hill and Sand loch, each about fifteen acres in extent, arc supposed to have been formed l)y tlic drifting of the sand. The otiier, called the Mucklc Loch of Slains, is by far the largest and most beautiful, covering about seventy acres, and being nearly surrounded by the Kippet hills. These hills rise gradually to the height of fifty or sixty feet, and form a ridge of gravel mixed with smooth pieces of limestone weighing from one to sixteen pounds: this limestone was formerly burnt and applied to agricultural use, but has now been superseded by the importation of English lime. The grassy covering of the acclivities greatly improves the scenery of this sheet of water, which in some places reaches the depth of more than fifty feet. The Muckle Loch renders the district where it is situated strikingly interesting. The SOIL runs through almost every variety, but its prevailing character is clay. Oats, bear, and turnips are raised of good quality, especially the last, to the improvement of which great attention has been paid by the careful selection of the seed, and the plentiful application of bone-manure. The only permanent pasture is a small tract along the sea-coast. A portion of fine rich land with a loamy soil, occasionally in grass, stretches nearly across the district; it belongs to the estate of Cluny Castle, and is grazed by large flocks of sheep. The rotation system is followed: and draining, the reclaiming of waste land, the erection of new farmhouses, and the improvement of the breed of cattle, have all been carried on with spirit, agricultural enterprise having received a powerful impulse from the facilities of steam navigation. The rocks on the coast consist of gneiss and mica-slate, occasionally intermixed with quartz; and blocks of granite are sometimes to be seen. Sand is obtained in large quantities, of a calcareous nature, and greyish hue; it is used advantageously as manure on damp or wet soils, but, on account of its hot nature, has been found highly injurious on matured grounds. The annual value of real property in the parish is £51.57. The only mansion is the house of Leask, a substantial and elegant residence, built about twenty or thirty years since. There are two villages, Oldcastle and Collieston, which are principally inhabited by fishermen engaged in the white-fishery, comprising ling, mackerel, turbot, whiting, halibut, skate, soles, flounders, haddock, and cod; the two last kinds are taken in very large quantities, and form the chief articles of traffic. In addition to this, five boats have gone for the last few years, with success, to take herrings at Peterhead. The river Ythan is frequented by swarms of almost every description of wildfowl, and is well stocked with salmon, grilse, various sorts of trout, eels, and other fish. It is found especially serviceable for its abundant supply of mussels, which furnish bait not only to the fishermen here, but also to those of many other villages on the east coast, and the right of taking which is rented at £300 per annum. Cod-fishing commences in October and ends in February, and the fish caught, amounting in the season to above 20,000, are contracted for by a dealer who sends them pickled to the London market; the haddocks are cured and forwarded to Leith and Glasgow, and large quantities of the mussels are sent to Aberdeen. The Ythan is navigable for a short distance from the sea, and forms an important means of communication, by which vessels come to the parish with bone-manure and lime, and return laden with grain: they also bring coal, but a considerable portion of the fuel in use is peat, obtained from a moss of 250 acres. The post communication is with Ellon; but the produce of the soil is sent for sale chiefly to Newburgh, sometimes to Aberdeen and Peterhead. Ecclesiastically this place is in the presbytery of Ellon, synod of Aberdeen, and in the patronage of Colonel John Gordon, of Cluny: the minister's stipend is £217, with a manse, and a glebe worth £9 per annum. The church, standing within 300 yards of the shore, was built at the beginning of the present century, and accommodates 654 persons with sittings. The parochial school, for which handsome premises were erected in 1838, affords instruction in Latin, mathematics, and navigation, in addition to the elementary branches; the master has a salary of £30, with a house, and £14 fees. Slains Castle, the former residence of the Hay family, was demolished by order of King James VL, in consequence of the Earl of Errol having joined in the Earl of Huntly's rebellion. It must have been very secure against approaches and attacks, occupying a peninsular rock more than 100 feet high, with communication merely by a narrow defile on the north. The foundation of the old church of Forvie is still visible on the sands, and is the only relic of the lost parish. On the grounds of Leask stand the ruins of the chapel of St. Adamannan, a disciple of St. Columba, consisting of a gable and a Gothic window overspread with ivy: the edifice was erected, as is supposed, about the close of the sixth century.