MONIKIE, a parish, in the county of Forfar 35 miles (W. by N.) from Muirdrum; containing, with" the villages of Craigton, Guildie, and Guildiemuir, and the hamlet of Bankhead, 1317 inhabitants. This parish is supposed to have derived its name, of Gaelic origin, from the character of its surface, rising into an elevated tract of upland moss. It is said to have been the scene of the death of Camus, the Danish general, who, after the defeat of his army by Malcolm II., was slain here; in commemoration of which event, a stone pillar in the form of a cross was erected on one of the hills, thence called Camustane. The extreme length of the parish, from north-west to south-east, is about seven miles, and its greatest breadth rather more than five; comprising an area of nearly 6000 acres, of which 4450 are arable, 500 woodland, and the remainder moor and waste. Its surface is marked by two ranges of hills, stretching from east to west in a nearly parallel direction, and dividing the parish into three several portions, which ditfer materially in climate and §oil. Of these, the range lying to the south of the Downie hills, and sloping towards the mouth of the Tay, has a rich and fertile soil resting upon trap and gravel, and producing abundant crops of grain of all kinds, and especially of wheat and barley of excellent quality. The soil in the central district, which is a valley between two ranges of hills rising to the height of 400 feet above the level of the sea, is in many parts a thin black loam on a wet and tiUy substratum, difficult to work, and producing only oats: in other parts the subsoil is gravelly, and good crops of wheat, barley, and oats are raised. The third portion, which has an elevation in some parts of about 500 feet, is a swampy tract of moorland, extending along the northern boundary of the parish, and of which only very small portions are cultivated with any success. The Downie hills are chiefly of whinstone of good quality for building and for roads, with sandstone, which is quarried to a considerable extent; and in the northern district is an extensive bed of slatestone, well adapted for pavements. Beautiful specimens of agate, spar, and jasper are found in the traprock of the Downie hills; and along the summit of the range is a great variety of plants. The system of agriculture has been progressively improving for a considerable time, and is now in a very efficient state: the chief crops are wheat, barley, oats, turnips, and potatoes, for all of which a ready market is found in Dundee, whither, also, the produce of the dairylands is sent. The farm houses and offices are substantial and commodiously arranged. Considerable attention is paid to the breed of cattle, under the auspices of the agricultural societies of the county; and all the modern improvements in implements of husbandry have been generally adopted. The plantations are chiefly of fir; but they are not in a very flourishing state, and there are still some large tracts of waste that might be planted with greater success. The annual value of real property in the parish is £3151. The principal villages are Craigton and Guildie, the former containing 162 and the latter 158 inhabitants, who during winter are mostly employed in the weaving of linen for the manufacturers in the neighbouring towns of Dundee and Arbroath. Great facility of communication is afforded by the turnpike- road from Dundee to Arbroath, and by the Dundee and Arbroath railway. At Dcnficnd, on the old road from Dundee to Brechin, a strong massive bridge of one arch is erected over a precipitous chasm fifty-five feet in depth. Some years ago, a proposal was made for supplying the town of Dundee with water from the highest district of this parish, and surveys were made, and an act of parliament obtained, when some difficulties arose as to the manner in which the inhabitants were to be assessed; an expensive law-suit followed, and the proposed object was abandoned. In the year 1844, however, a new company was formed, fresh surveys made, and in the session of 1845 an act was passed, giving the company the necessary powers for executing their works. According to the plan, the water from the springs was to be collected, and conducted by an aqueduct upwards of two miles in length to a reservoir and clearing-basin, together covering more than ninety acres, a httle to the west of the village of Craigton; the water to be thence conveyed by another aqueduct and pipes, a distance of above nine miles, to Dundee. For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of Dundee and synod of Angus and Mearns: the minister's stipend is £'239. 16. 9., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £12 per annum; patron, the Crown. Monikie church is a substantial structure erected in 181'2, and contains 900 sittings. There is a place of worship belonging to the United Presbyterian Church. The parochial school is well attended; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a house and garden, and the fees average about £20 per annum. Other schools are supported principally by the fees; the master of one of them has a house rent free, and a small annual gratuity from the Kirk Session. On the hill of Camustane is a handsome column 105 feet in height, rising from a rusticated pedestal containing a room for visiters and accommodations for the keeper. It was erected in 1839 by the tenantry of Lord Panmure, the principal landed proprietor, as a testimonial of their attachment to a landlord who, during a long life, has made the interest and comfort of his tenants his peculiar care. From the visiters' room, in which is a bust of his lordship by Chantrey, a spiral staircase leads to the balustrade above the capital of the column, which is surmounted by an ornamental vase. Affleck Castle, though long uninhabited, is still entire, and forms an interesting memorial of baronial grandeur. Hynd Castle, on the northern boundary of the parish, is an ancient square tower, of smaller dimensions, situated on an artificial mound. There is also a tumulus near the western extremity of the parish, called Hare Cairn, supposed to cover the remains of persons who fell in some hostile encounter near the spot.