Dumfries is beautifully situated and is one of the handsomest county towns in Scotland.
Dumfries, Annan, Kirkcudbright, Lochmaben and Sanquharthe "Five Carlins" of Burns's Election Ballads - combine to return one member to Parliament.
As a parliamentary burgh Dumfries includes Maxwelltown, on the opposite side of the river, which otherwise belongs to Kirkcudbrightshire.
Dumfries markets for cattle and sheep, held weekly, and for horses, held five times annually, have always ranked with the best, and there is also a weekly market for pork during the five months beginning with November.
Although Dumfries was the site of a camp of the Selgovian Britons, nothing is known of its history until long after the withdrawal of the Romans.