Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-12 00:00:00

RUUGH'NOTES FROM EDINBURGH.

TO TILE• EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIKREf.

Sir,—We were summoned to our windowz again
last Friday,' by the call, 41 The fire is hurtling
again and surely enough there were half--a-
dozen VJindo-sys in Bank-street blazing again,
the sthouldering ruins not having been sufficiently
subdued •by -the antagonistic element of water,
and so two-. more stories, or "fiats," were des-
troyed. It -.appears that there has been no such
fire here since 1824, and the =rairis,ere daily
visited by Thousands, and, I hear, are to be duly
photographed by some of the many followers of
that art;--which is carried to a good deal of perfec-
tion here.

The-system of dividing Ittouses-intofiats is not
confined to the low parts of the old city. In the
rrew"city, and in some of finest streets, you
pass along "blocks of buildings -al-most palatial ;
and amidst--much that speaks of wealth and style,
you; find a row of dingy windows,,reany of which
are often" broken, and under these, on 'the lowest
story, is a door, often dingier than the- windows,
flanked by door posts, with three-er four bells on
each side. communicating -with so many seßarate
residences: leading from n "comnun stair."
It would ',be quite interesting to-reckon upon
how many : door-plates one --sees inscribed
" advocate?' or " W. 5.," standing for our barrister
and solicitor. To be entitled to write advocate
-after one's name, is here a:passport to a. certain
-rank of society,- and many a ":briefiess" lawyer
uses it for-that object. Still, one can see that
there is a great deal of law, -and a great deal
of physic, too, in this metropolis, and it
is no uncommon thing to Ind the plates of
•several merc.bers of the " healing art" upon one
and the same door-post. You are, no doubt,-aware
that the University here turns out a good many
surgeons and physicians annual-iii On the last
" capping day" about 90 received their diplomas.
The term capping" is derived from the ceremony
which is in vague when these 'honours are confer-
red, and which consists in placing, by the principal
of the university, upon the head of each " passed
man," a cap, and pronouncing the words, " Te
kloctorem metlieiate ereo"—whereupon the individual
is let loose upon society to kill or cure, and dubbed
-a doctor. Upon the list of professors I noticed the
name of T. S. "'Trail!, well known years ago when
he practised in our good old time, and now full of
years and honours. Christion, who was prominent
evidence in a late trial for poisoning here, and
'Doctor _Simpson, whose reputation in the branch
of human ailments, to which he more especially
attends, is sounded throughout Europe, and in
America. I see his contributions to •surgical
-science, in the shape of two large volumes, have
been considered -so important as to be reprinted.
Like most men of genius, -I am told he is of a
-retiring disposition, but his honours have come
thigh and fast upon him. I have just handled a
beautiful insignia of the order of St. Olave, lately
presented to him drom Sweden,:in testimony to
his. eminent talents and contributiens to science.
-It would grace any .breast, simply as a beautiful
piece of•workmanship, and it may carry a title, and
something more substantial, but this I do not
know. hope it may.
Bait you may be sure that law and physic do
not engross all the great names here. Great
divines, many of whom are great authors, are also
nutneraus. Dr. Guthrie is one of the most popu-
lar as a-preacher and a writer. It requires a
great deal of patience, or some little favour, to get
chance to hear him in his own church, so great
is the desire to hear him. Read, also, the follow-
ing notice from a Scotch paper :
:Famito • Catil.en.—Mr. Thomas Knot haa lately been
vutertainipg temperance audiences in the city by reading (?)
the sermons of the Rev. D Gathrie, lately published.
That dingy palace of Holyrood is being prepared
to receiva liar Majesty in a little more becoming
state than heretofore. The grounds around it are
being enlarged, so as to afford the Royal Family
some little spaoe for out-of-ioor privacy and exer-
cise_; but there is a good deal to be done to give
the 0151-fashioned structure that air of brightness
and royalty which should mark every plade of
residence of such a Queen as ours. But the Seotch
are ?road of her occasional visits, and the sub-
stantial benefits thereof are apparent- in the nu-
merous tradesmen's signs proclaiming the royal
patronage, and which are not despised by-Scotch-
men or Englishmen either.—l am yours truly,
10th August,-1851. T. B F.

THE RIVINGTON WATER.