The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-10 00:00:00

THE FIRST VISIT TO SCOTLAND.

" On Board the Royal George Yacht,
Monday, Aug. 29, 1842.
" At five o'clock in the morning we left Windsor for the
railroad, the Duchess of Norfolk, Miss Matilda Paget,
General Wemyss, Colonel Bouverie, and Mr. Anson fol-
lowing us. Lord Liverpool, Lord Motion, and Sir James
Clark, who also accompany us, had already gone on to
Woolwich.

" We reached London at a quarter to Si; got into our
carriages, and arrived at Woolwich before seven. Albert
and I immediately stepped into our barge. There was a
large crowd to see us embark. The Duke of Cambridge,
Lord Jersey, Lord Haddington, Lord Bloomfield, and Sir
George Cockburn were present in full uniform. Sir
George handed me into the barge. It was raining very
hard when we got on board, and therefore we remained in
our sitting-room."

Then comes the account of the sea voyage, during which
the Queen was ill, the sea being very ruugh, and she was
much displeased that the yacht made sue..l4 slow progress :
"At five o'clock in the morning we heard, to our
great vexation, that we had only been going three knots
an hour in the night, and were fifty miles from St. Abb'
Head.

" We passed Coquet Island and Bamborough Castle or
the Northunwerland coast, which I was unfortunately
unable to see ; but from my cabin I saw Ferne Island,
with Grace Darling's lighthouse on it ; also Rocky
Islands and Holy Island. At half-past five I went on
deck, and immediately lay down. We then came in sight
of the Scotch coast, which is very beautiful, sc dark,
rocky, bold, and wild, totally unlike our coast. We
passed St. Abb's Head at half-past six. Numbers of fish-
ing-boats (in one of which was a piper playing) and
steamers full of people came out to meet us, and on board
of one large steamer they danced a reel to a baud. It was a
beautiful evening, calm, with a fine sunset, and the air se
pure.

" One cannot help noticing how much longer the day 3
are here than they wore in England. It was not really dark
till past eight o'clock, and on Monday and Tuesday even-
ing at Windsor it was nearly dark by half-past seven, quite
so before eight. The men begged leave to dance, which
they did to the sound of a violin played by a little sailor
boy ; they also sang.

"We remained on deck till twenty-five minutes to
nine, and saw many bonfires on the Scotch coast—at
Dunbar—Lord Hadaington's place, Tyninghame, and at
other points on the coast. We let off four rockets, and
burned two blue lights. It is surprising to see the sailors
climb on the bowsprit and up to the top of the mast-
head—this, too, at all times of the day and night. The
man who carried the lantern to the main-top ran up with
it in his mouth to the top. They are so handy and so wel
conducted.

" We felt most thankful and happy that we were near
our journey's end."

Her Majesty's first impressions of Edinburgh will reca.
those of every one who has had the happiness of seeing
modern Athens. Her Majesty passed through it on her
way to Dalkeith. " The impression Edinburgh has made
upon us is very great ; it is quite beautiful, totally unlike
anything else I have seen ; and what is even more, Albert,
who has seen so much, says it is unlike anything he ever
saw; it is so regular, everything built of massive stone,
there is not a brick to be seen anywhere. The High-
street, which is pretty steep, is very fine. Then the Castle,
situated on that grand rock in the middle of the town, is
most striking. On the other side the Calton Hill, with
the National Monument, a building in the Grecian style;
Nelson's Monument, Burns's 11Ionument, the gaol, the
National School, &c., all magnificent buildings, and, with
Arthur's Seat in the background, overtopping the whole,
form altogether a splendid spectacle."
" The country and people have quite a different charac-
ter from England and the English. The old omen wear
close caps, and all the children and girls are barefooted.
saw several handsome girls and children with long hair;
indeed, all the poor girls from 16 and 17 down to 2 or 3
years old, have loose, flowing hair ; a great deal of it red.
As'we came along we saw Craigmillar Castle, a ruin, where
Mary Queen of Scots used to live.

"We drove out together. The park at Dalkeith is very
extensive, with a beautiful view of Arthur's Seat and the
Pentland Hills; and there is a pretty drive overhanging a
deep valley. At eight we dined—a large party. Every
body was very kind and civil, and full of inquiries as to
our voyage."

Scottish experience would be incomplete without a plate
of porridge, so the Queen writes :—" At breakfast I tasted
the oatmeal porridge, which I think very good, and also
some of the Finnan haddies.' Albert says that many of
the people look like Germans. The old women with that
kind of cap which they call a`match,' and the young
girls and children with flowing hair, and many of them
pretty, are very picturesque ; you hardly see any women
with bonnets. Such a thick ' Scotch mist' came on that
we were obliged to drive home through the village of Lass-
wade, and through Lord Melville's park, which is veil
fine."

Her Majesty's account of the return to Edinburgh, her
description of those picturesque Scotch fisherwomen, the
sketches of Dalkeith, the Pentland Hills, the route to the
Highlands, we must omit. The first view of Taymouth
made a deep impression.
" Taymouth lies in a valley surrounded by very high,
wooded hills ; it is most beautiful. The house is a kind of
castle, built of granite. The coup d'ccil was indescribable.
There were a number of Lord Breadalbane's Highlanders,
all in the Campbell tartan, drawn up in front of the house,
with Lord Breadalbane himself in a Highland dress at
their head, a few of Sir Niel Menzie's men (in the Menzie's
red and white tartan), a number of pipers playing, and
a company of the 02nd Highlanders, also in kilts. The
firing of the gulls, the cheering of the great crowd, the
picturesqueness of the dresses, the beauty of the surround•
ing country, with its rich background of wooded hills,
altogether formed one of the finest scenes imaginable. It
seemed as if a great chieftain in olden feudal times was
receiving his sovereign. It was princely and romantic.
Lord and Lady Breadalbane took us upstairs, the hall and
stairs being lined with Highlanders A small
fort, which is up in the woods, was illuminated, and bon-
fires were burning on the tops of the hills. I never say,
anything so fairy-like. There were some pretty fireworks,
and the whole ended by the Highlanders dancing reels,
which they do to perfection, to the sound of the pipes, by
torchlight, in front of the house. It had a wild and very
zay effect."
Elsewhere the Royal author writes :—" The view of
Edinburgh from the road before you enter Leith is quite
enchanting ; it is, as Albert said, ' fairylike,' and what
you would'only imagine as a thing to dream of, or to see
in a picture. There was that beautiful large town, all of
stone (no mingled colours of brick to mar it), with the
bold Castle on one side and the Calton Hill on the other,
with those high sham hills of Arthur's Seat and Salisbury
Cragi towarin aP9Ye all, and making the finest, boldeoll