Star.
London, England, 1830-09-24 00:00:00

A NIGHT IN THE CASTLE OF OLAIIMIS.

nom eta WALTER SCOTT'S LETTERS ON DEMONOLOGY

AND WITCHCRAFT.—FAMILY LIBRARY, NO. 16.
The vivacity of fancy which engages us in youth to pass over much
that is absurd, in order to enjoy some single trait of imagination, dies
within us when we obtain the age of manhood, and the sadder and
graver regions which lie beyond it. I ant the more conscious of this,
because I have been myself, at two periods of my life, distant from each
other, engaged in scenes favourable to that degree of superstitious awe
which my countrymen expressively call being eerie.
On the first of these occasions I was only nineteen or twenty years old,
when I happened to pass a night in the magnificent old baronial castle
of Gleam's, the hereditary seat: of the Earls of Strathmore. The hoary
pile contains much in its appearance, and in the traditions connected
with it, impressive to the imagination. It was the scene of the murder
of a Scottish King of great antiquity ; rot indeed the gracious Duncan,
with whom the name naturally associates itself, but Malcolm the Second.
It contains also a curious monument of the peril of feudal times, being a
secret chamber, the entrance of which, by the law or custom of the
family, must only be known to three persons at nom, via. the Earl of
Strathmore, his heir apparent, and any third person whom they may
take into their confidence. The extreme antiquity of the building is
vouched by the immense thickness of the walls, and the wild and swag.
gling nt of the accommodation within doors. As the late
Earl orarlirlat rlmtewe seldom resided in that ancient mansion, it was,
when I was there, but half furnished, and that with moveables of great
antiquity, which, with the pieces of chivalric armour hanging upon the
walls, greatly contributed to the gene al effect of the whole. After a
very hospitable reception from the late Peter Proctor, F.l4q. then series.
ehal of the castle, in Lord Strathmore's absence, I was conducted to
my apartment in a distant corner of the building. I must own, that as
I hard door after door shut, after my conductor had retired, I began
to consider myself too far from the living, and somewhat too near the
dead. We had passed through what is called the King's room, a
vaulted apartment, garnished with stags' antlers, and similar trophies of
the chase, and said by tradition to be the spot of Makolm's murder, and
I had an idea of the vicinity of the castle chapel.
In spite of the truth of history, the whole night scene in Macbeth's
elude rushed at once upon my mind, and struck my imagination more
forcibly than even when I have seen its terrors represented by the late
John Kimble and his inimitable sister. Ln a word, I experienced ern.
sations, which, though not remarkable either for timidity or superati-
don, did not fail to affect me to the point of being disagreeable, while
they were mingled at the same time with a strange and indescribable kind
of pleasure, the recollection of which affords tue gratification at this
moment.
Sit WALTZI SCOTT AND TIM GLASOOWEGIAIL—The filters.
/owe of Glasgow hays disgraced themselves by the silly and illiberal
way in which they have treated the name of Sir Walter Scott. At a
meeting held of the stewards appointed to make the necessary arrange.
memo. and prepare the toasts, a Mr. Douglas spoke to the following ef.
feet t—" The toast of Sir Walter Scott and the literature of Scotland
am never be permitted to stand. Asa politician, he is the very sere of
eseithans—as An historian, be falsities histsq systematically, palliates
granny, and decries liberty andridiemies its martyrs. far from being
the people name to connect with Scottish literature, reversing the besot
dAugustas. dist he foued Rome brick smile& it marble, he found tie
literature of Soodand cheeks!, and by his prose left it vulgar." Tha
WC *VW Judeene w MOO: and, in Nan
.w thabuntoomd a nun berof the stew, bin tandeeral
their This petty prejudice will east a Si. gamic.
ter of G ow, as it has marred the harmony of a public meeting,
whose object was that of showing their respect for the talents sad ser-
vices et Mr. Hume.—North Dribs,