The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-09-14

Narar9cr ErcEs.
SIKH district, composed Of Talbot. Dorches-
Ter, Somerset, and Worcester counties, John
", crisieId t...,..
Correspondence Ne,v York Commercial Advertiser
EDlNRUrGH, August 10, ls47.
Since last wrote to you have had the
pleasure OF seeing a good deal Of this very
interesting co.ntFy. have gazed upon the
battle fields Of Preston Pans and Bannock-
burn upon the castles oil Edinburgh and
STEERING; upon her Ben Lomond, Benledi,
Sc; upon her Loeb katrine, Loeb Loinond.
&c.-all beautiful, nf solEe them magnificent.
But Ihave seen Switzerland with her m oun-
tain passes, her Jura, her Alpine regions,
hst lakes, Sc, which took away, in some
@epree. the nteres. of what had 10 see in
Scotland.
R1t there were scenes in Scotland that
were altogether new and o. high interest.
! spent some pleasant hours at Melrose,
at Abboisiord and at DryDuIgh. "
When we left Edinb lrgh our party num-
b red six Americans. Rev DR.. P of Bath,
Maine, with his friend Mr.. r.. Mr.. S., of
Portsmouth, N. Fl. Mr.. s., of Phladelphla,
f..and myself Our first days ride brought
US to the pleasantvlage of Melrose. where
we spent The night at the comfortable MOTEL
of Mrs. Thompson. The next morning
our firstwalk was TO view" Melrose Abbey"
This noble pile elualied al. our expectations
AMI carried our minds back to days long
passed. You, and perhaps most of ycur
readers. are ACC tainted with ali that is in
teresting through the writirg- of sir Walter
Sect, bu as stranger, and on my first
wish, may be perm!ted to say few thing
IN reference TO it: as we have nc such an
tiquities to look upon in our countrv.
Melrose ,!3bcy was founded by David
Isl, in lbs, and was dedra,ed to the V.r-
GU May, i: was dest: owed by the English
in 1922, and, some years after, aober. Bruce
causedit to be, repaired T.e rnius, as .aey
now appear, are the a,lmiraton of ,aousard
who visit them It is considered the nost
netff work Of ecclesiastical e
the age in which i. was nuilt "I'he stone
OF which it is bait, though it has resisted
the weather for so many ages, retains per-
feet Sharpness, SO that the most minute or
namenls seem as entire as when first
wrought The principal entrance Is by o
rich moulded Gothic portal. Over the door
vav is magnificent window, twenty-four
feet high and sixteen in bIeadlb, divided by
Iour ba.s or muliiCns The carving upon
the pedestals and caaopies Of the inches is
exquisitely sculpturei in the forms OF plants
and animals. The Eastern window is I'M
conmolly beautiful. Sir Walter Scot, in
describing 1t, says ..... ."
"Tb& moon on the Es-. or Ell shone ,
Thr h slender shafts Of shapely stone,
BY foisg d tracerv combined
Thou Uoulds't have thought some fanys hent
u 'Twixt popars straight 10 osier wand
In many fteakish knot hal twined;
Then framed a spell when the work was done
Aud change the willow wreatks to stone"
TIE foliage upon the capitals of the pl
aSers is SO nicely chiseiled "lhat straw
can be made to pass through the in.erstices
b@twcen the leaves and stalks" Sir Wal.
ter recommends that The Aboey be viewed
by moonlight, and thus describes such
scent - 49, ..- .......
IF thou wouldst H,ewfair Nieiroso Alright,
Go visit i b! pale NOON ligLi
For the gay beams OF lightsome day
@"sI ~ w HOa tLe Iuli,S gre
When Tie boken riches are black in niyb,
And each shafted o,is gmmefa white
VI hen th" cold lights uncertain shower 3d.
Streams on the ruin'd centa! tower;
When butrccs and bptre alternately,
Sem Trained ofebon and ivory;
W hen sllvgr eugca tae imagery,
And tUg aet, that teach thee to live and 1ie !;
wren distant Tweed is heard TO rave,
And the oNet TO boot DER the dead mans grave,
Then go--bui go alone the while
tlen view st. Davids ruined pile,
al AonereturnlGe, eoohlv swear,
was AeVer SCENE 70 sad ard fair
While ] was looking over these lines the
ancient clock in the tower, which had not
before noticed, toIled forth its solemn note
mat time was passing, and fastened to
look upon the stones that covered many OF
the mighty dead. There lay large slab Of
polished marble, Of greeuish black color,
wt.h petrified shells imbedded in it, covering
th" d. st Of Alexander The end. Next my
attention was directed TO the spot tina, con-
taIne.l the heart Of King Robert Bruce-Wil-
liam Douglas, "lhe dark Knight OF Lddis-
d4le''-James 2nJ, Eari oil Douglas, SC.
Our carriage waited for us on the bank of
the Tweed 10 take us to Abbotsford, where
we arrived after a pleasant ride Of four
miles. ~. ...
This celebrated residence is visited by so
many Of ,ur coun;rymen, and SO often de-
Sc bed by the m, that there is nothing new
u describe. II may not be amlss to say
that fsw Americans visIt Scotland who do
M 60 to Abbotsford. i looked over the
pages of the register, AMI from the com
mrncement of August to the present day
tee. wers some thigiy-fye names oil A.
mrticaos catered among hem was cur mu-
'N'' tn nd CA'npelI, of New York.
ne en.ra' ce TO 'le house is by porch
way, adorned with fos Il stag; horns, INTO
ha'4. inr wells cs this hail are panne-
led "'th 'c"l$ cavyed,oak from ,he palace
I" Du"iernIinc, and the roof consists Of
p"iAted arch # IL same material, Rouud
me cornlce ~ a line ri coals-e.morial, richly
blazoned, pei"nglag 10 the families who