The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-05-23

{ WI v s. II p ]. R B v LII. s.
fit them for res peotable conditions in so
ciety. -5s57 q "a a q ..s
ABBoTsEof RID ~ returned to Mel.
rose, and visited Abbotsford, which is
nov open to The inspection Of strangers
only two days in o week, Wednesdays
and Fridays, IRON 2 to s O'Clock. Ab,
botsford, so ,lamed because near the
fording place jof the river, is three and
o half miles Fl ON Melrose, situated on
the banks of the Tweed; butts now i,is 80
surrounded and sembosomed in trees.
that theiriver is scarcely visible from,
rhe houses. y5
This plantation which seems unite
extensive, was Stated to have been made
BY Sir Walter Sctot; yet the size Of
many of the trees would indicate an
earlier origin. The house is of stone !,
ola castellated form, and Of very mod.
crate dimension 3. "A crowd of carria.
gessw at the 1,ate, and we were oblig.
ed to wait until some of the visitors came
out, as only one party is admitted at
o time. $40
tthe gate hangs, bya short chain,
a coarse iron II ng called Jug, which
was formerly us'ed at the church door,
when offenders were collared at the
entrance, so that the congregation
might spit upon them as they went in;
quite likely to call out temner. Which
certainly was mot in very good keeping
with the servi zee in which they were
about to be engaged. Whoever looks
at such objec IS rs these--..at the instru-
ments of tort. lure in the Tower of Lon
don, and, above all, in the arsenal at
Venice-rea'scts with tho deepest de-
preston and. humiliation Of heart, how
human Ingenuity and skill have been
prostituted to invent instruments of tor
ture, and to- crafty, under the profes-
sed name Of religion, some the worst
passions which can swell the human
breast. a marble statue of Scott's
favorite dog, Mazda, is placed befvre
the study window, to mark the purial
place of this humble but faithful friend.
The hall into which we enter is hung
with various pieces and suits of armor,
and instruments of war. Two statutes,
one representing knight in full armor,
with sword long and heavy, that it
would seem Only suitable for show, and
the other a knight in full fitting armor,
are placed at the end of the room; and
there are likewise shown the KEYS of the
old Iolbooth, or prison in Edinburgh,
celebrated &C in the Heart of Mid Lothian.
The hire place has CRATE, which belong
ed to Archbishop Sharp, and Roman
Kettle K. said to be 1000 years old, qnite
like our modern cast iron pots. The
next room shown was the armory, filed
with small arms of great variety,
among others q sword of Celtic origin,
OF OF curious workmanship, presented to
Sir Walter by the city Of Edinburgh.
Into this room We were allowed to luok,
but not to enter. should have snid
that the suit Of armor on one of the
knights in the entrance hall was report
ed to have been found on the field Of
Bosworth.
The Fireplace in the entrance hall
was modelled after the arches in the
ruins Of Mclrose Abbey; and a hart of
ceiling in recess of the dining room
is ornamented with carved word, called
tho Star of Bethlehem and copied from
the beautiful chapel at Roslin Castle.
Wewere shown, afterwards, the din
ing room in which are several most val
liable pictlres; one of Oliver Cromwell,
admirable and very rare; one of Charles
XII. of Sweden; one of General Fair
fax; and most touching one of the
head ofmary Queen of Scots after her
execution--.t is an original, and Sir
Walter Scott would never suffera copy
to DC taken. One cannot help execra-
ting the memory of Queen Elizabeth.
In another room we were shown sever
al pictures of the Scott family; Lady
Scott, SCOTS second daughter, Anne
Scott, and an admirable portrait of
Scott himself, by Leslie.
The next room shown us was the H.
brary, containing some thousand vol
umes, carefully guarded from removal
by wire grating. Hero was a fine
bust of Wordsworth, one of Shakespeare,
taken from his toa,b at Stratford, and
above all Of Scott himself, by Chantry,
full of lifo md aynrasc;on II +h;e ,oo,,