The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-10-02
VOL. XXXIII.
Aitllnlontl Glispatcl1.
....OCTOBER 2, 1861.
Glanis Castlc-An Entertainment There to
The SavanS.


York Tritot"e, in the course of one of his let
tcrs relating 20 the recent convention Of the
British savans at Dundee, gives the following
very interesting sketch of an excursion by
several of them 10 Glamis Castle, and their
hoSpitabic entertainment there. 1t was in
this castle, according to SHAKESPEARE, that the
" virtuous DUNCAN was foully I" taken off
by MACBETH "Thane Of Glamis." The host
that now does hospitality there is one OF far
gentler dispositions.
The writer alluding to the time toward the
close OF the deliberations of the wise men
when the people of the locality begin to dc
them with dinners and junketings-a very
happy conclusion to scientific discussions
says that the excursion season having fallen
due -
"On Saturday there were several. The
most numerous was 10 the University of ST.
Andrews, with it's famous ruins and adjacent
geological wonders. There, too, is the castle
where Cardinal BeatCn was murdered and
Wishart was martyred. l chose Glamis Cas-
tic because of its Shakesperean associations.
The region OF Glamis is weird like, through
which the railway engines (Which smoke here
rs in noother part of the world, tear like fire
iiends. Two stone men stand grimly on either
side the castle gate. There We're Sculptured be-
fore fig leaves were known 10 art. wild walk
brings you upon an open glade, where, IN per
feet preservation, the stately Castle OF Glamis
stands. Glamis is Il pretty name. There are
names that smell OF faggots in this district.
Take "Burnturk,n for instance. Some un-
happy Mosicm tasted Purltanic fire down here
one day. But GlamiS is, in document saw
in the castle, spelled Glammis,' the noble
owner of the castle pronounces the name
g CLANS" which has Il touch OF tetanuS in
| the sounds. The interior OF the castle is an
cicnt, going back TO the pre-Norman time.
Ia, plI q n
STYLES of architecture. Tho exterior, of the
date of lS2l is mostly of the French castcl-
lated style massive round towers, clusters OF
circular pnnaclpS and tnrrets which give 1t
an air of gaicty and strength. Shakespeare
exactly describes it, even to its very atmos-
pherc, when he says
"This castle hath pleasant seat: the air
NiHbiy and sweetiy recommends itself
Unto our gentle Senses
There stands ut Il distance in frcnt two plain,
austcre- looking towers, which We're formerly
part of ln exterior tortification, encrcling the
castle, and must have been in the eye OF the
dramatist when he wrote the injunction
"Hang out the banners upon the outward WALL
There was z thanedom of Glamis and Tan
nadice granted by King Robert II. in 1871, and
Glamis was 4 royal manor century earlier.
Duncan was not murdered here, us the play
Saws but he might have been. Malcolm H.,
an earlier king, was. The low, long, and
arched rooms OH the first floor, 1T which the
visitor arrives on entering the castle, is exactly
the banqueting chamber set upon the stage,
and close by is the chamber where the murder
of Malcolm is said to have occurred in 1854,
and in which there is every convenience Tor
throwing the body out OF the Window IA
yorite Scotch method of disposing OF friends
who had answered their purpose in those
times Adjacent are too large rude halls, Of
ancient date, the ceiling being decorated III
1921 after the manner then introduced. Other-
wise the chambers have the ineilable charm OF
rude antiquity. Their very baroness Is 4 bless
ing The grim actually of by:Sone times is
over the anterior. SO powerful are the inilu-
cnccS of poetry and imagination that one
could not help feeling that the actual scene IN
Macbeth was there present. There was the hali
dark, half glarinS lamp.lit chamber, Wnere nr
the banquet was held when Banquo strodc
across. You could hear Duncan struggling III
the chamber near, and believed you stood on
the very steps up which the tOtterins muir
dcrcr stumbled. The chamber door opened
again, us il did when the steei-nerved lady
came out to revive her terror and conscious
stricken husband. You glanced through the
dim windows and saw the guards lifting
among the trees, and the " knell WAS dying
away up the dark glade, which night left
| blank among the trees. There is real tragedy
| enough in the castle. The widow OF the sixth
| Lord of Glamis, beautiful woman, was
| burned 10 death on Castle Hill, Edinburgh III
| 1897 for Witchcraft. 1t was afterWard found
out that the unhappy lady was innocent. Su-
| perstition is always despotic aud destroys
| high and low who suiier it to prevail. There
| is an old royal bedstead in the castle, ana also
| an ancient one of the kinghorn family united
| 10 the Strathmorc. A descendant OF the Burnt
| Countess became Earl of Strathmore in 1912
! The present chapel i'll the castle is entirely
| covered with paintings OF Il Scrlptur;tl chlrac'
| ter by De Witt. They are so oVcrlaid with
v:rnish now that no opinion can be formed OF
| their merits.
| The Earl and Countess of Strathmore, the
present occupants and owners OF the castle
| are Young and handsome persons, OF natura
| and unaffected courtesy of manners, Welcom-
ing every one of their hundred guests i'll The
| fraukest spirit. There are an indefinite serle:
of intelligent children, who appear TO nave
| been graduated annually. The third son was
| the best guide in the castle. ne rah every
where. said everything, and said ii we'll. Ht
| led stray stolid visitors into out-oi- the-WaN
| chambers and screamed rs he threw open the
doors and when II fat philosopher slartee
| back thinking Duncan'S body had pecn dls
| covered Young Stra thmore shouted: There
| Ihayefrightcued 4 member of the British as
! sociation It's only dark room where We
| keep the china This lively guide has
| chamber filled with collection or stones
rathered on the beech, and he took everybody
| to- see them, and tell him their geological
names and got Sir Charles Lyell tt
pore over each specimen. lIhe oanque!
| prepared, was laid out in one OF the olc
halls, and was princely IN It's delicacy ;lnu pro
| given luncheons like the one given by the pre-
| sent Earl 10 the philosophers, 5anquo mac
come back every night wearing 4 radiant lace
| The wines would have done credit 10 lhe StiIl
and Garter Tavern, when bank directors dlnt
| on Richmond Hill, but There was one locl
| mixture handed round, probable OF u lami:
| rcputation, which had the taste OF abslnlh'
| vinegar supposed it 10 be the drink Lazy
Macbeth took in her tart ana herce 1noous C9
| during the repast the elder son stood behlnl
his father and the second at the back OF III:
mother. Sir Charles Iyell made a very dll!l
cult thing, Il good after dinner speech
Sir Charles is the only philosopher 1T tht
| Association who is formal without being dull
He said the StrathmoreS were one OF the mos
ancient families of Scotland, but MS carr
experience of Glamis was connected VIII
something more ancient than the Stralhmores
He discovered AZ the foot OF Sldlah allls
where they were then seated, the Oldest lossi
known, and another i'll the line OF rock OF
which the Castle of Glamis was bullt wa;
thought to be nothing less IMAM Il lossil
ser:lphim. Great laughter he went 10 ses
il, and there, OH q piece OF roch' "nS = "a, :
surface of laminated scales, more IKE q nsl
than nything else, and yet not ike any lns
he had ever seen. He was very much puZZleu
and as the seraphim, IL was tnouSnt, n,u
their wings somehow composed OF scaies
il was concluded that the new discover
would be portions Of these wings. Laugh
teri And this seemed reasonable loi
if n seraphm should leave anything ~
The rock of Glamis 1T would no @ @uoup
be its wings. For some ten or nlteel
wears no fresh light was thrown upon 'ne u, "
Goo, nnrn A n,yyiz came from America and ht
Examined the fossil and he said, Well, cal
answer for it that IL could never nate os. 80
flsh and so we continued TO call it sera
phm. [Laughter.l When, however, IN. un.
science OF Pal;rontology was carried on, II W WI:
found thai this discovery of seraphim was
nothing else than portion of q 81 santic &C erus,
tacean.in short, OF u large lobster, [CTrea1
laughter.l But 10 compensate Tor TINS gre"
fall in the character OF the 1osSil-llausi'e,