The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-09-19
OUR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENCE.


land. Next comes Dunblane, with its
partly renovated, ruined cathedral, dat
ing from 100. One endof this has been
rooted over and is used by the Presby-
terians, and the other in the same way
by the English church. 1t is interest
ing to us chiefly from Tanuahilis song,
"Jessie, the Flower Of Dunblane." Two
miles beyond is Bridge Of Allan, a de-
ightfully-situated watering place, Wis
tied by 10000 to $1,000 people annually.
Just beyond Allan, and rot far from
Sterling, on Abby Craig, 800 feet above
the sea, is the beautiful Wallace monu-
ment, 22O feet high, modelled from the
old Scottish baronial style.
a mile more and we are at Sterling,
from whose lofty castle walls more his
torlc territory can be seen than from
any other point in England or Scot
land.
History cannot specify a time when
there was not fort upon the lofty and
precipitous rock on which Sterling Cas-
tie is situated. a part Of the present
/ fortifcations are known to have been
built 10y the Romans. This splendid
castle, the key to the land Of the Scots,
has been held time and again success
sively by the Scotch and the English.
/ It's last siege and capture was by Gen.
Monk, under the great Cromwell, in
1857. \ long line Of Scottish kings from
James the I. to the VI. occupied it.
Kings were born here, crowned here
and died here. From its lofty walls on
a clear day, twelve Of Scotland's great
battle-felds can be seen, including Ban
nockburn, where Bruce with 10000 men
defeated 10000 English, and won the in
dependence Of Scotland.
In the far distance Arthu's Seat, a
mountain near Edinburgh, 30 miles
away, appears. The whole north is shut
in by Highland mountains, while to the
south and east can be seen the may,
winding course Of the Forth, the rich
ness OF whose lands is embodied in an
old proverb, "a crook Of the Forth is
worth an earldon Of the north" To
the south can be seen the flag staff
erected upon the field of Bannockburn.
Just below the castle is the field
on which the tournaments used to
be fought, and the groundyet shows the
formation Of the lists. As we looked
down from the old walls upon the tilt
ing field, we could almost see the gay
equipments OF armored knights as they
collected upon the field preparing for
the combat Part way down is the
ladies' seat, from which the ladies Of the
court viewed the contests Of arms and
feats Of strength. The high ramparts
from which the whole surrounding
country can be seen are named respect
lively, Vic;oria's Lookout and Mary's
Lookout The former was a favOrite
place with the present Queen and her
consort during their visit in 1912. Their
initials are cut on the walls, and the
traveller is invited to stand upon the
stone from which the Queen viewed the
extended landscape. At another angle
few yards further on, is a small aper-
ture through which Queen Mary is said
to have witnessed the passage at arms
between the knights in the tournament
field. Under the castle are many dun
geons, in one of which Rob Roy is said
TO have been confined.
The castle consists of many buildings
erected at various times, in different
r styles of architecture, and for various
e purposes. The most Interesting of then
all to the traveller is the Douglas room
: or the star chamber. IN this room
: James II. stabbed the too powerful Ear
e Of Douglas, at the close Of heated dis
i cussion, after which his attendant
dragged the body into closet and threw
I it from a window into the moat below
b The skeleton OF a man in armOr dug al
< under the window nearly $50 years after
! tends TO confirm the tradition. Tn
body was buried when it was dug ul
e in front of the door under the window
Z Scott in his "Lady Of the Lake" allude
! to this.
ID aye towers within whose circuit dread
a Douglas by his sovereign bled.n
p The closet Of the Douglas room has
( stained glass window with the Dougla
4 arms and the motto, "Lork Sickar.
d A door from this closet leads to an un
5 derground passage, which has been ex
j plored for a considerable distance
4 Among the euriosities in the Dougla
2 room is the communion table date l50C
i used in the castle by John Knox, an
the pulpit from the Chapel ROya
+ called Knox's pulpit. They are bot
= verv shabby and dilapidated, and
e will be necessary to have new ones soor
!. chairs of James III. and James v
: which are more rickety and uncomfor
4 able than when l sat in them five veal
Il AGO. an oak model of the old Scottis
% crown. which was such poor fit f
" me that I can now better see the forC
+ Of the saying, Uneasy rests the hea
s. that wears a crown" There is also
y collection Of battle-axes, kettle drum
,e Iochaber axes, from Bannockburn,
= roval fitting lance of James VI, aud
collection of rusty and badly used U
mixes As we wander for hours throug
a This venerable relic of the past, no
shabby with neglect and shorn Of all j
'n elegance, it seems to US on