Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-09-05
EUROPEAN LETTER.
EDINBURGH.

n
is the commercial metropolis of Scotland. so
Edinburgh is its artistic and literary center.
She can refer with pride to such list of men
distinguished in the intellectual world. as few
cities can equal. Sir Walter Scott. Robert
Burns, Dugald Stewart, Hume. Playfair, Pro-
fessor Wilson, DR.. Chalmers, John Knox. and
long list OF others, who are associated with
she city, have given it place in the worlds
regard which it can never lose.
Like mos. cities Of the old world Edingurgh
dates far into the past for its origin, and owes
its location to its facilities as a stronghold
The high rock in the center of the city, upon
which the castle is built, is so conspcuously
suitable place for fertilization that we are
not surprised to find that it was so used even
before the Roman occupation of the island
For the last 500 years there has been castle
on the rock with town or city at its base.
The present city is located on both sides of
what was originally deep gorge, but which,
in the course of time. has been partly filed in,
until now it is largely pleasure ground known
as Princes Garden. The old city is on the
castle side, while the new, which has mostly
been built within the past hundred years, ia on
the opposite side of this garden The three
central points of interest in the city are the
Castle, Cation Hill, and Holyrood Palace and
Cathedral.
Probably majority of travellers visit the old
Castle first, both because of its own atsrac-
tions and for the sake of the fine view of the
city which is obtained from il The Castle,
which is reached by long carriage way, has
been added to by successive sovereigns until
it now consists of large number of rooms,
the most Of which are without attraction to
the traveller We notice with interest the
apartments occupied by Queen Mary, aud the
lar1r chs ka1 -
nine feet long, in which her son, James vi,
was born, and from q narrow window of which
he was let down in basket by a rope to the
base OF the rack nearly 800 feet below, and
| taken secretly to Sterling to be baptised in
the Catholic faith. Queen Margaret's chapel,
which is said to be the Oldest edifice in The
city, is a small building Of the purely Norman
style, and is perfectly preserved. 1t remains
Just as in her times, with the exceptions of
| the oak floor which has been renewed. The
crown room contains the jewels and regalia of
the former kings of Scotland, which, while it
| has been worn by many famous in history has
| brought disaster upon them all. The armory.
like the museums in this city and in other cities
of Scotland, contains relics associated with
| nearly all her historic heroes. For instance.
the number Of two handed swords which the
brave Robert Bruce had is astonishing to the
hfcIdSo iluii, VIM HAS HOL even one
| small one, If we are to accept as true the rec
ords of various museums. The Palaces, Par
Lament Houses and other splendid buildings
| which have been built On this rock at various
times, have either been destroyed or despoied
of their ornaments and changed into soldiers
barracks On the walls of the castle are many
curious but obsolete and useless pieces of ar.
| tillery, among them the huge "Mons Meg a
twenty inch cannon, with an outer covering
| made of hoops driven on. 1t was made more
| than 400 years ago, and burst firing a salute
| 200 years ago. The fortress was once taken
| by few men who with their heavy iron armor
| on, climbed up the steep side of the rock in
the nigh. and surprised the garrison OF the
crimes, romances and seiges of this famous
| old place, which have extended over period
| of several hundred years, we have no time to
speak, and indeed, of themselves. they would
! fill many volumes. From the different parts
Of the walls of the castle the whole of the city
and surrounding country for miles around can
be plainly seen.
At the foot of Canongate street, on the Cd.
posite side of the old city from the Castle is
Hollywood Palace. Its many rooms are divl-
| ded in much the usual way into picture gal.
leries, state rooms and private apartments,
which in general are without special interest
except those which are associated with the
tragic life of the beautiful Queen Mary. We
| are shown Lord Darnley's rooms, fitted up
| with great elegance for the time in which he
| lived, and cotaining his richly inlaid suit of
| armor and other relics. Adjoining are the
apartments Of Queen Mary. We are surprised
| at the small size of the supper room from
which the luckless favorite Rizzio was dragged
from the very feet of the Queen and murdered
in the adjoining audience chamber. The
ICylId aft rnpto 20 oh L
upon the floor in front CT the little stairs down
| which the conspirators escaped, but after
striking light and examining the floor on
our knees We gave it up and suggested to him
that It would save travellers q great deal of
trouble and disappointment If some fresh
blood were placed upon the spot occasionally
1t requires good deal of ssfaith'' to be able
70 see the 'fneffaceable" blood stains after
the fading and scrubbings Of more than 800
years. But to me the saddest of all were
Mary's private rooms, which yet contain
much ofthe furniture of her time, and remem-
brances OF her. On little table by the win.
dow is her work box, with her needle work
In it as If she had laid il down but q little
while ago. The bed in which she slept,
which was once beautiful, is now rotting and
dropping in pieces from the effects of time in
spite OF care. The tapestries with which the
walls are hung are faded but are IN better
condition. All the surroundings of the place
have been kept as nearly as possible as she
lett them.-As we linger in these rooms and
IN the adjoining cathedral, which are so filled
with memories of history, where Mary mar
ried Darnley, where she listened in tears to the
harsh reprooi of Knox, where her favorite
was so foully murdered, and where she after
ward married Boutwell,, it seems TO us like
looking over the long lost illustrations of
some volume of history
Connected with the Palace are the ruins of
the Old Abbey, which are even yet rich
enough in ornament to show how magnificent
It must have been in its prime. Within its
now roofless and crumbling walls several of
the minor kings and princes of the realm are
buried. As we stand within this venerable
ruin, with its walls so thick that its builders
doubtless thought it would stand forever,
ard try to read the names and inscriptions on
the time worn tablets, we cannot but think
how vain are mans attempts 10 immortalize
himself, and how soon even nature trinmphs
over all the works of man.
On the opposite side of the gorge from Ho-
lyrood is Cation Hill, on which are the Old
and New Observervatories, Nelson's monu-
ment, which from its peculiar shape has been
called ga Dutch spy glass;" and the unfnish-
ed National Monument to Scotland's soldiers
who fell at Waterloo. This wal modelled after
the Parthenon at Athens, but proving TO be
too expensive the plan was abandoned after
the work was partly done and the incomplete
building is now nicknamedssS cotiand's Folly. -
| Upon or near the hill are monuments to Du-
gald Stewart, Prof. Piayfair, David Hume,
and the Burns monument with its memorial
room and mementos of the poet. The High
School is also located part way down the hill.
There is no object more conspicuous as
one looks over the city than the beautiful and
costly Scott monument, which is on COM
handing situation on one side of the Princes
Garden. II is two hundred feet high, in gen.
eral appearance not unlike the spire Of some
great cathedral but is open at the base, COW
ering sitting figure of Scott Of heroic size.
This and the Albert memorial at Kensington
are the monuments of this kind, and they are
most beautiful and appropriate. The new
city has wide streets, tine residences and many
open squares, which are generally ornamented
with statues Of prominent men.
On and near Canopgate street which ex-
tends practically from the Castle to HoIyrood,
are most of the places of interest in the old
city. Near the Palace at the foot of Canon
gate, formerly stood Girth Coss, place OF
public execution, now marked by a circle in
the pavement Just beyond is White Horse
Tavern, which figures largely in "Waverly''as
| q place OF meeting for English offI Ice re- II