The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-10-03
OUR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENCE.


LII ltE NlMhlE Fti T.
TIE LAND OF SCOTT.
There are few places in E1rope which
have been visited 10y more people or
have been more often or better described
than Melrose Abbey. Hardly any one
Of the slightest literary pretensions can
be found who cannot recall picture of
IL from some point Of view. Probably
there are not more than three or four
ruins in all Europe which can compare
with Melrose ia interest. While il is a
complete ruin, for it is unoccupied and
without a roof even, it is yet in so per-
feet a state Of preservation as to show
its wonderful architecture, aud 20 give
a good understanding Of what its beauty
must have been before it was wantonly
and wickedly destroyed. II has the adj
ditional charm Of having its ragged
and crumbling walls 50 covered with
ivy, that beautiful mantle Of nature,
that the haIshness and desolation Of the
ordinary ruin are entirely wanting, and
from the dead past seems 10 have sprung
a joyous and living present.
The structure whose ruins are so much
admired, was commenced in 1925, al
though a building devoted 20 some form
Of religions worship had occupied the
same place ia the immediate vicinity
eight hundred years previous. At first
the Abbey was very small building,
costing no more than two thousand
pounds Of the money Of that period. IL
was occupied by community Of Cis-
tercian monks, who were enjoined by
the rules.of their order to constant and
faithful labor. They therefore engaged
IN agriculture, in transcribing and il
I Illuminating manuscripts, and particu-
Iarly in the construction and ornamen-
tatiou Of the grand buildings whose
ruins are now found all over England
aud Scotland. There is no better pie
ture Of patience and perseverance, than
these paius-taking monks iaborinl
faithfully year after year, with theiI
own hands, welding the mallet an,
slowly cutting out these wonderful or
namental carvings Of flowers, plants
and curious aud grotesque figures will
which both the outside ami inside o
the church was covered. Much Of thi
work yet remains, that, even after th
storms Of hundreds of years have beatel
upon il, shows the wonderful delicacl
aud beauty it originally had.
Entering through an iron gate on IN
west side OF the grounds, We are at one
in the midst Of the ruins. On the righ
is a long corridor, which is filed will
curious old monuments, most Of then
so worn by time that their inscription
cannot be read. Passing partly throug
this and turning TO the right, we ente
the cemetery by narrow doorway un
der the south window. The whole sout
front is the best preserved side Of an
Of the building, and, although weather
worn and decaying, is grand in its pro
portions. On one Of the towers can ye
be seen a part Of the face of the ol
, clock. with part Of one Of the hands yC
remaining. The paint has long sine
gone from its face and the boards eve
are cracked aud weather-worn. Th
venerable aud aged face, as it were jus
dropping into the tomb, needs no il
scription Of tcmpits JUgh to impress o
us the fact that time flies. Passin
around TO the east side, we see I'll
east window, which is a marvel {
u beauty as it stands in the ruined wal
II is 81 feet high by 2S feet broad, an
i divided into five parts by perpendicl
lar mullions, and these were divide
into a large number Of smaller section
by delicate stone work, much Of whiC
:, remains until the present day. On Il
extreme right the massive corner is ei
: tirelv covered with a wonderful growth
ivv. which completely obscures the stoi
work and falls in gracefully sweepiI
curves toward the ground. On the rui
at the left grass and flowers are GROWN
and on a corner Of the wall, rose-bui
,os in fuU bloom fifty feet from 4
ground. while birds were merrily sin
i,g and flying back and forth from the
,,as,s in the ivy and shru0bery on 6
pr ruined walls
From within, the ruins are equal
striking and impressive. Although {