New-York tribune., 1879-03-29
PARIS AND EDINBURGH.

DISTTLIERY-NOTRE DAME AND Si "ii4h''
typo, IN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT oF THE rRBUSk'I
EnIxpupcu. Feb. 6.-There is little in common
between Paris and Edinburgh. and. although the
Frencb and Scotch peoples have kind of tradi-
t,onal friendship for each other, there is as little
in common between the austere citizens OF the
amid gray toon and the brighter residents Oh
the CAV capital of France Travellers from the
Seine TO the Forth have, however, INDUCED IN COM
parisons which somehow or other, usually END IN
the statement of several points of contrast IL may
be said in the first place, that nature mas
done more for Edinburgh than art can do fOr faEls'
In this lies the essence of all the differences
between two cities, which might be sald 10 DO
eonally beautiful did their beauty not Delong 10
orders that are radically distinct The Seine is 10
Paris an avenue Of travel. an element Oh poauS'
and a source of health and cleanliness Inc vie"
from almost any point within the city, and nota-
blv that toward the south and west, is bounded
bv ranges of low hills suggestive. not OF
grandeur. but of the picturesque. and OF sunny
slopes in Summer weather. Edinburgh on the
other hand is built upon hills and Its streets rlSe
and fall and wind round TO suit the pecuarltes OF
its site. few miles to the south Is the Fehtlahu
range in the city's midst are the Castle mn anu
Calton IIil and near by in the queens farA Is 'he
tumbed mass of hill and crag.
Looks down upon the fOrth'
There is no Seine at Edinburgh. The Forth, al
tboupb one Of the most notable and grand features
of the landscape when looked at in clear weather
from the Calton is too far distant to be Welghed
AGAINST tine Scine Apart from IT there Is no run
ming or tidal water. with the exception OF the
water of Leith. an insignificant and dirty brook
winch dashes itself in tiny spleen along It's rocky
bed ot the foot of the very charming valley to the
north of Dean Bridge, settles into sluggish putrldity
near Stockbridge, and so creeps slowly on toward
Ieith II will thus be seen that the main feature
of either city finds no counterpart In the otner'
Edinburgh without its hills would still bear no
resemblance TO Paris Paris without the seine
would still bear no resemblance 10 Eu'hpureh' INC
distinction becomes even more marked when the
features of the two cities most nkely 10 impress
Themselves upon the memory are arrayed in juxta-
position One cannot revert to Ians without re-
calling its miles of spacious Boulevard, It's avenues
its Chamns Elys6,s, its Garden of the Tulle-
ries its wide places and its noble ed'ices'
ecclesiastical and civil. Edinburgh, too, has wild
streets. handsome buildings and charming gardens.
There cannot be many city thoroughiares III the
world equal in point of beauty to PHnces-st, with
its ouiet gray buildings on side and ITS noble
monurDcnts and gardens on the other There are
70 take second instance, few streets, II any, IN
Paris that command prospect fine and varied as
that toward the east and southeast commanded
bv the crescent composed of Royal, Carlton
and Regent Terraces. Then again the
monuments of Edinburgh are regal Inc
memory Of what other man Is pcrpetuated by
pile so grand in ITS proportions ana so perfect In 'tS
details as that of Sir Walter Scott Within sight
of it arc the statues and monuments of John VIII
sou. Allan Ramsay, Sir James \. Simpson, the Duke
of Wellington, Nelson, Playfair, Dngad Stewart,
Pitt. Melville, and of him whose anniversary was
recently celebrated throughout the length and
breadth of Scotland-Robert Burns. The list
might easily be heightened There are also, mag
ndcent educational institutions III Edin-
burgh charitable institutions that are at
least equally magnificent churches that without
being as imposing Notre Dame, are numerous
aud attractive; and O number of public buildings
that are striking by reason either OF their classic
air or their sodty. But after rambling over the
entire city from Newngton and the Grange to
Stockbrigo. the conclusion is inevitably reached
that Paris is, beyond all comparison, the finer city
of the two. and it is conclusion that is based as
much upon the general impression left by the broad
boulevards and avenues and places already re-
ferred to, as upon individual memories of
such edifces as the Grand Opera House, or
the Churches of the Madeleine and NOtre Dame.
But if we look at Edinburgh from tho standpoint
whence it is seen at its best, we shall arrive at
Judgment more strictly just, because we shall be
called upon 10 consider points neither Of comparison
nor of contrast, but those that make the Northern
capital unique among the cities Of the world
Within its limits there is nothing IN the way OF
street architecture, Of buildings OF any character
whatever, 90 impressive As two views that owe al
least as much to nature as to art chance visitor
might be forgiven for forgetting all about Princes
st. except as the ground from which 49, near
its western extremity - the outline Of the
castle is seen against the sky. The intervening
garden with its trees and grass, the steep slope to
the base of the castle rock, the jagged crag. the
batteries, walls and barracks that crown Its tower
ing summit, compose scene the like OF which no
traveller has found elsewhere Beauty and the
curious effects produced by combination OF colors
that are in the main sombre-neutra tints Of brown
gray and bue-are now alone considered, and no
account whatever is taken of the historical assocla-
tions that throw an invisible halo round the bat
tied steep"
Suppose now that the point of view Is changed to
Calton Hill. An east wind is blowing, and bringing
with it, straight from the sea. the " hanr with
which Wilson has made every L reader fL o. the the
stars if they are familiar with II III fancy oniy
and not in fact. II isdnvng so thick up the val
ley between MS and ArthuTs Seat, that the tnfrots
OF Hoyrood and the Abbey ruin are but family dis
cernble, lying down in the hollow. Above and be-
yond the Palace, and gray with a sprlnkling OF
snow are salisbury GragS p,SaH and ArthTTS tT Seat.
fused mass Of buildings lying along the line Of the
Cannongate and Highst., where modern pauperism
hnddles ia the home of ancient nobility, and near
the royal dwelling Of the Stuarts. Let us, how
ever forget royalty and poverty. and simply mark
the scene, the confusion of many-storicd houses,
looking grimy and black through the driving fog,
ha tran from the crowded CITY to the
openncss OF the royal domain the sharp break IN the
outline OF the hills, caused by the PERCEPTIONS crags,
the stately pose of ArthuPs siiyered head and the
rounded slope of the eastern shoulder of the hill.
Strength, bOldness and yarlety-a variety that one
can fancy to be in the summer tinged with sweet
the chief characerlstlcs oil Tue second oi
= al. EAiI, hllrnh