Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-08-24
LETTER FROM nov. ASHER COOK.
sight seeing in England and Scot
land.
Graphic Description of Edinburgh
and It's Historic Relies.
LONDON, August @, 1883


ten before bu, have been too busy sight
seeing We went from Liverpool, where
last wrote you, to Edinburgh, thence
through the trassachs to Glasgow, and
from there by tho way Of Ayr to London
where we have been for tile last two weeks
We left Liverpool July 4lh at 940 A. NJ.
and arrived at Edinburgh at 4:30 p. NJ, a
little after the middeof the afternoon, for
the sun, in the latter part of June and the
fore part OF July, does not set in Scotland
until o'clock Then follows long twi.
light and at 10 o'clock IL begins 10 get dark.
The sun rises at $3.50 in the morning, but
the dawn breaks nearly an hour before, 80
they have plenty of day light in Scotland
through the summer enough to satisfy
the most industrious, and more than is
generally used.
The day we left Liverpool was cool and
i wore my overcoat all day, and was bearly
comfortable. The farmers along the line
of the road must have found 1t more COM
ortable, for they were making hay. In
England this road passes through an np-
parently good farming country. An En-
glish railway, however, is not favorable
position from which to Judge, either OF the
fertility or of the beauty of the neighbor.
ihg country.
The English farmers are becoming some-
what Americanized, in 80 far ut least as TO
use American machinery. They were us.
ing the American mower nll along this
line TO cut their grass, and afterwards
saw farmers using them in Scotland, and
other parts Of England
After crossing the waters, which empty
into Salway firth there is marked differ
ence in the country. The land on this
| line seems TO be less fertile north of the
Salway, and we soon begin to sec the
ence in the appearance of the farm houses
Those in Scotland, while smaller, are more
tidy, and the neatly trimmed hedges and
the flowers around the houses give evidence
of greater cnre and better taste. The
houses are only one story high, but all are
whitewashed or painted white. Some dis
lance further north, the road passes through
deep gorge, with dark, craggy noun
tains OH either side, entirely bare from
base to summit. The greater part of til,
way up the hills. which are many hundred
ieet high, there is a coarse grass and othe
vegilation, but only fit for pasture, and w
saw many focks of sheep grazing on thes
steep and cragged sides. Just as W
emerged from this gorge or valley, Scotcl
mist settled around us, and 1t began I
rain, and our vision was so obscured tla
we took but little note of the country dun
( ing the remainder OF the journey.
Edinburgh, which the inhabitants tax
}, pride in calling the Athens of Great Brit
4 ain, is one of the beautiful cities OF Eu
ia rope. The Scotchmen call it the on
n beautiful city. And in this they are nj
d much out of the way. Paris and Vienn
4 are beautiful, and there are many othe
4 beautiful cities, and 80 many elements &
y to the making up of a beautiful city, it
o difficult 10 determine which has the MOI
u OF these. The city of Edinburgh is nc
"a only beautiful OF itself, but the inhsbi
d tants have been at grent pains and niue
I, expense TO enhance its beauty. They ha,
u given it the appelalion of tile Athens
/ Great Britain, and have spared no expeni
1t to justify the name. After laying out
J. fine flower garden on the hillside, and
y the valley which divides the new from ii
il old town, they have in the middle of til
Is most superb garden of flowers, erected tv
y fine public buillings--the Ro, al Institu
and the National Gallery. The first
h these is in the Doric order, the other
e the Ionic, and both are built in the sty
N Of the ancient Greecian temple, the OF
y with the fine fiuled column of the Ion
re order, and The other with the plain mass
" Doric, emblematic OF strength and slablllt
10, Edinburgh consists Of two cities, the o
80 80 and The new, and they are as distinct as
o. they were built on different sontinen
er The new Is modern city with broad, W,
70 rnved streets, which are cleanly swept, al
No give evidence OF cleanliness, care and C,
as ture. The old town on the contrary h
A all the evidences OF antiquity with the
mn ual disregard OF comfort with which citi
~ in the middle ages were built. The II,
he town, or new part of the city, being simil
he to those OF our own country, is less inte
ea esting, though more indicative Of intel
,at gence, than the old. We read the his.o
op which lies behind us and not which is
sm fore us, consequently we read in these nj
'',,y row crooked streets, the history of a I'll
nv OF much interest not only to Scotland,
aw to mankind. The preaching OF Knox, a
d. the events of which ST. Giles church "
.51 the center, gave impetus to thought viii
he has resounded In and throughout Ameri
On. The peculiarly of the ground on whi
81 Edinburgh is built, renders it difficult
an describe It, think IL would puzzle
ga American surveyor TO describe il accura
III. ly. Therefore the description which
les shall give must be taken with many gra
w. Of allowance, In the first place there see
ne. to be large valley formed by two hi
an lils--one called Cotton hill, the oil
led Salisbury Craigs, with Arihurs seat in
~ ~ back ground, II high peak overlooking
NV Then there is an emnence formed b,
by gradual rise Of n third hill between
an other Two. This hill rises gradually fr
aS the valley TO an eminence of $50 feet.
es- this hill the old city Of Edinburgh is b,
ese with the castle on the summit. The
&c, per end OF this hill ON which the ca,
.u stands breaks of abruptly and forms
er. perpendicular ledge Of rock over 800
~, rendering IL impregnahle in the days wi
Nv ~" war was carried on without gunpowder a
ot cannon. I suppose no one would never,
lie II would long hold ont apainst rilled n