( 54 ) 



WE ARE A RUINED PEOPLE AND NOTHING CAN SAVE 

 US.— THAT'S FLAT! 



(Extract of a Letter dated at Aberdeen, &;c.J 



You ask me how I come on, how I like the place of my nativity, 

 after a 23 years' absence, and put me in mind of the bickerings old Growly 

 and I had as to the political effects of the last half a dozen years' enact- 

 ments, and previous inroads on our ancient institutions — according to 

 Tory CANTICLES. I will not enter into any tiresome analysis — differing 

 as that honourable old worthy and I do; he as a blind.though conscientious 

 refuser of all reform, and I as ardent in my wish for every safe and 

 reasonable one. But as nothing can afford a greater solace to him 

 and his Tory acquaintance than giving them occasion to weep o'er the 

 increasing misfortunes of this misruled and unhappy part of the king- 

 dom, I will just set down some of the signs of the times, and of the 

 impoverished state I fovind things in, in this ruined country — after my 

 absence of near five lustres in a far distant land : 



This town, which was hardly heard of south of the Trent, till 

 Mr. Hume's name, as its representative, brought it into daily notice, — 



Has freJ/ec? its population within the last 50 years, between the bridges, 

 from 20 to 60,000 ! 



New streets, squares, and terraces adorn it ; a magnificent new massive 

 granite bridge, of many arches, has been thrown across the Don ; whilst 

 numberless smaller ones facilitate intercourse on all the roads — these 

 roads being most of them turnpike, and in the best order. Elegant new 

 churches of granite have been built, and are now being built : Union 

 Street, when finished, will be one of the finest in Europe. The building 

 of the Public Rooms, with its superb portico of eight gigantic columns of 

 the chastest Ionic, is surpassed, as a whole, by nothing in the kingdom. 

 Very fine, commodious, and strong nexo granite bridewell and jails have 

 been built at great expense. The shore and harbour dues, which yielded 

 a few years ago but a bare £3.000, now yield £13,000 a year ! At one 

 time there was more registered tonnage belonging to Aberdeen than to 

 all Ireland ! — an estate in the county which was bought about 30 years 

 agofor £45,000, sold last week for £1 16,000. Streets which not long 

 since could scarcely be kept clean, paying some hundreds, pay now many 

 more hundreds for tiie privilege of cleaning them. Our hospitals are 

 many, rich, and thriving — a single individual has just given one thousand 

 pounds to commence the work of a refuge for the destitute ! But I should 

 tire you was I to enumerate half of the splendid things done, and in 

 progress, at this my native town. As, however, an illustration of all I 

 have been anxious to impress upon the mind of Old Growly, through you, 

 you may just tell him a small matter — that at a marriage, which was 

 lately solemnized between two highly respectable young persons, amidst 

 dozens of vehicles which streamed through Union Street, there were, at 

 least, seven private equipages, with the ladies' and gentlemen's own 



