100 ANDREW JACKSON HOWE. 



A business transaction of an unfortunate charac- 

 ter called Sir Walter Scott to Edinburgh, and kept 

 him there during a period of life he had planned to 

 pass in retirement among the crags and glens of the 

 " Border ;" and there in the great mart of trade he 

 delved like a galley slave, with an unwavering pur- 

 pose to free himself from every pecuniary obligation. 

 And his prolific pen and his popularity as a writer 

 soon wiped out the larger part of a debt which at first 

 seemed a mountain. But the incessant toil sapped 

 the foundation of a vigorous constitution, so that the 

 recreative influence of foreign travel failed to restore 

 vigor to the impaired body and mind. Death did 

 not too soon close a life which at length became a 

 burden. 



A lineal descendant of Sir Walter Scott now re- 

 sides at the old homestead, and shows tourists the 

 most interesting features of the somewhat extensive 

 demesne. From the large windows of the breakfast- 

 room is a view of rare loveliness. Cattle and sheep 

 graze on the grassy mead which stretches a few hun- 

 dred yards to the gurgling Tweed, which is here shal- 

 low Abbot's ford. A large hall is filled with old 

 armor, and other curiosities of a multitudinous char- 

 acter. A drawing-room is hung with valuable paint- 

 ings, and embraces carved furniture, with images in 

 ebony and ivory. The library is the largest room in 

 the house, and contains seventy thousand volumes. 

 The grounds within the domain are kept in fine or- 

 der; and the visitor feels quite well paid for the time 

 and money spent in a pilgrimage to the villa. 



The railway which takes the traveler to the vicin- 

 ity of Abbotsford runs from Edinburgh to Carlisle, 

 passing through Ilawick (where is the manufactory of 



