329 



EDINBURGH. 



Edinburgh. JliDiNBUnoH, the metropolis of Scotland, is situated 



s "Y"""*' in the northern part of the county of the same name, 

 or Mid-Lothian. The centre of the city lies in 55 

 57' 58" north latitude, S 11' 55" west longitude, 

 and is about two miles from the sestuary called the Frith 

 of Forth, where, in Leith harbour, the tide rises nearly 

 16' feet. But intermediate buildings, which are rapidly 

 increasing, will soon identify Edinburgh with the town 

 of Leith ; and, in general calculations, they are even 

 now included together. The following observations, 

 however, are restricted to the former. 



The length of Edinburgh, from east to west, is be- 

 tween a mile and a half and two miles ; the breadth is 

 about the same ; and the circuit is calculated at eight 

 miles. Its general site may be described as on three ele- 

 vations ; the centre of the city standing on a high nar- 

 row ridge, declining towards the east, from a lofty preci- 

 pitous rock, on each side of which are two vallies, one 

 entirely occupied by buildings, the other partly so, bat 

 chiefly consisting of a marsh, nearly dry in summer. 



Bridges. This marsh, which is 200 feet below the top of the 

 rock, is crossed by a bridge 1270 feet long, of five 

 arches ; by an immense earthen mound of great breadth 

 and depth; and also by an intermediate mound of smal- 

 ler dimensions, all to the north. The buildings to the 

 south of the city, independently of other communica- 

 tions, are connected by another bridge of 22 arches, 

 with more level ground, on which the city is extend- 

 ed. Only one of these arches, 30 feet wide, is visible ; 

 the rest being fronted by houses, of which they form a 

 part. The span of the larger arches of the first, or 

 North Bridge, is 72 feet, and the height to the top of 

 the parapet 68 ; but the arches and piers occupy only 

 310 feet of the whole 1270, which partly form a street. 

 From thence, the city, to the north, occupies a slight 

 elevation, which soon becomes a gradual declivity down 

 to the sea. 'Edinburgh is thus divided, by the North 

 Bridge and Earthen Mounds, into two parts, known by 

 the distinguishing appellations of the Old and New 

 Town : the former has been built from all different jx>- 

 ri<xls down to the present day, with little order or re- 

 gularity ; but the latter, being altogether of modern 

 erection, and formed after a certain determinate plan, 

 exhibits an elegant assemblage of edifices, disposed in 

 ample streets and spacious squares. This portion of the 

 city is the residence of the better class of inhabitants, 

 though not exclusively ; for some part of the old town, 

 to the south, also consists of modern buildings, equally 

 commodious. 



Street*, 'i lie two principal streets in the Old Town inter- 



sect each other at right angles : first, the High Mnrt, 

 which stretches from the castle to the abbey, 5570 feet, 

 under different names; and, secondly, a street, corn- 

 mem ing at the Register Office, and 'u-rni mating in St 

 Patrick's Square, after also passing by different names, 

 of nearly the same extent. From the High Street, 

 which occupies the elevated ridge, numerous lam--, di- 

 verge on either si(!e down the declivity ; and some are 

 so steep as to require steps for the security of passengers. 

 There we three principal strata in the New Town; 

 I'ririce'a Streit, George's Street, and Queen's Street 

 uniting with York Place. The first is 4110 fet long 

 by 100 broad; the tecond 2640 by 115; and the 



VOL. VIII. PART I. 



third, 4440 by 100. These principal streets, and others Edinburgh. 

 which, now in progress, will soon merit the same de- ""V 

 nomination, are intersected at right angles in several 

 places, by wide cross streets. George's Street termi- 

 nates in a square at either extremity ; and there are on 

 each side two subordinate parallel streets, Rose Street 

 and Thistle Street, 30 feet in width, and extending 

 half a mile. 



There are few squares in this city, considering its Squarts. 

 magnitude ; and of these, the principal are, George's 

 Square, in the Old Town, which measures 665 'feet by 

 510; and St Andrew's and Charlotte Square in the New 

 Town. There are several, however, such as St James's, 

 St Patrick's, and Nicholson's square, of smaller dimen- 

 sions; but the inequality of the ground, the width of the 

 streets, and the salubrity of the atmosphere, render the 

 want of squares a less sensible defect. From many 

 points of the city, the most varied and delightful pro- 

 spect is commanded, either in ranges of hills, distant 

 mountains, or verdant fields, bounded by a beautiful 

 river, which is traversed by numerous vessels. 



Almost the whole city is built of fair hewn stone, Buildings., 

 from inexhaustible quarries in the neighbourhood ; and 

 the houses are covered with slates. The New Town 

 is invariably so ; and the front of all the buildings in the 

 principal and cross streets are fenced with neat iron rail- 

 ing. Here they are less commodious than the exterior 

 would indicate ; but the high price of ground-rent obli- 

 ges the architect to seek that accommodation in altitude 

 which would be more conveniently disposed in surface-. 

 Thus two stories are sometimes sunk below the level of 

 the street. Ground-rents are in many places L. 10, L.20, 

 or even nearly L. SO, for the site of the house and a small 

 plot behind it ; and the price of the best houses is L.2000, 

 L.SOOO.or L.4000. The yearly rent of such is from L.100 

 to L. 160, or more. In the Old Town, on the other 

 hand, the houses being for the most part crowded to- 

 gether, their inhabitants are deprived of many con- 

 veniences found in more modern edifices. Frequent- 

 ly they rise to a great height, being five, six, or seven 

 stories from the street ; and there are even instances 

 of some houses consisting, on one side, of eleven or 

 fourteen stories, each of which is inhabited by a dif- 

 ferent family. But this uncommon structure is owing 

 to the sudden declivity of the bank on which they are 

 founded. 



Edinburgh is a remarkably beautiful city, not only 

 from its situation, but from the width of the streets, 

 particularly of the modern part, the regularity of archi- 

 tecture, and the colour of the stone employed in the 

 buildings. Xor is its general appearance less singular, 

 from lofty edifices on a high ridge, overlooking those 

 which occupy the lower grounds ; from the two bridges, 

 without water to either ; and the immense mound con- 

 necting the different divisions of the city. The mag- Hartlien 

 nitude of this may truly be the subject of admiration> Mound, 

 especially considering the few years in which it has 

 been produced. The Earthen Mound is 960 feet in 

 length, 1 8.S feet broad at the first opening to the north 

 in the wall traversing it ; and, at the same place, about 

 100 in perpendicular height, but somewhat more at the 

 opposite extremity. It is composed almost entirely of 

 tne rubbish excavated from the foundation of the house* 

 2 -s 



