EDINBURGH. 



EDINBURGH. 



HI 



wa* firtt built ; the moras* or loch in the north valley wmi drained, 

 and the North Bridge across that valley was constructed. Oeorge- 

 aquar*, Brown-square, and other street* and squares in the touthern 

 part of the town, built by private enterprise, were immediately occu- 

 pied by the wealthier inhabitant*. About 1770, improvement* which 

 had been aome time projected, and for Which an Act had been 

 obtained in 1787, were commenced on the north aide of the city, 

 and the New Town gradually ruee into existence. St. Andrew'*- 

 square wa* the nucleui of the building operation* ; and from that 

 time till the prevent the work of extension ha* been steadily 

 ] r .-.- Uiu-. 



Cattle. The castle cover* a space of about six acre*. On the east aide 

 a spacious eonlansxU, n*ed a* a parade-ground and a promenade, inter- 

 vene* between the castle entrance and the houses at the upper end of 

 the High-street. On the north side of the esplanade i* a statue of the 

 Duke of York. At the entrance to the cattle i* a drawbridge, with a dry 

 ditch underneath, and the outer gateway it protected by low batteries. 

 The batteries extend along the rampart* on the north aide. A second 

 strong gateway give* entrance to the inner or higher fort, which con- 

 tain* the oldest portion of the castle. A large pile of building* on 

 the east aide contain* what were once the state apartment* of Queen 

 Mary, and the crown-room, in which are the regalia of Scotland. The 

 regalia consist of the Scottish crown, the sceptre, the sword of state, 

 the Lord Treasurer's rod of office, Ac. On the ramparts is Mons Meg, 

 a huge cannon, supposed to have been cast in the time of James IV., 

 and which, after having been in the Tower of London for three- 

 quarters of a century, wa* returned to Edinburgh Castle in 1829 by 

 George IV. On the west side of the castle rock, and on it* highest 

 part, stands a huge pile of buildings used as barrack*. 



From the castle ramparts a magnificent prospect is obtained north- 

 ward, comprehending the new National Gallery and other buildings 

 on the Mound, the New Town and the valley beyond, the Frith of 

 Forth, and the Fife Hills ; eastward the Old Town, bucked by Arthur's 

 Seat ; north-east the railway termini in the north valley, the Scott 

 monument, the North Bridge, the Calton Hill and the fine buildings 

 on it* side and in it* vicinity; and to the west Corstorphine Hill, 

 backed by a dim outline of mountains in the distance. 



The line of street eastward from the castle to Holyrood Palace 

 presents many objects of interest, the modern in numerous instances 

 mingling with and superseding the ancient structures. From the 

 Castle Hill flight* of steps lead down to the valley of the Grassmarket 

 The new western approach to the Old Town is carried along the 

 southern tide of the Castle rock, and joins the High-street at the 

 junction of the Castle Hill and Lawnmarket At this point is the 

 New Assembly Hall, which serve* the double purpose of a parish 

 church and the meeting-place of the General Assembly of the Estab- 

 lished Church of Scotland. This building is a handsome gothic 

 structure ; at the eastern end i* an elaborately-ornamented tower 240 

 feet high, which forms a prominent object from almost every part of 

 Edinburgh. Near this building, in the new road, are the Normal 

 school of the Established Church, the Episcopal church of St 

 Columba, and other buildings. On the northern aide of the Castle 

 Hill are the extensive buildings of the Free Church College and Free 

 High church. The Lawnmarket, as its name imports, was once occu- 

 pied as a market for linen cloth and other articles of merchandise. 

 In the High-street, on the north side, is the Royal Exchange, and 

 opposite to it in Parliament-square, is St. Giles's church, having under 

 it* roof the High church of Edinburgh and two other of the city 

 churches; on the west side of the square is the County Hull. 

 The fine range of buildings on the south side of Parliament-square 

 comprises the Advocates Library, the Signet Library, the Parliament 

 House (the Westminster Hall of Edinburgh), and halls in which sit 

 the judges of the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary, and 

 the Scottish Court of Exchequer. Between the Justiciary Court and 

 8t Oile' church is an equestrian statue of Charles II., erected in 

 1885 ; it is formed of lead coated with bronze. The Parliament House 

 just named, U one of the finest halls in Scotland. It was here that 

 the Scottish Parliament sat until the Union with England. The hall 

 i* 122 feet long by 49 feet broad, and has a carved oak roof. It* floor 

 i* now used a* a promenade for the advocate*, solicitors, and litigants 

 >f th Court of Session. In the hall are statues of eminent judges. 

 The Advocates Library i* one of the privileged libraries entitled to 

 demand a copy of every printed work publUhed in Great Britain and 

 it contain* a fine collection of upwards of 150,000 volumes. 

 Among the manuscript* in this extensive collection are many valuable 

 work, on the civil and occle*ia*tical history of Scotland. The Signet 

 Library contain. 60,000 volume*, and is particularly rich in work* 

 relating to British and Irish history. 



The church, or a* it is sometimes called, the cathedral of St Giles, 

 i* one of the most ancient building* in Edinburgh, although it* 

 exterior ha* been frequently renovated. It i* mentioned in the year 

 1S69 in a charter of David IL About a century later it wa* made 

 collegiate, and 40 altar* were supported in it. After the Reforma- 

 tion the building was partitioned into four distinct place* of worship. 

 The High church, of which John Knox wa* for a considerable period 

 the minister, and which i* regarded a* the principal pariah church of 

 Edinburgh, occupies the eastern end of the building. Externally 

 the moat noticeable feature of the edifice U the central tower : it. top 



U crowned with open carved stonework, with arches springing from 

 the four corners, and meeting together in the centre, so as to form a 

 sort of crown. The Old Tolbouth, popularly called the ' Heart of 

 Mid-Lothian,' wa* removed in 1817, with numerous little booth* 

 or *hop* called the Luckenbooths, which stood clow to St Giles's 

 church. A little farther down the High-street, a piece of radiated 

 pavement marks the site of the ancient cross, which wa* removed 

 in 1756. At the intersection of the High-*treet with South Bridge- 

 street i* the Trou church, an old building, with a neat spire. A few 

 yards eastward of John Kuox's house, at the foot of High-street, is 

 the lane formed by Leith-wynd and St Mary's-wynd (the Holywell- 

 lane of Edinburgh). Eastward exter-dt the Canongate, containing 

 many houses which by their style and decorations show that they 

 were when first inhabited the mansions of the nobility. One formerly 

 belonged to Lord Balmerino ; another wa* the mint of Scotland, after- 

 wards occupied by the Duchess of Gordon ; Queensberry House, now 

 used as an hospital, was the residence of the Duke of Qiieeusberry ; 

 Moray House, the residence of the earls of Moray, erected in 1618, 

 and Milton House, another of these old edifices, are now devoted 

 to educational and benevolent purposes, Moray House being the 

 training school for masters and mistresses in connection with the 

 Free Church. Canongate church is a large old building with no 

 pretensions to architectural elegance. 



The ancient palace of Holyrood House nearly fronts the eastern 

 extremity of the Canongate. By the end of the 12th century the 

 abbey founded by David I. had become a wealthy and powerful insti- 

 tution, the abbot holding regular courts like other barons. The first 

 separate royal residence here is supposed to have been a small hunting 

 seat, built by James V. in 1528, prior to which many of the Scottish 

 kings had on great occasions lodged in the abbey. A large part of the 

 palace was destroyed by Cromwell's soldiers in 1650 ; after which the 

 present edifice was built From the period of the Union of the two 

 kingdoms the dukes of Hamilton have been hereditary keeper* of 

 the palace. Charles Edward .Stuart lodged here during his short 

 sojourn in Edinburgh in 1745 ; here Charles X. of France resided 

 during the revolutionary troubles, and here he again found a refuge 

 more than 30 years afterwards, when he was driven from his throne. 

 George IV. visited Holyrood in 1822; and Queen Victoria held a 

 levee in it in 1842. Her majesty has on several occasions since passed 

 a day or two in the palace on her way to or from Balmoral Castle. 

 Holyrood House is a quadrangular building, with an open court in 

 the centre. The front is flanked with double castellated towers. The 

 north-west corner, containing the apartments of Queen Mary, is the 

 oldest portion. The gallery of the kings of Scotland exhibits 106 

 pointings, said to be portraits, but of no merit as works of art, and of 

 no historical authority. In the hall which contains those paintings 

 are held the meetings for choosing the representative peers of Scotland, 

 and the levees of the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly 

 of the Established Church. The ruins of Holyrood chapel lie behind 

 the palace, at the north-east corner. The chapel was fitted up by 

 Charles I., who was crowned in it in 1633. James IL had it adorned 

 afterward* for the Roman Catholic worship. The chapel contains tbe 

 remains of David II., James II. of Scotland, James V. and his queen, 

 Lord Darnley, and other illustrious personages. 



The back street called the south back of the Canongate leads west- 

 ward to Cowgatc and Grassmarket. Over the Cowgate pass the South 

 Bridge and George the Fourth Bridge. Three or four flats or stories 

 of the houses next the bridges ore below the level of the upper street, 

 while three or four flats are above, the fourth or fifth floor at the 

 back of each house being the street floor in front 



The Grassmarket is historically famous as the spot where many 

 Protestant martyrs suffered death in days of persecution, and also as 

 the scene of the i'orteoun riot in 1736. The Grassmarket was for a 

 long time the place of public execution. It is a wide, open, oblong 

 space. The market is chiefly for cattle, sheep, and grain. The New 

 Corn Exchange is a handsome and commodious building in the Italian 

 style, 152 feet long by 93 feet 6 inches within the walls. The main 

 front is 98 feet in length, and 59 feet in height to the top of the main 

 cornice. At the west end is a campanile 93 feet in height The main 

 entrance to the building ia through a handsome Doric portico. This 

 building contains besides a spacious hall, lighted from the top, for the 

 sale of grain, a bank for the accommodation of parties attending the 

 market, a hall 66 feet long, in which buyers and sellers may settle 

 account*, and a granary. Westward of the Grassmarket ia the West 

 Port, a district notorious as the place where Burke and Hare perpe- 

 trated their murderous deeds. A church, schools, and sanitary and 

 benevolent institutions were established here a few years ago, chiefly 

 owing to the exertions of the late Dr. Chalmers. 



A little way south from the Grassmarket stands Hcriot's Hospital, 

 founded by George Heriot, jeweller to James VI., for the maintenance 

 and education of poor and fatherless boys, or boy* whose parent* are 

 in indigent circumstances, " freemen's sons of the town of Edinburgh." 

 The building, which was completed in 1 660, is quadrangular, mea- 

 suring 162 feet each way, and having an open court, 92 feet square, 

 in it* centre. Over the north gateway and at the four corner* of the 

 building are projecting towers or turret*. Inigo Jones is said to 

 have furnished the design. About 180 boys are educated and bo.tr>!>> I 

 in the hospital, which is under the management of the town council 



