EDINBURGH REVIEW EDRIDGE. 



799 



about 360 square miles, or 230,400 English acres. 

 The surface of the county is pleasant, having much 

 level ground, interspersed with some hills, watered 

 with many agreeable streams, and sheltered and 

 decorated with woods. The arable land, which may 

 be calculated about one-third of the whole, is in a 

 high state of cultivation, and affords excellent crops. 

 The two great ridges of hills which pass through the 

 comity, called the Moorfoot and the Pentland hills, 

 afford pasture ; but the former is far superior in 

 quality to the latter. In these hills it is generally 

 remarked, that the north side of the hill is the finest 

 and best pasture, contrary to what we should be apt 

 to imagine. Like the other parts of the country, 

 this district experiences those variations of weather 

 consequent to an insulated situation, being subject 

 to such instability, that the climate in one day often 

 exhibits that of every season in the year. The cold 

 east winds in the spring are exceedingly detrimental 

 to fruit, and in autumn the haara or mists from the 

 sea are apt to whiten and wither the corns before 

 they are ripe. The chief rivers of the county are 

 the north and south Esks, which uniting, fall into 

 the sea at Musselburgh : the Almond which falls 

 into the Firth at the village of Cramond ; and the 

 Water of Leith, which forms the harbour of that 

 town : all these contain a few trout. The islands of 

 Inchkeith, Cramoni, and Inchmickery, belong to this 

 county. 



Few districts of Scotland afford more minerals than 

 the county of Edinburgh. It abounds everywhere 

 with coal, limestone, and freestone, of superior 

 quality, and iron ore of different species is very 

 abundant. The compound stone called the Petunse 

 I'entlandica is found in great quantity in the Pent- 

 land hills, and has been successfully employed in the 

 manufacture of British porcelain. In the parish of 

 Ratho is found a species of whetstone or hone, of the 

 finest substance ; and in the parish of Dudclingstone, 

 at Brickfield, is found some clay, fit for making 

 fine earthen ware. Some of the hills exhibit marks 

 of volcanic origin, being chiefly composed of por- 

 jjhyric lava and basaltic whinstone, which in many 

 places, particularly at Arthur Seat and Craig Lock- 

 hart, exhibit regular crystallizations. Near Glen- 

 cross, and in the Braid hills, are found great veins of 

 the heavy spar, barytes, or, as it is termed by the 

 miners, marmor metallicum, which is a regular attend- 

 ant on metallic veins, especially of lead and copper. 

 All the hills contain specimens of those curious and 

 rare minerals, which are termed zeolites, jaspers, 

 prehnite, &c. From the vicinity to the metropolis 

 numerous seats of nobility and gentry are every- 

 where to Be seen. Besides the city of Edinburgh, 

 mid the town of Leith, this county contains several 

 towns and villages, as Dalkeith, Musselburgh, Por- 

 tobello, Lasswade, Pennycuik, Mid-Calder, and 

 Gilmerton, and is divided into thirty-one parishes, 

 which contained in 1831, a population of 219,592. 



EDINBURGH REVIEW (The). This celebrated 

 journal was established in 1802, at a time when the 

 periodical literature of the United Kingdom consisted 

 < f works conducted with inferior talent, and occupy- 

 ing narrow grounds. Its success was immediate and 

 very great. Discussing all the great subjects of 

 literature, science, philosophy, and politics, with free- 

 dom, boldness, spirit, varied learning, acute reason- 

 ing, elegant criticism, a piquant satire, and profound 

 and original views, hi politics it has supported the 

 principles of the Fox whigs ; in religion, it is more 

 than suspected of a sceptical leaning. It is said to 

 have originated in the social studies of a number of 

 young men in Edinburgh, who were accustomed to 

 meet occasionally to discuss questions in every branch 

 of science and philosophy. It was edited, during the 



first year, by the reverend Sydney Smith, after whom 

 Mr Jeffrey, then a young Scottish advocate, is well 

 known to have been the editor, and one of the most 

 fruitful contributors during the long time which he 

 conducted it. His articles relate principally to the 

 belles-lettres. Among the principal writers are to 

 be found the distinguished names ot Playfair, Leslie, 

 Mackintosh, Brougham, Dugald Stewart, Dr Brown, 

 besides Macculloch (on political economy and Ireland), 

 Williams (the advocate), Macauley, &c. Dr Brown 

 was the author of the article on Kant (No. 2), but 

 owing to some liberties taken with a paper intended 

 for the fourth number, he discontinued his contribu- 

 tions. Playfair wrote the articles relating to Laplace, 

 &c. Sir J. Mackintosh was the author of numerous 

 literary, historical, and political articles, which dis- 

 play the liberal and generous principles, the exten- 

 sive views, and the varied learning of a statesman and 

 scholar. The great influence of the Edinburgh. Re- 

 view in the hands of the whigs led to the establish- 

 ment of a tory periodical, as a counterpoise. The 

 London Quarterly Review was established in 1809. 

 under the direction of Gifford. Blackwood's Maga- 

 zine, edited first by Mr Lockhart (now editor of the 

 Quarterly), and afterwards by professor Wilson, owed 

 its existence to the same cause. The multiplication 

 of quarterly and other periodicals has co-operated 

 with the diminution of intellectual power in the 

 Edinburgh itself, in depriving it of its former undis- 

 puted supremacy. . The editorship has lately passed 

 into the hands of Mr Macvey Napier. The Edin- 

 burgh Review had at one time 12,000 subscribers. 

 This Review, and also the London Quarterly, 

 are re-published, and circulate extensively, in Ame- 

 rica. . tf 



EDMUND I., king of England, an able and spirited 

 prince, son of Edward the Elder, succeeded his brother 

 Athelstan in 941. He conquered Cumberland, which 

 he bestowed on Malcolm, king of Scotland, on con- 

 dition of homage. He was stabbed at a banquet by 

 Leolf, an outlaw, who entered among the guests, and 

 provoked the king to a personal attack upon him. 

 Edmund immediately expired of the wound, in the 

 sixth year of his reign. 



EDMUND II., surnamed IRONSIDE, king of Eng- 

 land, was the eldest son of Ethelred II. On the 

 death of the latter, in 1016, he was obliged to take 

 the field against Canute, by whom he was defeated 

 at Assingden, in Essex, in consequence of the defec- 

 tion of Edric, duke of Mercia. A compromise was 

 then effected, by which the midland and northern 

 counties were assigned to Canute, and the southern 

 to Edmund. He was soon after murdered at Oxford, 

 at the instigation of the traitor Edric. This event 

 made Canute master of the entire kingdom ; but the 

 line of Edmund was again partially restored by the 

 marriage of his great grand-daughter, Matilda, to 

 Henry I. 



EDRED, king of England, son of Edward the Elder, 

 succeeded to the throne on the murder of his brother, 

 Edmund I. (947.) He quelled a rebellion of the 

 Northumbrian Danes, and compelled Malcolm, king 

 of Scotland, to renew his homage for his English 

 possessions. Although active and warlike, he was 

 extremely superstitious, and subservient to the cele- 

 brated Dunstan, abbot of Glastonbury. Edred died 

 after a reign of nine years, and left the crown to his 

 nephew, Edwy. 



EDRIDGE, HENRY, A.R.A.,F.S.A. ; a landscape 

 and miniature painter of eminence, was born at Pad- 

 dington, in 1768. His earlier portraits are principally 

 drawn on paper, with black lead and Indian ink. It 

 was in later years only tliat he made those elaborate 

 and high-finished pictures, uniting the depth and* 

 richness ot oil-painting with the freedom and fresh- 



