Proximate Landscape. 217 



giving them encouragement in burning the Pope's 

 effigy, and in revenge they burnt his house. For 

 this act the College gates were shut, and the students 

 banished fifteen miles from Edinburgh. The Corpora- 

 tion and the Government wished to rebuild the house, 

 but in consequence of the state of the treasury, ^800 

 was all Sir James ever received ; and his salary of 

 ^200 a-year, as Provost, during the two years he was 

 in office, was never paid. The present mansion was 

 built in 1687. Priestfield was purchased by Sir James 

 Dick from Sir Thomas Hamilton. Sir James subse- 

 quently bought land from Preston of Craigmillar, and 

 afterwards called his estate Prestonfield. At one time 

 Prestonfield was covered with oaks, but Sir Thomas 

 Dick Lauder informs us that every possible encourage- 

 ment to cut them down was held out by the authorities, 

 seeing that it served as a place of shelter " for all 

 manner of thieves and lymmers." When Sir James 

 Dick was Lord Provost of Edinburgh he cleaned 

 the streets at his own expense, and had the refuse 

 carried on the backs of horses to Prestonfield. He 



at the same time divided and fenced the parks, 



o 2 



