NIMROLPS NORTHERN TOUR. 5- 



" The interior decorations of Dunse Castle are truly splendid-; 

 some of them, indeed, curiously beautiful. The Gothic style pre- 

 vails in both the architecture and the furniture of the house, the 

 staircase is exceedingly fine, and one of the galleries is lighted 

 by a window of the loveliest stained glass to be seen in Scotland. 

 The best rooms are full of pictures, many of which are very good, 

 The portraits are worthy of especial attention ; for besides those 

 of his own family, Mr. Hay has collected many others, and pos- 

 sesses, in particular, the best of the Seton gallery. One of the 

 latter, the first Viscount Kingston, drawn as he appeared on 

 alighting from the flight of Worcester, is worthy of more tha 

 ordinary notice ; the dusty sweat of battle and flight glistering 

 with all the force of reality on the brow of the fatigued soldier, 

 who seems just to have laid aside his head-piece." 



But the situation of this castle is quite in keeping with its 

 architectural decorations and character. It stands in a valley, 

 at the head of a beautiful lake nearly a mile in length, abso- 

 lutely embosomed in finely-wooded hills in fact, amidst all the 

 ornaments of nature : and this I think is saying enough of it 

 The land about it a great recommendation, in my eye is also 

 excellent, quite equal to feeding good sized beasts, I should 

 imagine ; but Mr. Hay is not a great farmer, although he has 

 one of the best arranged homesteads I ever met with in any 

 country, and equal to a great extent of business. 



It being one of those fine days in November which in my 

 opinion equal those of any other month in the year, and which, 

 although they may cast somewhat of a sombre tint over nature, 

 impart by no means a disadvantageous one to woodland scenery, 

 I very much enjoyed a walk through this fine domain with Mr. 

 Hay, who accompanied me to pay my respects to Captain Max- 

 well, residing in a nice hunting box at the extremity of it, also 

 the property of Mr. Hay. " We shall find him in the stable,* 

 said Mr. Hay (it being stable hour), "for he is a great man for 

 condition ;" and there, in truth, did we find him, and in some 

 alarm as to the fate of the eye of one of his hunters which ha<2 

 received a slap from a thorn. I assured him there was nothing 

 to fear, and that a light dose of physic and warm water fomenta- 

 tions would soon perform a cure ; which they did. He had in 

 his stable a five-year-old gelding, bred by his father, quke 

 thorough-bred, and next to the King of the Valley, and old Johc 

 Bull, the largest horse of that description I ever remember to 

 have seen. If he make a hunter, he is a trump for a roomy 

 country. We afterwards called at the Cottage, where some of 

 the party from Dunse were assembled on the same errand as 

 ourselves to pay our respects to Lord Eglinton. Here " Nimro 



