NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 313 



house, would be a task about as difficult as to catch a vveazel asleep ; but 

 we agreed upon taking a pull, and having a quiet evening — an agreeable 

 one is a certainty at Dunlugas. On the following morning the carriage 

 was at the door, about eleven o'clock, to take us to Duff-house, the noble 

 seat of the Earl of Fife, who had heard of my being in the country, and 

 had done me the honour to make kind mention of me in a letter to Lord 

 Kintore. To say his lordship received us, — -Mr. Abercromby Duff, Mr. 

 Leslie, and Captain Leslie were of the party--with his usual highly refined 

 politeness and address would be saying little ; for, towards myself, his 

 attentions were all but distressing. He led me through every room, 

 showed me every picture and every statue in this magnificent mansion — 

 no slight task I assure you, for the suites of rooms appeared to me to be 

 interminable ; and afterwards accompanied us through the grounds, 

 showing us his various improvements. But the finest feature in 

 these extensive grounds had been visited by us previously to our 

 arrival at the house. This was the celebrated bridge of Alva, which 

 crosses the river Deveron, in a beautifully wooded part of the park, and is, 

 I believe, generally visited by the tourist. Who the architect was T was 

 not able to be informed ; but the elegant simplicity of the structure, and 

 the fine proportions of the arch, are worthy of an Inigo Jones. But 

 speaking of architecture, I cannot omit a notice of the front of Duff- 

 house, which; independent of its sculptural decorations, unites the 

 majesty of the Doric with the gracefulness of the Ionic order ; and I 

 could have almost made myself believe T was looking at the theatre of 

 Marcellus. As for the number of pictures and portraits inside, I should 

 think the UotKiXr) of the ancient Greeks could hardly have contained 

 more. 



All who know Lord Fife, know that he is one of the best-natured 



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