Stirlinr/ to Edinburgh. 251 



the racing was still continued, whlcli, with the rain and mist, 

 greatly diminished our enjoyment. We could not help thinking 

 that if the captains of these vessels had been taught at school 

 something of the laws of motion, they would not have been so 

 foolhardy ; a remark which will apply also to coachmen, and to 

 persons who attempt to save themselves by jumping out of car- 

 riages in rapid motion. It is, we believe, in part owing to the 

 want of this kind of science, that soldiers and sailors perform 

 such courageous feats ; great courage being generally accom- 

 panied by great ignorance. Cultivation and comfort make men 

 comparatively tame and cowardly ; and they can only be roused 

 to place themselves in circumstances in which life is in danger, 

 by a strong sense of duty, and of shame at its non-performance. 

 This is, essentially, the grand security that wars of aggression 

 will ultimately cease. 



At a short distance from Stirling we pass Cambuskenneth 

 Abbey, a considerable ruin, partaking, from its high walls, of 

 the character of a castle ; but, as the walls are without ivy or 

 vegetation of any kind, a stranger is left in doubt as to their 

 antiquity, and the idea arises that it may yjossibly be the remains 

 of a modern building, the interior of which has been destroyed 

 by fire. Kuins with which the idea of time is not associated 

 have little or no dignity ; and the idea of time cannot be given 

 more effectually than by the appearance, on the walls, of that 

 kind of vegetation which considerable time is required to pro- 

 duce, such as ivy and trees, which every one knows to be of 

 slow growth. 



All our readers we presume to be aware of the unrivalled 

 beauty of the scenery on the banks of the Forth between Stir- 

 ling and North Berwick. The banks of the Thames between 

 London and the Nore exhibit greater richness of vegetation, 

 and more wealth and taste in the buildings, but they are without 

 that grandeur and variety of character which arise from the 

 great and abrupt variations of ground, and the distant hills and 

 mountains, which are seen on every side of the Forth, and by 

 its windings continually changing their position. Granton 

 Pier, where we landed soon after midday, is one of the best con- 

 structions of the kind in Scotland. It is entirely the property 

 of the Duke of Buccleugh, and is at once a great accommoda- 

 tion to the public, and a benefit to the estates of that wealthy 

 and patriotic nobleman. Much as His Grace, since coming of 

 age, has laid out in building and territorial improvements, we 

 question if it is more than some other noblemen have wasted in 

 gamljling and horse-racing. How different must be the feelings, 

 on reflection, in the one case and in the other ! 



Auc). 12. — Edinburgh to Stranraer. We went by mail to 

 Glasgow on the common road, for the railroad, though nearly 



