106 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



after a pressing invitation to visit him at his country- 

 residence in case I ever visited Scotland at a more 

 pleasant season. Taking leave of my kind friends the 

 Grevilles, I was early this morning on my way to Mel- 

 rose. I have been received with the utmost kindness, 

 not only by this agreeable and most excellent family, 

 but among aU the acquaintance I have made in Ed- 

 inburgh. I had purchased for you a collection of 

 hymns, etc., edited by Dr. Greville and his pastor, Mr. 

 Drummond, with which I was very much pleased, and 

 doubt not you would like them much. But Dr. Gre- 

 ville saw it, and afterwards insisted on sending a much 

 handsomer copy to Dr. Torrey, which was accord- 

 ingly placed in my hands for him. Melrose is about 

 thirty-six miles from Edinburgh, on one of the routes 

 to Newcastle. We came upon the Tweed among a 

 rugged range of hills, at first a very small stream ; 

 followed it along the sinuous valley for a long way, 

 until it became a pretty considerable river, for Great 

 Britain ; at length the valley grew wider, softer, and in 

 the proper season, doubtless very beautiful. A smaller 

 stream joined it at some distance before us, and as 

 its opening vale came into view, the driver — I beg his 

 pardon, coachman — pointed with his whip to the op- 

 posite side and said, " Abbotsford ; " and true enough 

 the turrets of this quaint castellated house were distin- 

 guishable, in the midst of a grove mostly of Scott's 

 own planting, near the banks of the Yarrow. We 

 soon after crossed the Tweed, at the place where 

 the White Lady frightened the sacristan in "The 

 Monastery ; " the scene of which, you know, was laid 

 at Melrose and in the neighborhood. The fine old 

 ruin of Melrose Abbey now came into view, half 

 surrounded by a dirty little Scotch village. Here I 



