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taining about 20,000 volumes. The roof is deeply 

 groined and embossed with roses and other ornements 

 copied from Melrose Abbey and Roslin Chapel and in 

 an oak niche at the east end stands Chantrey's bust of 

 the Poet. Above the fire-place hangs a full-lenght por- 

 trait of Sir Walter's eldest son, painted by Sir William 

 Allan. Two richly-carved chairs, from the Borghese 

 Palace at Eome, and other interesting pieces of furniture, 

 mostly presents to Sir Walter, are arranged round the 

 walls ; a circular table in a recess contains many curious 

 relics, such as Napoleon's writing portfolio, snuff boxes, 

 &c. The Study is a smaller room, next the Library, also 

 filled with books in oak cases, and in one corner in the 

 stair leading up to Sir Walter's bed room, arranged so 

 that he could slip down quietly in the mornings, and 

 have his day's work finished before his visitors came 

 down to breakfast. In the centre stands the writing 

 table and leather covered arm chair which he used in 

 writing, the most interesting relics in the house. In a 

 small recess there is another object of peculiar interest 

 — the bronze cast of his head, taken after death. Regret- 

 ting that the rules of the house restrict visitors to 

 merely seeing these rooms, with my companion we 

 wandered about the garden, gathered some ivy, and 

 then drove to Scott's last home — where we read in St. 

 Mary's aisle of Dryburgh Abbey, the inscription on his 

 tomb. Dryburgh Abbey, as the name implies, was 

 founded on the site of a druidical temple, where chris- 

 tian missionaries lived over thirteen centuries a^o. The 

 founders were Hugo de Morville and his wife Beatrix 

 de Beauchamp, in the year 1150. 



Returning to Melrose, I paid a second visit to the 

 Abbey ; we then took train, for Edinburgh, which we 

 reached early. Of all the interesting spots I visited in 

 the metropolis of Scotland, none were more so than 

 Edinburgh castle; the guide, an old sergeant well up in 

 Scottish lore, received us at the gate : we followed in 

 the wake of some Scotch volunteers. An old draw- 



