JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE,  January  S,  1903. 
Mbittingbaine,  IDabbntgtonebire. 
IN  the  spring  number  of  tbe  Journal  for  March  13,  1902,  the 
gardens  of  the  Earl  of  Haddington  were  described  in 
considerable  detail,  and  the  general  characteristics  of 
the  county  of  Haddington  and  its  immediate  surroundings 
taken  note  of.  Whittinghame  is  the  inherited  estate'  of  the 
present  Prime  Minister  in  Government,  the  Right  Hon.  Arthur 
James  Balfour,  who  was  born  here  in  1848,  and  lies  to  the  south 
of,  and- further  inland,  than  Lord  Haddington’s  demesne.  The 
ruins  of  a  former  residence  of  the  Scottish  family  of  Hepburn 
magnificence  would  claim  the  naturalist’s  attention,  for  the 
spread  of  its  branches  measures  100  yards  around.  To  reach  its 
trunk  one  must  pick  a  passage  through  a  vernal  avenue,  kept 
fairly  open  by  frequent  use,  for  the  gardens  receive  numerous 
visitors,  and  I  believe  they  are  also  open  to  the  public  on  occa¬ 
sions.  Our  figure  of  the  tree  also  depicts  Mr.  John  Garrett,  the 
gardener  here  for  a  very  long  period  of  years. 
The  house  of  Whittinghame  is  an  elegant  residence,  in  Grecian 
style  of  architecture,  and  there  are  three  noble  approaches  to 
\r  r 
"  ,:  p- 
i 
Whittinghame,  the  residence  of  the  Right  Hon.  A.  J.  Balfour. 
overhang  the  south  bank  of  the  lazy  River  Tyne,  and  these  ruins 
of  Castle  Hailes  are  remembered  with  interest  by  the  patriots 
of  beautiful  Queen  Mary  Stuart,  as  having  been  her  chief  resi¬ 
dence  after  her  flight  from  the  Capital,  at  her  union  with  dark 
Bothwell.  I  am  permitted  to  show  a  view  of  the  old  castle  of 
Whittinghame  (on  page  35)  as  it  now  appears,  standing  near  to 
the  present  residence,  yet  scicluded  by  the  trees.  This  massive 
and  characteristically  Scottish  border  castle  was  formerly  a 
stronghold  of  the  Douglases,  to  which  line  belonged  the  bold 
Black  Douglas,  he  who  carried  the  Bruce’s  heart  to  the  Holy 
Land,  and  there  was  slain.  Tradition  says  that  the  Earl  of 
Morton  concocted  the  murder  of  Darnley  here,  and  others  carrj' 
the  dark  scheme  to  the  dismal  shade  beneath  a  patriarchal  Yew 
tree,  of  extensive  growth,  in  the  grounds  near  by,  a  photograph 
of  wliicli  appears  on  the  succeeding  page.  The  deed  was  done, 
and  where  precisely  it  was  niay  be  left  to  Mr.  Andrew  Lang,  or 
other  historian  ;  but  the  old  Yew  has  gained  a  fame,  and  its  own 
it,  each  of  great  length,  winding  through  beautiful  scenery,  sind 
guarded  by  handsome  lodges. 
Surrounding  Whittinghame  are  a  number  of  steep  ascents, 
Pincraig  being  a  notable  feature,  and  not  far  to  the  south  is 
Trapaine  Law,  anciently  called  Dunpender  Law.  North  Berwick 
Law,  the  Bass  Rock,  and  Tantallon  Ca.stle,  whose  names,  at  lea.st, 
are  familiar  to  everybody,  can  all  be  .seen  from  points  around 
Whittinghame. 
I  have  referred  to  the  old  Y’^ew  tree,  and  there  is  another 
arboreal  giant  of  fame  at  Whittinghame.  This  is  a  Gum  tree 
(Eucalyptus  Whittinghami),  so  hardy,  that  it  has  stood  for  fifty 
years  in  a  healthy  state.  At  the  present  time  its  trunk  measures 
at  the  base  15ft  to  IGft  in  circumference.  A  little  way  up  it 
branches  into  five  trunks,  each  of  which  bears  an  abundance  of 
healthy  leafage  and  young  shoots.  In  height  it  is  about  75ft. 
The  name  Whittingliami  was  bestowed  by  a  Duinfrieshire  clergy- 
