most conspicuous is the *statue of Burns by Flaxman. The wax models by Michael Angelo are of much interest. The Gallery also contains a collection of marbles and bronzes, and a cabinet of medallion portraits and casts from gems by James and William Tassie.

Having thus obtained a view of the city and surroundings from the Calton Hill, and having visited the objects of interest in the principal thoroughfares, the tourist can now turn his attention to the interesting objects to be visited in the OLD TOWN. Returning to the Royal Institution, and crossing the Mound or causeway leading towards the old town, we reach, whether on foot or by carriage, in three or four minutes, the street called the Lawnmarket, which leads towards the Castle, passing on the way the Free Assembly Hall. A walk of four or five minutes brings him to EDINBURGH CASTLE, next perhaps to Holyrood the place of most interest to strangers. The rock on which it is placed was the site of a stronghold before the earliest dates of Scottish history, and is connected with many of the stirring scenes recorded in the annals of this interesting country.

The only entrance to the fort is by an esplanade on the east about 100 yards by 120, and which was once a narrow ridge. It was used for a long time as a place of execution, and was the scene of the death of Lord Forbes, Lady Glammis (sister of the Earl of Angus) in 1538, ostensibly for having conspired the death of James V.; several of the earlier Reformers also suffered here. The monument in the form of a Runic cross, on the north, was raised by the 78th Highlanders, in memory of their comrades who fell in India in the Sepoy mutiny. Nearer

the Castle is a bronze statue of Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, son of George the Third.

We enter the fort by a drawbridge. Beyond this is the Guardhouse, and further up the ascent is the Portcullis gate, over which is the old State Prison, where the Marquis and the Earl of Argyll, and many other illustrious captives, have been confined. A few steps farther bring us to the workshops and the Argyll Battery.

Farther on, at the bottom of a roadway, is the Armoury, which is capable of holding 30,000 stand of arms. Ascending by the pathway we pass the Governor's House, erected in the time of Queen Anne, and the New Barracks. The Citadel, or highest platform of the Castle, is reached, a little farther on, by an old gateway. The small building on the height in front is one of the most interesting objects in the Castle; it is the Norman Chapel built by Queen Margaret (the Saxon wife of Malcolm Canmore), who died in 1093. It was restored in 1853, and adorned with stained-glass windows. Opposite, on the King's Bastion, stands the piece of ordnance known as MONS MEG, forged at Mons, in Belgium, in 1476. It was employed by James IV. at the siege of Dumbarton in 1489, and at that of Norham Castle, on the Borders, in 1497. It burst when firing a salute in honour of the Duke of York in 1682, was removed to the Tower of London in 1754, and was restored to Scotland, at the intercession of Sir Walter Scott, in 1829. This cannon is formed of long pieces of iron held together by hoops. It is 13 feet long, 20 inches in diameter, and weighs upwards of five tons. The view fromthis bastion is, perhaps, unsurpassed in Europe. In a southeasterly direction the Half-Moon Battery, constructed by the Regent

Morton in 1574, faces us, in the neighbourhood of which is the electric apparatus that discharges the Time Gun, and by means of a wire, extending in one span to Calton Hill, causes the ball there to fall every day at one o'clock

P.M.

Turning westwards, we pass into a quadrangle a hundred feet square, the buildings on the south and east sides of which formed for centuries the Royal Palace. On the east side were the royal apartments.

On the ground floor, at the south-east corner of the quadrangle, is the room in which, on the 19th of June 1566, Queen Mary gave birth to James I. of England. A stone tablet over the arch of the old doorway, with the initials H. and M. inwrought, for Henry and Mary, and the date 1566, commemorates this event. The room itself, which is irregular in form and very small, its greatest length being little more than eight feet, has undergone but little change. The original ceiling is still preserved, wrought in ornamental wooden panels, with the initials I. R. and M. R., surmounted with the royal crown, in alternate compartments. On the east side of the quadrangle is the Crown Room, where the ancient regalia of Scotland are preserved, and to which admittance may be had daily, free, from 12 till 3. These consist of crown, sceptre, and sword of state. The crown, although part of it bears the initials of James V., is supposed to be as old as the days of Robert Bruce. The last monarch crowned with it was Charles II. The sceptre, which was made for James is of silver, double gilt, thirtyfour inches in length, surmounted with statues of the Virgin, St Andrew, and St James. The sword of state is of Italian work

room,

manship, and was a present from Pope Julius II. to James IV. in the year 1507. These, and the Lord Treasurer's rod of office, which lies beside them, remained long forgotten in this locked up in a large iron-bound oaken chest, from the 26th of March 1707 till the 5th of February 1818. With the regalia, there are shown the royal jewels bequeathed by Cardinal York, the last of the Stuarts, to George IV., including the collar of the order of the Garter, presented by Queen Elizabeth to James VI.; the badge of the Thistle of the same monarch, containing a portrait, set with diamonds, of his wife Anne of Denmark, and a ruby ring set with diamonds, worn by Charles I. at his coronation.

Having completed our inspection of the Castle, we will now retrace our steps to Castle Hill, and make our way through the Lawnmarket, the High Street, and Canongate TO HOLYROOD.

Castle Hill was, one hundred and fifty years ago, one of the most fashionable quarters of the city. Mary of Guise, mother of Queen Mary, had a palace here, and here lived the great Argyll and many other men of rank. In the gable wall of the first house, on the right in descending from the castle, a cannon ball may be seen, said to have been shot from the castle in 1745. In many of the closes, narrow and forbidding, along this street, were the mansions of the wealthy. In Blair's Close, No. 372, the Duke of Gordon once lived. Opposite is the city Reservoir, and close by is Short's Observatory (admission 6d.), fitted with telescopes, camera obscura, and other apparatus, and affording a superb view. little farther on, on the site now occupied by the Free Church, stood the Palace of the mother of Queen Mary. Opposite is the

A

Victoria or Assembly Hall, with a fine tower. We now reach the West Bow, formerly a place of note, so called from an arch or bow in the western wall of the city. James' Court, 501, was the residence of Lord Kames, David Hume, Dr Blair, and Boswell. In Boswell's house Dr Johnson resided when he visited Edinburgh in_1773. "Johnson and I," says Boswell, "walked arm-in-arm up High Street to my house in James' Court. My wife had tea ready for him, and we sat chatting until two in the morning." In Baxter's Close, No. 469, Burns resided in November 1786. His house is on the first floor of the stair on the left on entering the close. We now reach Bank Street, on the left, at the foot of which is the Bank of Scotland. On the right is the wide George IV. Bridge, which crosses the Cowgate.

[At this point we will make a brief digression. Turning to the right we enter George IV. Bridge, and proceeding one square to Victoria Street, turn down that street to the right, and reach in a moment the GRASSMARKET. In the pavement of this open place, under a spot marked by a cross on the pavement, is the socket of the gallows upon which many of the most eminent of the Covenanters were executed. It was the scene of the Porteous Riot. Here is the New Corn Exchange.

Leaving the Grassmarket on the east by Candlemaker Row, we soon reach the end of George IV. Bridge, and see, a little way farther on on the left, Old and NewGreyfriars Churches, the first opened in 1612, the other in 1721. In the Old Church, the great National Covenant was signed on March 1, 1638. Among other eminent men who have filled the pulpit of this church, was Robert

son the historian. Walter Scott attended it when he was a boy, and his father is buried in the churchyard. The churchyard was once the chief burying-ground of the city. It was used for some months in 1679 as an open-air prison for 1200 Covenanters captured at the battle of Bothwell Bridge. Here were deposited the remains of most of the Covenanters who were executed in the Grassmarket. The interesting Martyrs Monument marks the spot where many of them were buried. "From May 27, 1661, when the most noble Marquis of Argyll was beheaded, to the 17th of February 1668, were one way or other murdered or destroyed, for the same cause, about eighteen thousand, of whom were executed at Edinburgh about one hundred. The most of them lie here."]

This

Retracing our steps to the corner of the Lawnmarket and Bank Street, we resume our route towards Holyrood. A little farther east, before reaching St Giles' Church, and close to the north-west corner of the Church, we see a heart-shaped figure in the pavement. marks the site of the OLD TOLBOOTH, once the meetingplace of Parliament and Courts, at last a prison. Here fixed upon spikes were exposed the head of Montrose, and later, that of the Marquis of Argyll (1661). The Old Tolbooth has been immortalized by Scott in his "Heart. of Midlothian." ST GILES' CHURCH is a Gothic edifice with massive square tower terminating in open stone-work in the form of a crown. It is noted as the church in which John Knox preached, for the swearing of the League and Covenant, and as the place of imprisonment of Covenanters. It is 206 feet long by 76 to 129 feet in breadth, and

is divided into the High, the Old, and the New North or West St Giles' Church. In the south transept were buried the Regent Murray, Regent Morton, the Marquis of Montrose, and other celebrated men. Behind the church is PARLIAMENT SQUARE, occupying part of the site of an ancient cemetery. In the pavement, marked with a small stone, lettered I.K., JOHN KNOX WAS BURIED. Around the square are the Parliament House, Signet Library, Advocates' Library, and Exchequer Office. In the centre is a lead statue of Charles II. The Advocates' Library near by contains 200,000 volumes, and is readily accessible. The Great Hall of Parliament House, 122 feet long, 40 feet broad, and 60 feet high, is well worth a visit. The stained-glass windows are very fine. The hall is adorned with statues, busts, and portraits of distinguished statesmen and lawyers.

Passing the Royal Exchange and Police Office, we see on the pavement in front of the latter the octagonal figure which indicates the Market Cross, from which all Royal proclamations are made. The ancient City Cross, restored, stands within railings at the north-east end of St Giles' Church. Passing several closes, which were the places of residence of noted persons, we reach Tron Church, so called from the tron or public scale which once stood near by. Passing North and South Bridges we see an old timber-fronted house on the left, once the residence and place of business of Allan Ramsay, the poet and bookseller.

Blackfriars Street, is on the site of Blackfriars Close, once one of the most aristocratic quarters of the old town. Passing several closes remarkable as

from

"As

having been the residences of noted persons, we reach JOHN KNOX's HOUSE. (Open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10 to 4, fee 6d.). He died here in 1572. On an angle of the house, near a window from which the reformer frequently addressed the people, is a small effigy of Moses. Adjoining is the Free Church called John Knox's Church. The narrow part of the High Street from John Knox's House to Canongate is called the Nether Bow, a gateway or "Port" once stood here. The Canongate extends this point to Holyrood. the main avenue from the palace to the city," says Chambers, "it has borne upon its pavement the burden of all that was beautiful, all that was gallant, all that has become historically interesting in Scotland for the last six or seven hundred years." Here, too, marched the death procession of Montrose, "the hero, seated on a hurdle, with beard untrimmed, hair dishevelled, dragged through the crowded street by the city hangman and his horses, yet proud of aspect, and flashing on his enemies on the balcony above him the fires of his disdain."

A little beyond Playhouse Close, No. 196, is a ring on the pavement which indicates the old boundary of the city on the east, and here Charles I. in his entry into Edinburgh (1633) knighted the provost. A little farther on the right, entered through an archway, is St John Street, where lived Ballantyne the publisher of Scott's Novels; and here Scott was a frequent visitor. A little farther on, on the same side, is Moray House, with a gateway at the side. Here Cromwell lived in 1648, and in 1650. It is now a Normal School. A little farther east, on the left, is the Canongate

Tolbooth, or borough jail, with a large clock projecting over the street. Beyond is Canongate Church, in the burying-ground of which lie Ferguson the poet, Dugald Stewart, and Adam Smith. Farther on, on the right, is QUEENSBERRY HOUSE, once the house of the Duke of Queensberry. It is now a House of Refuge for the Destitute. A little farther on, on the left, is White Horse Close and the White Horse Inn, once a fashionable resort. Near this is the Abbey Court House and Sanctuary for debtors. The territory in which they are privileged from arrest for debt extends from this point for a considerable distance beyond the Abbey of Holyrood. We now emerge into the open space in front of Holyrood Palace, in the centre of which is the elaborate fountain erected by the late Prince Consort as a memorial of his temporary residence at Holyrood.

HOLYROOD PALACE was originally a convent, and owes its origin to David I. The legend runs that the king, in the year 1128, was hunting near the spot, and being attacked by a wounded stag and thrown down, a cross was mysteriously interposed between him and the stag, and the animal, being frightened, fled. The king founded near the spot the Church of the Holy Rood, and the Abbey became one of the wealthiest in Scotland. James IV. resided here, and James V. built the part of the palace where the apartments of Queen Mary are. In 1544 the whole Abbey and the royal apartments were burned by the English, who landed a force at Leith. They were again partly destroyed at the close of the Civil War. The present palace was erected by Charles II. The Duke of York, afterwards James II. of England, resided here. It was once the

residence of the exiled Count d'Artois, afterwards Charles X. of France. George IV. used to reside temporarily here, and Queen Victoria has occasionally resided here for a short time. On entering the palace (open every week-day, 1 to 6, admission 6d.), turning to the left and ascending the stairway, the first door leads to the long Picture Gallery. It contains portraits (imaginary) of reputed kings of Scotland painted by a Dutch artist, and without interest. In this room the election of the Scottish representative peers is held.

On leaving the Picture Gallery, the next rooms visited are those which Lord Darnley used to occupy, in which are portraits, amongst which is one of Darnley himself and his brother, and some fine specimens of ancient tapestry. From these the visitor ascends the staircase to QUEEN MARY'S APARTMENTS, on the third floor, the most interesting portion of the palace buildings. An attendant conducts strangers through the rooms. The first apartment is the audience-chamber, a room 24 feet by 22, with the roof divided into panelled compartments, embellished with the initials and armorial bearings of royal personages, and the walls of which are hung with ancient tapestry. Here are some embroidered chairs, and a state bed, said to have been used by Charles I. while resident in Holyrood; by Prince Charles Edward, before and after the battle of Prestonpans, in September 1745. The next apartment to this is the bed-chamber, the roof of which is divided into panels, adorned with various initials and coats of arms. Here are shown the queen's bed, the hangings of which are of crimson damask, with green silk fringes and tassels; some pieces