those in West and East Lothian, which now stand as prominent features in these counties.

We have already alluded to Elphinstone Tower, but we must now notice it more particularly, though shortly. It is said to have been built about the year 1300; the remainder of the castle attached to it was added in 1600. Even the comparatively modern parts are extremely picturesque, and the south-eastern tower furnishes some lessons in Scottish architecture that are well worth studying. It is still inhabited, and might be made a fine old residence; but the grounds around it have been massacred in the cruellest manner. We ourselves recollect, not a great many years ago, that it was associated with a grove of magnificent old trees, but these were most mercilessly subjected to the axe. Before our time, however, the grounds to the eastward of the building were laid out in a quaint and interesting old Pleasaunce, where, besides the umbrageous trees that sheltered it, all manner of shrubs grew in luxuriance-the ground being laid out in straight terrace walks, squares, triangles, and circles; and, in short, all manner of mathematical figures, with little bosquets, labyrinths, and open pieces of shaven turf. What, we ask, should have been the fate of the Vandal who mercilessly destroyed so beautiful a specimen of the ancient style of landscape gardening?

The old house of Fountainhall, in which we very naturally feel a peculiar interest, rises over the great extent of wood we have already noticed, presenting a much more imposing appearance at a distance than nearer approach to it bears out. The lands connected with it, together with those of Temple Hall, of Muttonhole and Peaston Burn, in the county of Edinburgh, were acquired by Sir John Lauder, the first Baronet of the family, and erected into a barony. We may mention that Temple Hall was the site of an ancient establishment of the Knights-Templars, who had a chapel and cemetery here, of which traces existed to a comparatively recent period.

Sir John Lauder, the second Baronet of the name, was well known from his title of Lord Fountainhall, which, as one of the Senators of the College of Justice, he took from his patrimonial residence. He was a remarkable man. Having been

educated at Leyden, he passed advocate in 1688, and became remarkable both as a lawyer and a statesman. He was one of those fifty advocates who, demurring against the arbitrary endeavour of the judges to crush appeals to the King and Parliament from their sentences, deserted the Court in a body, in February 1678-were deprived of their privileges, and not afterwards restored to them until 1679. Being a zealous Whig, he was counsel for Argyll in 1681, and his boldness in defending him had nearly subjected him to imprisonment. He was returned to the Scottish Parliament, in 1685, for the county of Haddington, and continued to represent it for twenty-two years. In the question regarding the repeal of penal laws and tests relating to religion, he made a vigorous and determined stand in the house against the royal party, and materially contributed to their defeat. He was made a Lord of Session in 1689, and one of the Lords of Justiciary in 1690. In those days, the appointment of Lord Advocate was frequently held in conjunction with a seat on the bench. It was offered to Fountainhall in 1692, but refused by him, because he was denied permission to prosecute the inhuman perpetrators of the diabolical massacre of Glencoe. Lord Fountainhall was indefatigable in recording both the remarkable law cases that came under his observation, and the interesting general passing events. Were his manuscripts all in existence they would be extremely numerous; but, with the exception of a curious small memorandum-book in our possession, only eight folios and three quartos now remain. These are said to have been originally rescued from a tobacconist's shop, and they are now in the Library of the Faculty of Advocates. From these were printed the two folio volumes of law decisions; and the Bannatyne Club are engaged in printing his more miscellaneous works. As stated in an earlier part of this article, he married Margaret Ramsay, daughter of Sir Andrew Ramsay, Lord Abbotshall, from whom his present representative is directly descended. He died in September 1722. To illustrate the manners of his times, we may mention that the room in which he sat at Fountainhall is above forty feet long; the walls, consisting of bare masonry alone, were probably covered with tapestry; but it has

never had any ceiling-the eye having been permitted to wander upwards amongst the bare rafters, through the void overhead, till it rested on the wood under the slates. His town residence seems to have been more comfortable. It stood where Mylne's Court now stands, and its gardens went quite down the steep bank now covered by the Mound, to the southern margin of the North Loch of Edinburgh—the ground being laid out in a series of terraces, one below the other. His younger son, David Lauder, Advocate, to whom he gave the estate of Huntley Wood, married Margaret Maxwell, daughter of Sir John Maxwell of Pollok; and he and his wife having died early, left two infant daughters, orphans and co-heiresses, who were brought up by their grandmother, Lady Maxwell. One of these married Dr. Cumin of Relugas, and the other Mr. Innes of Stowe. The late Miss Innes of Stowe informed us that, when children, her mother and aunt used to go regularly every Saturday to visit the old Lord. Her mother described to her that he sat in an antique chair, in an apartment hung with gilded leather, the furniture being of the old-fashioned, richly-carved description, especially a cabinet, on the top of which grinned a real human skull, that failed not to make a strong impression upon the minds of his grandchildren. Before dismissing them he invariably made them kneel before him, and, putting their heads between his knees, he gave them his blessing in the most solemn and patriarchal manner. He then bestowed a shilling upon each of them; but no sooner had they reached the ante-room where their Abigail was waiting for them, than she pounced upon them like a hawk, and rifled them of the money.

Our general description of Ormiston Hall woods having been intended to embrace those of Fountainhall also, with which they are so connected as to form one great whole, we are spared the necessity of further notice of them, as well as those of the adjoining Woodhall, except to say that they are remarkable for the number of fine springs they contain, whence the name was given to the place. There is one medicinal spring also, containing from 60 to 80 parts in the 100 of sulphate of iron. This exhibits some extraordinary phenomena, as an alternating spring, of which we have given