'Twas seen from Dryden's groves of oak, P, 191. A short distance from the chapel stand the ruins of Roslin Castle, the ancient seat of the Saint Clares, in a situation of singularly romantic beauty, upon a mount above the North Esk, the approach to which is by a bridge thrown over a deep ravine and resting on a rock on either side. Vast compact masses of the castle (supposed to have been built in the twelfth century) have fallen down, and lie on the declivity near the bridge. The scenery around is enchanting; but 1 saw, with regret, that the merciless hand of the woodman had sadly denuded the surrounding grounds which slope to the Esk. The walks about the chapel and castle are much frequented by the citizens of Edinburgh. and their families, in the summer. It is their Richmond-hill, where they enjoy the fruits of the beauties of nature. Strawberries grow in great abundance there. CHAPTER VI. Hawthornden anecdote of Drummond-Dalkeith-hotchpotch-anecdote of Dr. Johnson-Dalkeith-house-the royal infirmary-the parish school-the new college-the Senatus Academicus-remarks upon the discipline of the college-the medical school-remarks upon the professors medical jurisprudence-its objects-its importance-the college library. THE walk from the castle along the river to Hawthornden is exquisite beyond imagination. It much resembles, only that it is more expanded, the celebrated Dargle, in the county of Wicklow, in Ireland. At every meander of the river, new beauties banquet the eye. The general appearance of the scenery is more graceful than grand. Rich, red, and grey rocks, just rising above a succession of trees and shrubs, profusely and elegantly arranged by the hand of Nature, who seems proud to contemplate her work in the dark mirror of the winding stream that flows below, characterise this delicious spot. At length we saw the classic walls of Hawthornden, crowning the summit of lofty rugged rocks, from which the venerable structure finely harmonises with the luxuriant vale below, and the "verdrous wall" of trees that rises on the opposite bank of the river. 'This ancient residence of the amiable and harmonious Drummond was worthy of the Poet. His song and his sufferings spread an air of tenderness over the beautiful scene, which affects the mind as it engages the eye. It is a scene in which the vivacity of the gay would be tempered, and in which the unhappy might find consolation. The Poet was of high descent. His family became first distinguished by the marriage of Robert III. whose Queen was sister to William Drummond, of Carnock, one of his ancestors. After being educated at Edinburgh in 1606, he studied civil law at Bourges, in France; but the spirit of poetry soon seduced him from that barren study, and conducted him to Hawthornden, to copy and cominemorate the beauties of Nature, which she had so profusely scattered round his retirement. It was here that Ben Jonson came from London, on foot, on purpose to see him. Here he wrote his Cypress Grove and his Flowers of Sion; and here he would have continued to pour his harmonious verse, had not the death of a lady, to whom he was devoted and about to be married, forced him to fly from his own affecting reflections to Paris, and thence to Rome, where he resided eight years. How forcibly and poetically he felt the loss that drove him from his romantic shades will appear in the few following lines, in which the tender spirit of Petrarch seems to breathe. "Lo! in a flash, that light is gone away, Which dazzle did each eye, delight each mind; 1 And with that sun from whence it came, combiu'd, Poor Virtue, get thee wings and mount the spheres, After several years had passed aver in grief, it gradually yielded to the attractions of another fair one, whom he married, During the unhappy wars between Charles I. and his parliament, he suffered much in his mind, and strongly advocated the royal cause in several able writings, and at length died, ་ overwhelmed with grief, upon hearing that the King had suffered upon the scaffold. His prose compositions are well known; and when the language of the country to which he belonged, and the age in which he wrote, are considered, the melodious sweetness of his numbers cannot fail to excite equal surprise and admiration. As I stood gazing at Hawthornden, one of the windows opened, and a female appeared, who, my companions informed me, was the fair descendant of my favourite Bard: my curiosity soon baffled itself; the young lady, with characteristic diffidence withdrew as soon as she saw she had awakened it. In Miss Drummond, I am told by those who have the pleasure of knowing her, the cultivated taste and amiable disposition of her illustrious ancestor survives. Below the precipice upon which the house stands are several deep caverns, hewn out of the freestone rock; one cave is called the King's Gallery, another the King's Bedchamber, and a third the Guard-room; and removed to a little distance is a small one, called the Cypress Grove, the subject of one of his poems, and in which, it is said, Drummond composed several others. These excavations are supposed to have been retreats during the terrible wars which so long subsisted between the Scots and Picts, or English and Scots. They were also resorted to for concealment by the celebrated Sir Alexander Ramsay, an ancestor of the Dalhousie family, who distinguished himself for his prowess in the succession wars between Bruce and Baliol; and by the young warriors of his time, who felt a romantic pride and honour in being permitted to join his standard. Soon after quitting Hawthornden the country became more level, and presented a highly-cultivated and beautiful appearance. The friends who accompanied me in this excursion and I passed by many elegant country houses, and at length arrived. at Dalkeith, where, having ordered our dinner, we rambled into the town, which appears to be very populous, and is said to have the largest market for corn in Scotland; there are also manufactories of candles, soap, leather, and hats, carried on here. The houses are generally mean and dirty, but the inns are very good. We had here, what indeed is common in Scotland, some excellent hotch-potch, a soup of vegetables and mutton, which the Scotch make in perfection. It is related, that, soon after Dr. Johnson's return from Scotland, a Scottish lady, at whose house he was, as a little compliment, ordered some hotch potch for his dinner. After the Doctor had tasted it, she asked him if it were good; to which he replied, "Very good for hogs" "Then pray," said the lady, "let me help you to a little more." After dinner we visited Dalkeith-house, the residence of the Duke of Buccleugh. This building is a large substantial family house, built in the beginning of the last century. There are some portraits in the different rooms, which are entitled to notice, particularly Saint Dominique and Saint Francis, by Carrachi; Saints disputing upon the Trinity, by Del Sarti; two Landscapes, by Lorraine; Elizabeth, Duchess of Buccleugh, and Lady M. Scott, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, very beautiful, but unfortunately, sharing the fate of other productions of that exquisite master, the colours are rapidly fading. There is also, from the same great hand, a portrait of Lady Caroline Montague; and, what is singular, the back-ground is a winter scene, and a little robin is whimsically approaching her. There are also many more family and other portraits. The grounds adjoining to the house are tastefully arranged, and well planted with shrubs; and the North Esk, which flows below, is adorned with an elegant bridge of one large arch, 70 feet wide and 45 high. The park is of great extent, containing about eight hundred Scottish acres, and surrounded by a wall. It has much fine wood, and many large and venerable trees, under the shade of which the visiter may enjoy the rippling and soothing sounds of the North and South Esk, which flow through this noble enclosure. The wood abounds with squirrels. In the evening we returned to the capital, much delighted with our day's excursions. In company with my much-esteemed friend, Arthur Clifford, Esq. I visited the Royal Infirmary, which stands in the southern district of the city. Its building was commenced in 1738, and completed by the aid of splendid public and private donations. It consists of a body of two wings, three full stories high, and an attic story; the front is 210 feet long, and the interior is admirably arranged. In the hall is a bust, by Nollekens, of the late Provost Drummond, whose memory is very, and justly, popular in Scotland. This humane character displayed the most unbounded zeal in promoting the institution; and the pen of Dr. Robertson has furnished the following grateful inscription under his bust: "GEORGE DRUMMOND, "To whom this county is indebted for all the benefits which it derives from the Royal Infirmary." * Over the principal entrance is a statue of King George II. in a Roman costume; and on the wall is inscribed, on the right side, "I was naked and ye clothed me;" and on the left, "I was sick and ye visited me." Two hundred and twenty-eight patients can be accommodated, with a separate bed for each; the males are separated from the females, and the medical and chirurgical subjects are in distinct wards. The hospital is visited every day by two physicians, in the presence of the students; and journals of all the cases are kept, in which are daily registered the symptoms of disease, the remedies prescribed, and the progress and termination of the disorder. Upon an average, about 2000 patients are annually admitted, and the deaths are seldom more than one in twenty-five. This institution is not only highly valuable for the extent of its charity, but may be considered as a seminary of medical education. There are hot and cold baths for the patients, and also excellent baths, kept distinct, for the public, in the same building. The High School is near the Infirmary; it is a plain stone building, in a bad situation, in the centre of a long enclosed area, and is divided into five school rooms, besides a large hall and a library. The Latin language is taught in great purity, and A the general symptom of education adopted is such as tends at once to improve both the head and the heart. There are five masters, who are gentlemen of great learning and respectability; they are very inadequately paid for their arduous attention. The head master is allowed 30%. and the others 207. a year each; and each of the pupils, of whom there are generally 600, pays half a guinea a quarter to the master of his class. The examinations are annual, and usually, as is the case at the public schools in Holland, in the presence of the magistrates of the city, the professors of the University, and clergy. Many men who have afterwards shed lustre upon their country, have received their early education in this noble seminary. There is also a parish school in Canongate, the character of which, and of its masters, ranks very high. From the High School the attention of the stranger is naturally conducted to the new University, on the western side of the southern extremity of the South Bridge, whose_august but I |