and their extensive possessions, Murdoch Duke of Albany, Duncan Earl of Lennox, his father-in-law, and his two sons, Walter and Alexander Stuart, were beheaded in 1424. The execution of Walter Stuart is supposed, with great probability, to be the groundwork of the beautiful pathetic ballad of "Young Waters." This "heading-hill" now commonly bears the name of Hurley-Hacket, from its being the scene of an amusement practised by James V. when a boy, and his courtiers, which consisted in sliding in some sort of chair from top to bottom of the bank. On the south side of the Castle Hill is a small piece of ground called the Valley, with a rock on the south side denominated the Ladies' Rock. On this spot tournaments used to be held. The view from the Castle Hill is remarkably magnificent. To the north and east are the Ochil hills, and the windings of the Forth through the Carse of Stirling, with its fertile fields, luxuriant woods, and stately mansions. On the west lies the vale of Menteith, bounded by the Highland mountains. The Campsie hills close the horizon to the south, and in the foreground, on the east, are the town, the Abbey Craig, and the ruins of Cambuskenneth Abbey, and, in a clear day, the Castle of Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat are seen. Stirling Castle is one of the four fortresses of Scotland, which, by the articles of the Union, are always to be kept in repair. It is now used as a barrack. South-west of the Castle lies the King's Park, and to the east of it are the King's Gardens, which, though now unenclosed, and reduced to the condition of a marshy pasture, still retain the fantastic forms into which they had been thrown by the gardeners of ancient times.

The Greyfriars or Franciscan church of Stirling was erected in 1494 by James IV., and some additions were made to it by Cardinal Beaton. It is a handsome Gothic building, and, since the Reformation, has been divided into two places of worship, called the East and West Churches. In this church the Earl of Arran, Regent of the kingdom, abjured Romanism in 1543; it was also the scene of the coronation of James VI., on the 29th July 1597, when John Knox preached the coronation sermon. The celebrated

Ebenezer Erskine, founder of the Secession Church, was one of the ministers of the West Church.

To the north of the Church stand the ruins of a haggardlooking building called Mar's Work. It was built by the Earl of Mar out of the ruins of Cambuskenneth Abbey. This conduct excited much popular dissatisfaction, in allusion to which the Earl caused several inscriptions, in the form of distiches, to be affixed to his house. Three of these inscriptions may still be decyphered and severally run thus:

Speik forth, and spair nocht;
Consider weel, and cair nocht.
The moir I stand in oppin hitht,
Mi faultis moir subject ar to sitht.
all luikars on this luging,
With gentle e to gif thair juging.

I

pray

In the immediate neighbourhood of this building is a fine piece of architecture in the old Scottish style, called Argyle's Lodging, which was built by Sir William Alexander, the first Earl of Stirling, whose arms are elaborately sculptured above the door.* It afterwards passed into the hands of the Argyle family, and is now used as a military hospital.

Stirling has long been celebrated for its schools, and also for the number of its hospitals or residences for decayed persons. By an act of the Scottish Parliament in 1437, Stirling was appointed to be the place for keeping the Jug, or standard of dry measure, from which all others throughout the country were appointed to be taken, while the Firlot was given to Linlithgow, the Ell to Edinburgh, the Reel to

* The Earl of Stirling was one of those men who, to literary habits, added a keen relish for the pursuits of active life. He was the originator of the project for the colonization of Nova Scotia, and had the entire management of the scheme. He was the author of several volumes of poetry, which at one time obtained considerable praise, Lithgow styling him "true castalian fire;" Drayton, "my Alexander;" and King James, "my philosophical poet." Indeed, so great a favourite was he with the pedantic monarch, whose learning, doubtless, was not seldom the theme of his skilful flattery, that he obtained large grants of land and lordships both in North America and Scotland, as well as the privilege of coining for the latter country a species of base copper money called turners. It is said that when he inscribed the motto, Per mare et terras, upon his house in Stirling, his countrymen punningly read it. Per metre et turners, in allusion to his double capacity as maker of verses and coin.

Perth, and the Pound to Lanark. The Stirling Jug is still preserved with great care. In 1841, the population of the town was 8029. Stirling Bridge was long a structure of great importance, having been, till lately, almost the only access into the northern part of Scotland for wheeled carriages. The old bridge is still standing, and viewed from the new bridge, by which it has been superseded, it forms a picturesque and interesting object. The erection of the new structure cost £17,000. The outside facing is of greenstone from the neighbouring cliff of Abbey Craig. At a very early period there was a wooden bridge over the Forth, about half a mile above the present structure, which was the scene of one of the most gallant achievements of Sir William Wallace, on the 13th of September 1297. An English army of 50,000 foot and 1000 horse, commanded by Cressingham, advanced towards Stirling in quest of Wallace, who, on his part, having collected an army of 40,000 men, marched southward to dispute the passage of the Forth. He posted his army near Cambuskenneth, allowing only a part of them to be seen. The English hurried across the river, to attack the Scots. After a considerable number of them had thus passed over, and the bridge was crowded with those who were following, Wallace charged those who had crossed with his whole strength, slew a very great number, and drove the rest into the river Forth, where the greater part were drowned. The remainder of the English army, who were left on the southern bank of the river, fled in great confusion, having first set fire to the wooden bridge, that the Scots might not pursue them. Cressingham himself was among the slain, and his rapine and oppression had rendered him so detestable to the Scots, that they are said to have flayed off his skin and cut it in pieces to make girths for their horses.

The steel engraving of Stirling Castle, with which our text is illustrated, represents the scene in Waverley, where the party of Balmawhapple, upon passing the fortress, are saluted by a bullet from its walls. The artist has selected the moment when the valorous laird returns the compliment by discharging his pistol at the inhospitable rock.

FIFTH TOUR.

*** The Map of the Royal Progress facing page 155, illustrates this Tour.

FROM EDINBURGH TO STIRLING BY STEAMBOAT.*

LOOKING straight across the Firth, leaving Granton Pier, the burgh of Burntisland may be observed directly opposite. Shortly after leaving Granton, may be seen Lauriston Castle, formerly the property of John Law, the projector of the Mississippi scheme, and sold by his descendant Marshal Lauriston, about 30 years ago. On the north shore is the town of Aberdour, and near it the seat of the Earl of Morton, who is known here by the title of "the Gudeman of Aberdour." North of the castle is the mansion-house of Hillside, and a little farther on is Dalgetty Church. Near this point is the island of Inch Colm, with the remains of a monastery, founded, in 1123, by Alexander I. On the south shore, at the mouth of the river Almond, stand the village of Cramond, and Cramond House, (Lady Torphichen,) and a little farther west is Dalmeny Park, the seat of the Earl of Rosebery. Near it are the ruins of Barnbougle Castle, an ancient seat of the family of the Moubrays. Directly opposite is Donnibrissle, a seat of the Earl of Moray, the scene of the atrocious murder, by the Earl of Huntly, of the youthful Earl of Moray, son-in-law of the celebrated Regent Murray. A short way to the westward lies the

* Steamboats sail for Alloa and Stirling every day from Granton Pier. Coaches to the boat run from the Duty House, end of North Bridge, where correct information as to the hours of sailing may be obtained.

†The Earl of Huntly, head of the powerful family of Gordon, had chanced to have some feudal differences with the Earl of Murray, in the course of which John Gordon, a brother of Gordon of Cluny, was killed by a shot from Murray's castle of Darnaway. This was enough to make the two families irreconcilable