this force it successfully resisted. Since that period, now upwards of a century ago, its guns have happily not been fired except for military salutes.

In the twelfth century, David I, a pious and munificent Scottish monarch, founded the abbey of Holyrood, in the low ground eastward from the city; he at the same time empowered the monks or canons of this religious house to found a burgh in a westerly direction up the slope towards Edinburgh; and thus was built the Canongate, a suburb now in intimate union with the city-the whole apparently forming one town. In connection with Holyrood there also sprung up a royal palace, which became a favorite place of residence of the Scottish sovereigns. Not, however, until the era of the murder of James I, at Perth, in 1436-7, did Edinburgh become the recognized capital of the kingdom. Neither Perth nor Scone, Stirling nor Dunfermline, being able to offer security to royalty against the designs of the nobility, Edinburgh and its castle were thence selected as the only places of safety for the royal household, for the sittings of parliament, for the mint, and the functionaries of government. Rising into importance as some other places sunk, Edinburgh became densely crowded with population; and hampered by surrounding walls, within which it was thought necessary to keep, for the sake of protection, its houses rose to a great height. Excepting the single open street extending from the Castle to Holyrood, every morsel of ground was covered with houses, forming thickly-packed closes or alleys, descending on each side from the central thoroughfare. Thus originated those lofty edifices which usually surprise strangers. In front, towards the High-street, they range from five to seven stories; but behind, towards the sloping flanks of the hill, they are considerably higher, and rising one above another, produce an exceedingly picturesque effect.

The first thing which the inhabitants seem to have done to emancipate themselves from this confinement, was to drain the morass or lake lying in the hollow on the south; and here were built extensions, (now known as the Grassmarket and Cowgate,) which were occupied by many of the higher classes. In times much more recent, these extensions spread over the rising ground still more to the south; and with this latter improvement, the citizens remained contented till about the middle of the eighteenth century. The cause for this slow progress was the injury which Edinburgh sustained from the union of Scotland with England in 1707. Until that event it was the resort of royalty, and of the nobility and commons who constituted the Scottish parliament. Although, by the treaty of union, Scotland retained its peculiar institutions, laws, and courts of judicature-all having their central organization in Edinburgh-there was sustained a serious loss in the final withdrawal of the sovereign and officers of government. The merging of the Scottish parliament in the British House of Lords and Commons was felt to be a fatal blow; and this disaster, as it was thought to be, Edinburgh did not recover till the country in general took a start, consequent on the failure of the rebellion of 1745, the abolition of the heritable jurisdictions, (feudal oppressions,) in 1748, and the opening of trade with the American colonies. Agriculture now began to receive attention, Glasgow rose into importance, and Edinburgh, sympathizing in the movement, became the seat of various banking institutions, which imparted life and vigor to the arts.

Edinburgh is not a manufacturing town-a circumstance arising partly from its situation, and partly from the constitution of its society, which is essentially aristocratic, literary and professional. The only businesses carried on to a large extent are printing, with the kindred arts; iron founding, brewing, and coach-building. The largest manufactories of paper in Scotland are situated on the North Esk, within a distance of ten miles. The town has long been distinguished for its banking and lifeinsurance institutions. The principal professsion is that of the law, in connection with the supreme courts. The next in importance is that of education, which has many able professors and teachers. Edinburgh is indeed resorted to by families from all parts of the empire for the sake of its numerous well-conducted schools. Taking a tone from these circumstances, the general society of Edinburgh is usually considered to be of a refined character; and this it seems likely to maintain from its increasing intercourse with the metropolis.

THE CASTLE.

The first object that usually attracts the attention of visitors is the Castle. It may be entered freely, but an order is required to see the

regalia, which are deposited within it: this order is obtained gratis by application at an office in the council chambers. The regalia are not shown till noon. The rock on which the fortress is built rises to a height of 383 feet above the level of the sea, and its battlements, towering above the city, may be seen in some directions for forty or fifty miles. The rock is precipitous on all sides but the east; here it is connected with the town by an open esplanade. The walls are believed not to be more than three hundred years old. The principal buildings, now used as barracks, are at the south-east corner, and among these is an old palace, partly built by Queen Mary in 1565, and partly in 1616. Pretty nearly the whole interest in a visit to the castle pertains to this edifice.

Regalia of Scotland.

Entering by a doorway in a projecting staircase, fronting a quadrangular court, we are conducted into a small vaulted apartment containing the regalia; the different objects being placed on an oval table, securely enclosed within a kind of cage of upright bars. The crown

lies on a cushion of crimson velvet, fringed with gold, and is surrounded by the scepter, the sword with its sheath, and the treasurer's mace. The room is fitted up with crimson hangings, tastefully disposed; the whole lighted up by four lamps. The crown is very elegantly formed, the under part being a golden diadem, consisting of two circles, chased and adorned with precious stones and pearls. The upper circle is surmounted by crosses fleury, interchanged with fleur-delis, and with small points, terminated by costly pearls. This was the old crown, and the date is unknown, though the era of Bruce has been referred to with much probability. James V added two concentric arches of gold, crossing and intersecting each other above the circles, and surmounted by a ball or globe, over which rises a cross patee, adorned with diamonds. The cap or tira of the crown is of crimson velvet, turned up with ermine, and adorned with pearls; but this was only substituted by James VII for the former cap of tiara of purple velvet, which had become much decayed during the concealment of the regalia in the time of the civil war. The scepter is a slender rod of silver, thirty-two inches in length, chased and varied in its form. It terminates with three small figures, representing the Virgin Mary, St. Andrew, and St. James, over whose heads rises a crystal globe. With this scepter the Lord Chancellor of Scotland touched the acts of parliament in token of the royal assent. The sword of state is very elegant. It was a present from Pope Julius II to James IV of Scotland, (slain at Flodden,) and having been wrought in Italy shortly after the revival of the arts, is a beautiful specimen of sculpture. The handle is of silver, gilded, and the cross or guard is wreated in imitation of two dolphins. The scabbard is adorned with filigree-work of silver, representing boughs and leaves of oak with acorns; the device of Pope Julius being an oak-tree in fruit. The last monarch who used the crown was Charles II, while in Scotland, previous to the

disastrous battle of Worcester. Saved by friends of royalty during the civil war, the regalia were afterwards deposited in a chest in the room in which they are now shown. In 1817 these interesting relics were taken from their place of deposit, and thus freely exposed to public view.

Leaving the regalia, the stranger next visits, in the same pile of building, but entered by a different door, the room in which Queen Mary gave birth to James VI, on the 19th of June, 1566. It will create feelings of surprise to find this place now forming part of a mean tavern or canteen. It is a small irregular-shaped apartment, of about eight feet square, and lighted by a single window, overlooking the precipice beneath. The roof is divided into four compartments, having the figure of a thistle at each corner, and a crown and the initials M. R. in the center. When George IV visited the castle in 1822, he was conducted, at his own request, to this little room, so interesting for its historical associations.

The most defensible part of the castle is on the east, near the abovementioned edifice: here is a half-moon battery, on which is a flag-staff, facing the Old Town, and completely commanding the approaches to the fort. Further round to the north, overlooking the Argyle Battery, is the Bomb Battery, whence is obtained a very extensive prospect of the New Town, the environs, the Firth of Forth, and the coast of Fife. On this lofty battery stands an ancient piece of ordnace, called Mons Meg, which is considered a kind of national palladium of Scotland. This gun, which is composed of long bars of beat iron, hooped together by a close series of rings, measuring twenty inches in the bore, is supposed to have been fabricated under the auspicies of James IV, who, in 1498, employed it at the siege of Norman Castle, on the borders of England. It was rent in 1682, when firing a salute, since which time it has been quite useless. Having been removed to England, and deposited in the Tower of London, it was restored to its old position, at the solicitation of the Scotch, in 1829. It appears to have been customary to fire from it bullets of stone, which were afterwards economically sought for and picked up for future use. Some of these are piled alongside of Meg.

On the western side of the castle are some tall barracks, and also the arsenal or storehouses, in which are contained thirty thousand stand of arms. These, and other objects of curiosity, are shown to strangers. Edinburgh castle is one of the forts enjoined by the treaty of union to be kept up in Scotland; but as this portion of the United Kingdom needs no military defense, it may be described as a source of useless expense to the country.

The long line of street extending from the castle to Holyrood-called at different parts Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, High-street and Canongateembraces or abuts various objects of interest. This was the one thoroughfare of ancient Edinburgh; and, as already stated, many of the black and half-dilapidated houses which environ it were formerly inhabited by people of distinction.

The High Church, or Cathedral of St. Giles, stands on High-street, nearly opposite the Royal Exchange. The building contains three places of worship. The division called the High Church has a

St. Giles' Cathedral and Parliament Square.

gallery with a throne and canopy for the Sovereign, which is used by the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly when attending divine service during the sitting of that body. The cathedral is architecturally surmounted by an imperial crown in which are a sett of musical bells. It was in this Church that in 1637, Charles I, endeavoring to establish the Episcopal form of worship, created such a ferment among the people, as to prevent afterwards all similar attempts. It was in one of the chapels of this Cathedral, that Jenny Geddes, the old Scotch woman, made the first outbreak against what she supposed to be the first introduction of Popery into Scotland, under the mask of Prelacy. The service had got on to a certain length, but when the Dean announced the Collect for the day, Jenny's wrath could be controlled no longer she rose and exclaimed, in a loud voice, "Deil colic the wame o' ye," and hurled the creepie, (a short legged stool,) on which she had been sitting, at the head of the Dean, who luckily escaped the intended blow the whole church, however, became a scene of confusion, and they broke up in disorder. Across the road from this structure is a newly erected place of public worship, belonging to the "Free Church of Scotland," and is, in many respects, considered as the first Church of this denomination.*

*When this Church was visited, (October 16, 1853,) the Rev. Dr. Guthrie officiated as pastor, having as his colleague the Rev. Dr. Hanna, the son-in-law of the celebrated Dr. Chalmers. We found an overflowing congregation in attendance, and it was only by giving information that we were strangers from America that we could get admission. Dr. Hanna preached in the forenoon. His subject was taken from the account given of Saul's assuming the government of Israel, and his forfeiture of his crown for his dis