in 1751, upon which a general survey of the houses | menced, without waiting for any Act of Parliament. of the city was ordered; and all those which had become dangerously dilapidated (apparently no small number) were pulled down. Immediately after this, in 1752, the Convention of Royal Burghs, the Lord Provost and Town Council of Edinburgh, and the Lords of Session, agreed upon a plan for the improvement of the city. A pamphlet, drawn up by Sir Gilbert Elliott in support of the plan, gave the following description of Edinburgh in its then state :"Placed upon the ridge of a hill, it admits of but one good street, running from east to west; and even this is tolerably accessible only from one quarter. The narrow lanes leading to the north and south, by reason of their steepness, narrowness, and dirtiness, can only be considered as so many unavoidable nuisances. Many families-sometimes no less than ten or a dozen-are obliged to live overhead of each other in the same building; where to all other inconveniences is added that of a common stair, which is no other, in effect, than an upright street. It is owing to the same narrowness of situation that the principal street is encumbered with the herb-market, the fruit-market, and several others. No less observable is the great deficiency of public buildings. If the Parliamenthouse, the churches, and a few hospitals, be excepted, what have we to boast of? There is no Exchange for our merchants; no repository for our public and private records; no place of meeting for our magistrates and town council; none for the convention of our borough, which is entrusted with the inspection of trade. To these and such other reasons it must be imputed that so few people of rank live in this city; that it is rarely visited by strangers; and that so many local prejudices and narrow notions, inconsistent with polished manners and growing wealth, are still so obstinately retained. To such reasons alone it must be imputed that Edinburgh, which ought to have set the example of industry and improvement, is the last of our trading cities that has shaken off the unaccountable supineness which has so long and so fatally depressed the spirit of the nation." The above is a description which points out forcibly how few objects of beauty or attraction there were in Edinburgh about a century ago. After many considerations and changes of plan, the authorities of the city obtained an Act of Parliament in 1753, regulating the mode in which they might obtain possession of the property necessary for the forthcoming improvements. The first work commenced was an Exchange for the use of the merchants. Next came a project for extending the royalty by building a new town, which should contain houses worthy of the residence of the nobility. Hereupon the burgh of Canongate took the alarm at the prospect of a rival to itself, and succeeded in shelving the question for the time. In 1763 the Lord Provost Drummond, an enlightened and liberal man, resolved that no more time should be wasted; but that the bridge, which was to connect the central hill with the northern hill, should be com He did not wish to raise unnecessary opposition; he therefore made no mention of an extended royalty, but merely designated the bridge as an improved medium of communication between Edinburgh and Leith. The north valley (or North Loch, as it was then called,) was drained; the foundations were laid; and the bridge was, in the course of a few years, completed. The remarkable position of this bridge will be described in a future page. In 1767 the Town Council obtained an Act of Parliament for the formation of a new town on the north hill, beyond the North Loch. Mr. James Craig, a Scottish architect, laid out a plan for a town so far exceeding anything known up to that time in Scotland, that he received vast encomiums on all sides for it. But while these matters were in progress, a new town had been silently springing up on the southern hill, south of the Cowgate. An enterprising builder, named Brown, bought a large plot of land for a small sum of money, and immediately began to build two squares and a few adjoining streets. The place being at the outskirts of the town, bordering on green fields, and the houses being of a modern and convenient kind, it soon became a favourite locale with the wealthy inhabitants of Edinburgh. George-square, where Sir Walter Scott was born, and Brown-square, thus became the centre of fashion: indeed, the encomiums lavished on those squares by contemporary writers would no little astonish any one who might now visit them for the first time, especially after seeing the superb buildings of the new or north town. St. John's-street, branching out from the Canongate to the south, and Newstreet, branching out on the north, were also new lines of houses, better than those higher up the hill, and calculated for a somewhat superior class of inhabitants. Argyle-square and Adam's-square were two other spots selected for good houses in the southern new town. These operations on the southern side of the old or central town greatly retarded those on the northern side. The wealthy inhabitants of Edinburgh found houses suited for their purposes somewhat southward of the Cowgate; and it thence became a doubtful point, whether a splendid new north town might not be a ruinous speculation. There arose also a disagreement between the Town Council and the lessees of the North Loch or Valley; for that loch had originally been intended to be laid out as a sort of ornamental canal, with gardens and public walks along the banks. The east and west avenue, corresponding with the present Princes-street, was then a narrow road, called the Lang Dykes; and beyond it, where the splendid streets, squares, and crescents of the New Town appear, was a very large farm, the luxuriant fields of which spread out before the view of the inmates of the old, elevated town. It has been before mentioned that the Duke of York, in the latter half of the preceding century, sanctioned the project of a new town on this spot; but it was not until 1766 that a commencement was fairly made. The progress of the new south town rather discouraged speculators in the north; and builders did not purchase feus with the avidity which the magistrates wished and hoped. A bribe was therefore offered of a premium of £20 to the person who should build the first house in the extended royalty, or new north town. A beginning having thus been made, the town gradually grew up; St. Andrew's-square, nearly in a line with the North Bridge, being the nucleus of the building operations. The reader will therefore find his comprehension of the topography of Edinburgh assisted by bearing in mind the following points:-That the town was situated wholly on the central hill until the fifteenth century; that the first wall, built in 1450, enclosed very little more than the present High-street, and the wynds branching out from it on the north and south; that the town next extended over the southern valley or hollow, identical with the present Cowgate and Grass-market; that the second wall of the city, built in 1513, included a considerable area of ground southward of this valley; that a period of two centuries and a half elapsed, during which scarcely any extensions of the town were made; that about the close of George the Second's reign a bridge was built over the northern valley, preparatory to an extension of the town to the fields then lying between Edinburgh and Leith; that shortly afterwards a new town of (relatively) good houses began to spring up considerably southward of the Cowgate valley; that about the year 1770 the new north town, to which the bridge over the northern valley gave access, was fairly commenced; and that ever since that period the town and its suburbs have spread out extensively in every direction. Let us now ramble through the various quarters of this remarkable city, noticing, as we proceed, the most prominent features, especially those which connect past times with the present. Where the pen is weak, the pencil is often strong: the sketches of our colleague, Mr. Harvey Orrin Smith, will present many of the scenes at once and forcibly to the eye. And first for the Castle, the nucleus of the whole. When we ascend the sloping street that leads westward to the Castle, a shade of disappointment is apt to be felt at its appearance. It is not a good old, weather-beaten, moss- grown, picturesque, novel-reader's castle. The soldiers in their red coats, the shabbylooking barracks which have been built for their accommodation, and the changes made from time to time in the approaches, somewhat disturb one's notions of an ancient castle. But when we have clambered round the curved roads and paths which lead up to the bastions and ramparts, we cannot but remember of how many a busy scene it has been the theatre. It was the fortified castle-rock of the Ottadini, before the Roman invasion; it was the Castrum Puellarum of the Pictish kings; it afforded a refuge to the widow and children of Malcolm Canmore, in the eleventh century; it was the residence of William the Lion in the next following century, and of many other monarchs in succeeding centuries; it was bandied about from one possessor to another during the stormy period of the Edwards and the Bruces; it was alternately in the hands of kings and of nobles during the reigns of the Jameses; it took a part in all the busy events of Scottish history during the next three or four centuries; it welcomed George the Fourth in 1822, and Victoria in 1842. By the articles of the Union between England and Scotland, four Scottish fortresses are to be kept up in an efficient state: Edinburgh is one of these; the other three being Stirling, Dumbarton, and Blackness. We therefore expect to see the usual concomitants of military defences at the Castle. The Castle altogether occupies about six acres of ground. The rock on which it stands is, as has already been stated, very precipitous on the north, south, and west; its highest point is about 300 feet above the valley below, or nearly 400 above the level of the sea. On its eastern side it throws off a glacis or esplanade, communicating with the High-street, and affording a parade-ground and promenade. From this parade we advance westward to a barrier of palisades; then a dry ditch and a drawbridge, flanked by low batteries; then a guardhouse; then a strong archway, passing under a building used as a state prison; then a battery, an arsenal, and barracks. A second strong gateway gives entrance to the inner or higher fort, which contains the oldest portion of the Castle. There is a large pile of building, containing what were once the state apartments of Queen Mary; and the Crown-room, in which are lodged the regalia of Scotland. Two of the batteries of the Castle, the half-moon and the bomb-batteries, command a glorious view over the city and its environs. Eastward, past the lofty buildings of the Castle, may be seen the ancient part of the city, backed by Arthur's Seat; towards the north-east the eye glances over the gardens and railway of the North Valley to the Calton Hill and the superb buildings near it; northward lies the new town of stone houses, "stretching its white arms to the sea," and beyond it the Firth of Forth and the Fifeshire hills; while westward are the Corstorphine hills, backed by a dim outline of mountains far in the west. Captain Basil Hall, though no great admirer of the New Town, speaks with rapture, in his amusing collection of odds and ends called 'Patchwork,' of "the happy elegance of outline of the Old Town; the boldness of the Castle, which overlooks both towns; the matchless beauty, occasional grandeur, and pleasing variety of the adjacent scenery--which includes very respectable mountains, richly-cultivated plains, wooded valleys, and, above all, one of the finest specimens of estuary scenery which is to be found in the wide world. The only match that I know of for the glorious Firth of Forth, viewed from the Castle of Edinburgh, is the Gulf of St. Lawrence, seen from the ramparts of Quebec. In both cases the extent of water is great enough to show that it is the ocean we are looking at; and yet the width is not so vast as entirely to remove the idea of a river; at the same time that the high grounds | cover her;" payments for the iron and for men's which form their banks would be in character with streams of such gigantic dimensions, supposing those arms of the sea to be rivers." A portion of this varied view is given in Cut, No. 3. When Queen Victoria visited Edinburgh in 1842, she sat down on the parapet of the Castle to enjoy this splendid panorama: the people, assembled by thousands in Princes-street, two or three hundred feet below, espied her, and greeted her with stentorian lungs; while the handkerchief which she waved in recognition of them was distinctly seen below; nay, it is even said that the captain of the Pique frigate, lying out in the Firth of Forth, espied her with his telescope, and immediately fired a royal salute. The buildings of the Castle may be passed over with slight mention. The barracks, presenting their broad front towards the south-west, on the highest part of the Castle rock, form a most provokingly ugly mass. No cotton-mill could exhibit a more bare series of plain, flat, dismal, modern windows; and ingenuity could hardly have contrived a structure less in harmony with the scenes that surround it. As seen from the valley beneath, it is beyond measure tame and spiritless. The glittering treasures which form the Regalia were hidden from the light of day for nearly a century. When the Union took place between the two countries the Scottish crown-jewels were lodged in a room in the Castle, in 1707; but they seem afterwards to have passed almost out of mind, for no one knew what had become of them. At length, in 1818, the Prince Regent deputed some commissioners to search for them; and they were found carefully secured in a large oaken chest. They are now placed in a small room, lighted by lamps, and strongly secured by iron railings; and the corporate officers have power to grant tickets of admission to see them. The regalia consist of the Scottish crown; the sceptre; the sword of state; the Lord Treasurer's rod of office; a ruby ring, once belonging to Charles I.; a golden collar of the order of the Garter, presented by Queen Elizabeth to James VI.; and the badge of the order of the Thistle, bequeathed by Cardinal York to George IV. One of the objects to be seen at the Castle is the ponderous gun, designated 'Mons Meg,' placed on the bomb-battery, and pointing its mouth very harmlessly (for it is never now fired) over a portion of the New or North Town. 'Mons Meg' is a curiosity for which the "gude folk" of Edinburgh have a great affection. It is supposed that this monster cannon was fabricated in the time of James IV.; but how it obtained its familiar name does not seem to be known. There is a curious entry in the accounts of the High Treasurer, during that reign, relative to 'Mons Meg' having been transported on some occasion of national festivity from the Castle to the Abbey of Holyrood; there was a payment of 10s. to the pioneers for aiding to remove the cannon; 14s. to the minstrels who played before it during the removal; 9s. 4d. for eight ells of cloth, "to be Mons' claith to labour in making a cradle for 'Meg' during her removal; and many other items. The great gun appears to have been fired off occasionally at holiday times; but at length, in 1754, it was removed from Edinburgh Castle to London, where it remained in the Tower during three-quarters of a century, much against the inclination of the Scots. It is said that when George IV. was standing on the ramparts of the Castle, during his visit in 1822, Sir Walter Scott, who was by his side, brought 'Mons Meg' to the recollection of the king; and that, consequent on this circumstance, the cannon was restored to its ancient site in 1829. 'Mons Meg' is about 13 feet long, 2 feet 3 inches diameter at the mouth, and having a bore of 20 inches. It is formed of a number of iron bars welded together, and bound by strong hoops. Leaving the Castle, we commence the descent of that remarkable line of street which extends thence to Holyrood, almost in a direct line from west to east. It consists of four distinct portions-Castle-hill, Lawnmarket, High-street, and Canongate-all names well known in the past history of Edinburgh. Every year witnesses some change in the appearance of this venerable avenue-some alteration, to make way for modern improvements; and it is, perhaps, scarcely improbable that persons now alive may see the whole line converted into smart shops and modern-fronted houses. One could almost feel regret at such a change. There is such a unique picturesqueness about the oldest portions of this line of street, that we can hardly afford to part with it, even for the increased comforts of modern erections. Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, in his account of Queen Victoria's Royal Progress' in Scotland, justly remarks, "There are thousands of streets in the civilized world to which the High-street of Edinburgh can bear no comparison, either as to elegance of architecture or magnificence of design; but the antiquated, unpretending, and smoke-discoloured fronts of its houses, of some ten stories, occasionally topped by curious gables and huge square chimneys, so high in the heavens that, notwithstanding its great breadth from side to side, it is painful to look directly up to them from below, give to it a peculiar species of venerable grandeur which is to be found nowhere else." next We may walk from end to end, from west to east, without meeting two contiguous houses similar to each other. Here we have a house both broad and high, speckled over with a vast number of windows; may come a house equally lofty, but narrower; then another, in which gables and odd nooks and corners diversify the front; at one point is a stair (the Scotch do not use the plural word, stairs, in the same sense as the English: the whole ascent, reaching from the bottom of the house to the top, is simply a stair,) passing upwards from a doorless entrance between two houses; and at another a stair reaching outside the house from the pavement up to the story or flat over the shop; some of the houses have inscriptions on |