A TRIP ABROAD.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 62, 8 March 1912, Page 2

A TRIP ABROAD.

(By a Traveller.) Holyrood Palace and Abbey, associated with the beautiful and unfortunate Queen of Scots. The latter venerable ruin was founded by David I. The Palace was built in the time of James TV. The apartments of Lord Darnloy and Queen Mary have been kept much in the same way as in their day . The Igvge Picture Gallery is where Prince Charlie held his audiences.. The supper room from where llizzio was dragged out and murdered contains many interesting mementos. A (brass plate near the door of the Audience Chamber marks where his blood stained the floor. What strikes visitors is the smallness of some of the Royal apartments both here and at the castle and Queen Mary’s tiny looking-glass! Wouldn’t do for Royalty nowadays. Outside the .palace is a small stone building known a® Queen Mary's bath. To the right of the palace is l Arthur’s seat and the Salisbury, called the King’s Park. The University in Chambers Street stands on the site of the Kirk o’ Field House, where Darnley met his fate. "West Port, a short distance to the south of the castle and near the Grassmarket is notable as being the scene of Prince Charlie’s entry into Edinburgh in 1715, and also the 'locality of the exploits of those notorious miscreants Burke and Hare. They used to waylay, people and suffocate them by. placing a pitch plaster over the mouth and nostrils, and then sell the bodies to students of anatomy for dissection. They carried this infamous game on for nearly a year, when they were discovered and brought to trial. Hare turned King’s evidence and Burke was hanged in Edinburgh im 1829. It was from the above that the word to “burke” a thing got its origin. Leith and the Forth Bridge.— Lieth is said to be two miles north of Edinburgh, To the visitor they appear one great city. The former is a very busy sea port and has vast harbour works and extensive docks. From here a trip was made in the steamer Edinburgh Castle to South Queen’s Ferry so as to get a good view of the Forth Bridge by sailing under it. After passing Cramond Island on the left is Dalmeny Park, belonging to Lord Rosebery and the stately Barnhongle Castle restored by him. The locality near the, castle on the beach .was pointed out as the scene of a .duel fought in 1597 and witnessed by a crowd of 5000 onlookers. We soon got a view of the famous bridge and one obtains an idea of the size, of this stupendous piece of engineering when sailing underneath it. A few words about it might be of interest. .The bridge took seven years to build and was opened in January, 1890, I our, i thousand men were engaged on the construction,' and 500 accidents, happened to worknien, 57 : ending fatally. ; Headway aVoVd highwater mark, -150 ft;; length’ 'of' ! large span, 1710 ft.; depth of lowest caisson below high water mark, 89ft. ; weight of iron and steel used, 54,000 tons-; total length, of bridge, about a mile, and a half ; cost, and a quarter millions. The locality is full of historical interest. Oh, the. north .shore near Rosyth Castle the Government are establishing a port ‘Ariel naval base. The-return journey' 'to the city was made -by coach, passing Dalmeny Park.-c Harvest operations were in full swing and the country around looked splendid: 11 Report has it. that the proprietor of t this fine estate is an ideal landlord. This reminds me that on discussing tlile" subject with farmers some have declared that they would sooner be tenants under a good landloi d than own their own farms. Continuing our journey on the left ,wo got a good view of “lAnld Cramond Brig.” In the vicinity of Edinburgh the driver pointed out the tomb of the late Sir Hector McDonald in the Dean Cemetery. The Dean bridge is soon reached under which, runs the Water of Leith. This bridge has become notorious on account of the number of suicides that have been committed there, and it is a locality known as Edinburgh’s “Bridge of Sighs.” The authorities are contemplating raising the parapets so as to prevent unfortunates tired of life from throwing themselves, over. “This land to be fued, is a legend one often sees on notice boards, placed on sections in this country.. On inquiry I found that to fue is equivalent to our lease m perpetuity and was informed that much of the land about Edinburgh is bold on that tenure;; , Melrose—This famous old Abbey dedicated to St. Mary was founded in 1136 by King David and restored by Robert Bruce.' Dike many another it has been despoiled by -fanatics.;' The beautiful East Window lias been well described by Sir W. ;Scott in the “Lay of the Last Minstrel.”' Under the high altar dose by is buried the heart of King Robert Bruce, brought back from Spain by Sir Win. Keith after Bir James Douglas who intended to bury it in the Holy Sepulchre had killed in an encounter with tho -Saracens in Spain. There is a beautiini verse by Mrs Heman-s on this subject. Close to the chancel is a -vfcpue .that was the favourite seat of rir Walter Scott , who used to love to To there to contemplate. Some of the carvings of flowers, etc., on the pillars are very beautiful, and on the capital of one of them is a. .splendid representation of curly ©ail, which makes a lino ornamentation. Manv of the old houses in the town have stoncr in their walls taken from the abbey. It is now in the possession of the Duke of Buchleiich, who has donmuch to preserve it from further decay. Abbotsford on the Tweed, built by the late Sir Walter Scott scorn,r to bo a mixture of many kinds of nr-! phitecturo, and one as is said no one I but he would have erected. It is a most ! interesting place, containing quite a I run sen in of rare articles gathered by ( die owner. There is a gun of Bob Roy, j

the blunderbuss of Andreas Hofei* (tili< Tyrolese patriot), the sword of Mont iroGC, the old “Mistletoe Bough’ chest, Bruce’s candlestick, etc., etc In the latter the candle was risen ii the stick by a. spiral arra.ngemon siiclh. as is seen in some korosen< lamps at the present day for raisin' the chimneys and which some of u: think is a. new invention! Idle lib rary contains over 20,000 books, man; of them gifts from tho-authors, thee is the little ivory cross hold by Quee 1 . Mary of Scots at her exe cation and a gruesome pic hire of her head painted short]; after that sad event. In the stud; arc Sir Walter's arm chair and .writ ing desk, as ho loft them. The arm oury contains many articles and arm our belonging tp famous men. Whils admiring contents of the Green house, the oarctejtev pointed out ; man working \ In' the garden whos< grandfatjid]!')kasi 'ip 1 the employ cl Si Will tor'Hci>tt,j Dpvhyrgh Abbey (local ly ‘ pronounced Dryborough) in illvicinity contains the tomb of th “Wizard of tho North.” In this dis t nict is' Fonlshiels, the birthplace o Mungo Park, the famous African trav ell or. A slab with ©ui table inscrip tion has been placed on the cot-fag! where he was born by tho Duke n: Buchlencb.