Glasgow Rob Roy' scenes.

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The streets fronting the Clyde, on both sides, are very imposing, and are connected by four handsome stone bridges, while the banks of the river are substantially walled with granite, surmounted with iron railings. There is a public park, pleasure-ground, and gymnasium, near the river. The streets, particularly the Broadway of the town, Trongate-street, were literally thronged, quite as much so as Cheapside and Fleet-street in the Metropolis. In this street I saw the remaining tower of the Tolbooth, where Rob Roy conducted Frank, and met Bail.ie Nicol Jarvie. From thence I walked up High-street to the venerable Uuniversity, of which Campbell, the poet, who is a native of Glasgow, was lately principal.* The structure is very antique, and incloses three squares. I passed through college after college, looking as learned as possible, and graduated in the 'green,' where Frank Osbaldistone encountered Rashleigh. Farther up the street, I arrived at the old cathedral, one of the largest in Britain. It is now divided into three churches for Presybterians. The pillars which support the great tower are immense. I measured my umbrella twice on one side of a single square pillar. The crypt (basement) where Frank Osbaldistone attended church, and was warned by Rob Roy, extends the whole length of the cathedral, and is the most curious part of it. In the grave-yard I noticed monuments to John Knox, and McGavin, author of the Protestant.

* * The Merchants' Exchange is a splendid Corinthian edifice, and contains a noble public hall, and an ex

*This office, as is well known, is now held by SIR ROBERT PEEL.

tensive reading-room. I was surprised at the extraordinary cheapness of rents, both here and in Edinburgh, compared with those in our good city of Gotham. The very best finished three-story houses, of stone, of the largest class, and in desirable situations, may be had for four hundred and fifty dollars per annum. Our New-York landlords would demand for a similar residence, at least twelve hun. dred dollars. In Edinburgh, as it is not a commercial place, rents are still lower. Very superior houses, with large gardens, etc., are let for eighty pounds per year.

After seeing Langside, about two miles from Glasgow, where the cause of the ill-fated Queen of Scots was finally overthrown, I rode to Linlithgow, for the sake of a glance at her birth-place; the palace once so famous and ‘fair.'

'Of all the palaces so fair,

Built for the royal dwelling,
Above the rest, beyond compare,
Linlithgow is excelling.'

The walls remain nearly entire, but the interior was totally destroyed by fire, during one of the civil feuds. The town, as well as that of Falkirk, a few miles beyond is dull and gloomy.* Some of the old houses in Falkirk were once occupied by the knights of St John, who had a preceptory near the place. The field where the great battle was fought, in which Wallace was defeated, is a short distance from the town. I reached Edinburgh at ten P. M.,

*The house yet remains in Linlithgow, from which the Regent Murray was shot.

Linlithgow-Adieu to Scotland.

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in the canal-boat from Glasgow, which goes at the rate of nine miles an hour, and landed under the batteries of the castle; having passed a week in delightful weather, among the most interesting parts of Scotland. I have been agree. ably surprised at the evident marks of industry and prosperity which are almost every where apparent. The Scotch are notoriously shrewd, enterprising, and thriving; but we Yankees, like other nations, are apt to think ourselves far before the rest of the world in 'inventions and improve. ments;' and though a foreigner would sneer at my presumption, I have really felt pleased when I have seen any thing abroad pretty nearly' as good as we can show at home. It is folly, at the same time, for us to flatter our. selves that we can in no wise take profitable example from our father-land!

Notwithstanding the flattering invitation from Mr. G-, (of the agreeable party I had the honor and pleasure joining in the Highland tour,) business called me speedily to London, and I therefore took berth in the 'Caledonia' steamer, and reluctantly bade adieu to my hospitable friends, and to

'Edina! Scotia's darling seat,

With all her palaces and towers,'

The London steam-packets sail from New-Haven, one of the seaports of Edinburgh. They are very large, and are built and rigged like ships; with a fine dining-cabin on deck, over that of the berths. The fare from Edinburgh to London, (about five hundred miles by water,) is three

pounds, meals included; and they make the passage in from forty-two to fifty hours. A good library in the cabin served to relieve the tediousness of the trip; and I found, on reference, that I had visited or passed over many of the scenes described in the Waverley Novels; and what a gallery of pictures do those works exhibit! They are too familiar, however, to need any reference. One of the principal charms of Scott's fictions, as has been often remarked, is the accuracy and truth to nature, both of his landscapes and his characters. He studied scenery and localities, in the course of his frequent excursions, as well as individual traits; and as he has himself told us, he had an original in his eye for most of his apparently imaginary portraits.

As we sail along the coast, we have a distant view of several remarkable places. Preston-Pans, where the chevalier and his Highlanders routed the royal army, under Sir John Cope; Dunbar, and its castle; Dunglass Castle; Berwick-upon-Tweed, near the Border;' Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, which figures in Marmion;' Flodden Field lies a few miles from the coast; and Alnwick and Warkworth Castles,

'Home of the Percy's high-born race,

are but a few miles from the Border, on the English side. Carlisle and its famous castle, and Gretna-Green, are more in the interior. The finest small views of Scottish scenery may be found in 'Caledonia Illustrated,' now publishing, edited by Dr. Beattie.

On board our steam-ship, I was amused at the specula

'Waverley' scenes.— -Yankeeism, etc.

153

tions of my neighbors at the table, respecting a person at the other end of it, whom they finally pronounced a Yankee, from the sure evidence of his chewing tobacco. They never suspected me, it seems, for one of the barbarians, and looked rather blank, when I spoke to him as a fellow countryman. He was a pretty considerable thorough-bred downeaster; and it was not strange that John Bull detected him.

* We landed at the East India docks, five or six miles from St. Paul's, and considering myself pretty well informed in the law, and not easily to be cheated, I hired a hack, without saying a word as to the price, and had the pleasure of being forced to pay five times the lawful fare, because, forsooth, the law did not extend down the river, and, moreover, it was a 'glass coach!'

XI.

LONDON, again-House of Lords-Applying for 'orders'-Duke of Wellington, Melbourne, etc.-O'Connel-Service in Westminster Abbey-Windsor Castle-Politics-OXFORD, University, Libraries, etc.

6

House of Lords.-There is no admittance for plebeians to this august assembly,' without a written order from a peer; but we were not to be daunted on this wise. We wrote a billet to some of the great 'uns, as follows:

'To his Grace the Duke of Wellington:

'MY LORD DUKE: The undersigned, a stranger from the United