filled the office of librarian-an office now occupied by Dr Irving, author of "Lives of the Scottish Poets," and other works. Besides this gentleman, there are several assistant librarians, whose kindness to strangers deserves our warmest acknowledgment. Among the articles in the collection most prized for their rarity may be mentioned a manuscript Bible of St Gerome's translation, believed to have been written in the eleventh century, and which is known to have been used as the conventual copy of the Scriptures in the abbey of Dunfermline; a complete copy, in two volumes, of the first printed Bible, executed in bold black-letter, by Faust and Guttenberg (probably worth £3000); a set of the Gospels, written in the Tamul language, upon dried weeds or leaves, and arranged in a case; the original Solemn League and Covenant, drawn out in 1580, and bearing a beautiful autograph signature of James VI., besides those of many of his courtiers; six distinct manuscript copies of the Covenant of 1638, bearing the original signatures of all the eminent men of that time; some letters of Mary Queen of Scots; the Wodrow manuscripts; a valuable collection of the chartularies of various religious houses; and a few ancient manuscripts of the classics. THE SIGNET LIBRARY. The library of the Writers to the Signet occupies a building also connected with the Parliament House, from which it may be entered, the principal doorway, however, being from the open space which is in front of the County Hall. The building exteriorly presents a handsome Grecian façade of two storeys; within, it forms an upper and lower apartment, both of which are of elegant appearance, and fitted up as a library. The upper room, approached by a spacious staircase and lobby, is 140 feet long by 42 feet wide, with an elliptical arched ceiling, very richly panelled, and supported by twenty-four fluted columns of the Corinthian order. Between the columns on the south side there are windows, and the room is further lighted by a large cupola in the centre of the ceiling. The books are arranged in presses between and behind the pillars, and a gallery runs along the whole, at the height of twenty feet. The floor is of oak, covered with a rich carpet, and all the furniture is of the most splendid description. The whole cost of the room is said to have amounted to nearly £12,000. The lobby and staircase are embellished with busts and portraits of eminent personages connected with the Scottish judicature. HIGH STREET-CANONGATE. Passing from the Parliament Square by the north-east entry, the stranger again finds himself in the High Street, and exactly in front of the ROYAL EXCHANGE-a large building, with a central courtyard, employed for the meetings of the Town-Council and other civic purposes. On the right, in issuing from the Parliament Square, a new POLICE OFFICE has lately been erected. A little lower down, near the centre of the street, is the site of the ancient Cross of Edinburgh, removed in 1756. The demolition of this ancient fabric has since been much regreted: Scott alludes to the circumstance in Marmion :— "Dun-Edin's cross, a pillared stone, Rose on a turret octagon; But now is razed that monument, And voice of Scotland's law was sent In glorious trumpet clang. Oh, be his tomb as lead to lead Upon its dull destroyer's head!— The spot is now marked by a circle of stones in the causeway; and here public proclamations are still made. Nothing further of interest occurs in the High Street at this part. Proceeding down the street, and passing the Tron Church and the crossing to North and South Bridge Streets, we soon reach the head of the Canongate; but before entering this contracted part of the thoroughfare, we have occasion to see on the left or north side an old edifice, which was at one time the house of JOHN KNOX. A small effigy, in stone, of the reformer occupies the projecting angle of the building. The Canongate, which is a civic dependency of the city, and ecclesiastically a distinct parish, will be traversed with melancholy interest. Once the court end of the town, and occupied by persons of distinction, it is now abandoned to the meanest of the mean-several houses are dilapidated, and the street flutters in rags and wretchedness. About the middle, on the left-hand side going down, are the old prison of the burgh, distinguished by a picturesque projecting clock, and the church and churchyard. In this obscure cemetery lie the remains of the illustrious Adam Smith, author of the "Wealth of Nations," also of Robert Fergusson, an unfortunate Scottish poet, over whose remains Robert Burns piously erected a monument. A little farther down, on the south side of the street, stands Queensberry House -a large dull edifice, formerly the residence of the Dukes of Queensberry, now a house of refuge for destitute poor. At the foot of the Canongate the stranger enters the precinct of Holyrood, and has before him the celebrated PALACE OF HOLYROOD. A palace was built here in connexion with the abbey founded by David I., and this old structure was considerably renovated by James V. The whole, however, was destroyed by Cromwell, excepting the north-west angle, or that portion fronting the spectator as he approaches from the Canongate. All the rest is comparatively modern, having been built in the reign of Charles 16 II., but in a way to harmonise with the older part then remaining. The architect on this occasion was Sir William Bruce, and the building was executed by Robert Mylne, whose tomb may be seen on the north side of the chapel. The design of the palace by Bruce seems to be much the same as that of Hampton Court. The edifice is of stone, and of a quadrangular figure, with an open court in the centre, surrounded by piazzas. The whole is in a plain Grecian style of architecture. Having been erected after the Scottish monarchs had removed to England, the palace generally cannot be said ever to have been a royal residence for more than short periods. Of the surviving portion of the older palace a different history can be told. James V. was father of Mary, and when that unfortunate princess landed in Scotland, she was conducted to the palace which her father had erected. The house was of large dimensions, much larger than at present; but Mary selected for her private apartments those which occupied the north-western angle of the building, comprehended chiefly in two turrets. Fortunately, this was the part saved from the outrage of Cromwell's soldiers. Thus, by an accident, Mary's apartments are preserved; and, what is still more remarkable, they are at this day pretty much in the condition she left them, although nearly three hundred years have since passed away. Ascending a stone staircase from the piazza of the court, under the guidance of an ever-ready attendant, we reach these rooms, so full of historical associations, and are naturally surprised to observe how simply the beautiful queen had been accommodated. In the first place, there is a vestibule, where the blood of Rizzio is still shown upon the floor; though, we allow, it requires a stretch of faith to detect its appearance. Next is her presence-chambera room of large dimensions, with a carved oak roof, embellished with ciphers of different kings, queens, and princes, in faded paint and gold. The walls are decked with a great variety of pictures and prints; and some old chairs and other furniture are preserved. Adjacent to this apartment, occupying the front of the tower, is the bedchamber of Mary, in which her bed is shown, in a very decayed condition. The only other two apartments are a small dressing-room and a cabinet, in which last she was sitting at supper when Rizzio was assailed by his assassins. Near the door which leads from the bedchamber into this apartment is shown a private staircase in the solid wall, communicating with a suite of rooms below, which perhaps were those occupied by Darnley, as it is known he conducted the conspirators by this passage into the presence of his wife. These two small rooms contain a few objects of interest, said to have belonged to the queen's toilet; also some tapestry, wrought by her own hand. Cold and deserted, and with all around having the appearance of age and decay, Mary's apartments cannot fail to inspire melancholy reflections; but to the reader of history, the view of the scene here disclosed will at the same time afford a new pleasure-the satisfaction of seeing the actual spot where events took place which have for centuries been the theme of narratives and discussions. Having seen Queen Mary's apartments, little else in the palace is worth looking at, In a long apartment, in which takes place the election of representative Scottish peers for the House of Lords, are exhibited "portraits of a hundred and six Scottish monarchs." Being merely daubs with a fictitious likeness, they are treated with deserved contempt. The other apartments are fitted up principally in a modern style, and are in part occupied by the families of noblemen and others who have received permission to reside within the palace, of which the Duke of Hamilton is heritable keeper. As a place of royal residence the palace is now scarcely suitable. Its low situation and want of a sunk storey render it damp; while it is destitute of many desirable conveniences. When George IV. was in Scotland in 1822, he held courts in one of the apartments; but he resided at the palace of the Duke of Buccleuch at Dalkeith. ABBEY OF HOLYROOD. Partially adhering to the walls of the palace, and now a roofless ruin, this was at one time an exceedingly handsome structure, built in the florid Gothic style. On the occasion of the incursion of the Earl of Hertford in 1544, it received its first great blow, the interior being sacked, and the monks contumeliously scattered. It again suffered from an invasion of the English in 1547, and from that time sunk to the condition of a chapel-royal. In this state it was the scene of Queen Mary's marriage with Darnley, July 29, 1565. Throughout the seventeenth century, Holyrood chapel was at different times fitted up by orders of the Stuarts, as an exemplar for worship according to the English ritual; but, as the readers of history know, with no good effect on the Scottish people. At the revolution, it was despoiled by a mob, and afterwards remained in a dilapidated state for seventy-two years. The roof being then decayed, was taken down, and replaced by a new covering; this was most injudiciously composed of flag-stones, the weight of which brought it down, to the damage of the building, in 1768. Since that period, the chapel has been an open ruin. It is now used only as a place of sepulture by some families of note. A few of the ancient tombstones in the floor are interesting. QUEEN'S PARK-ARTHUR'S SEAT. Behind the abbey and palace of Holyrood are the open grounds styled the Queen's Park, wherein arise the rugged hills of Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags. The park, which includes these hills, extends to about four miles in circumference, and was enclosed by James V. with a stone wall, the greater part of which still exists. Whatever might have been the condition of the grounds in early times, they have for many years been destitute of trees, and suitable only for pasture. Till lately, the Earl of Haddington possessed a right of forestry over them, subject to the right of free perambulation by the inhabitants of Edinburgh. This nobleman's right having been purchased by the crown, the whole grounds are now under the charge of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, by whom many beneficial improvements are in the course of execution. Some intrusive enclosures have been already thrown open; cross-walls, stiles, and old houses have been removed; morasses drained; and lastly, a handsome public drive has been made along the lower grounds, and round the hills. " As the whole of this interesting royal demesne is open to the public at all hours, the stranger should not quit Edinburgh without visiting at least Arthur's Seat, the most lofty and prominent of the two hills. Carriages are admitted along the new drives as far as finished. Both hills are of the same mineralogical character-green-stone and trap-tuff ejected by volcanic action, and offer a study to the geologist: their surface also affords an interesting field of research to the botanist. Arthur's Seat rises to a height of 700 feet from the meadow at its base, or 796 feet above the level of the sea. Its name has puzzled etymologists: the most reasonable conclusion is, that its present designation is a corruption of two Celtic words signifying "the hill of arrows.' Any connexion with King Arthur is now entirely repudiated. The name Salisbury, applied to the crags or cliffs, has been not less difficult; the most plausible conjecture is, that it is also derived from a Celtic term signifying a "desert or waste place." In ascending Arthur's Seat, strangers usually proceed by way of St Anthony's Chapel, the ruins of which occupy the summit of a knoll projecting from the northern side of the hill. This religious structure is of considerable antiquity, and it is only by the name that it is known to have been a dependency of the preceptory of St Anthony in Leith. Along with some adjoining cells, it has long been in ruins, little now remaining but a portion of the side wall; efforts, however, have been made to prevent further demolition. The view from this height is very charming. In the ascending path to the chapel is "St Anton's Well"-a beautiful spring of clear water, which, proceeding out of the rock, is emptied into a stone basin, and at one time furnished a humble beverage to the recluses above. This little fountain will perhaps be viewed with some further degree of interest by the poetic mind, on recollecting the allusion to it in the old Scottish lyric "Now Arthur's Seat shall be my bed The sheets shall ne'er be pressed by me; St Anton's Well shall be my drink, |