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of his reach,-an addition was procured, but, from the situation in which he stood, it was necessary to give the rope a pendulous motion. He eagerly snatched the end with a death grasp, and immediately swung by it. Those above, by the sudden jerk, were nearly precipitated into the gulph. Yet, alas! he had still another difficulty to encounter, for near the brow of the precipice the elbow of a cruel seedling ash interposed itself between his arms and head. Self-preservation, however, gave nerve to this last effort, and let ting go one hand, he extricated himself, and was safely landed on the precipitous bank.

Let the traveller, Mr Editor, view the Caldron Lin, and believe my detail if he can. I will forgive him for being sceptic. I am, it is true, anonymous to all but to yourself, but he will find the testimony, not only of the worthy dominie of Muckart, but of all the country around, to corroborate it.

I shall not attempt, in any language of mine, to describe those terrific caldrons, but shall finish with an excerpt from a poem of the late George Wallace, Esq. advocate, descriptive of these linns.

"For see, the river breaks its bands, And rapid darts its rocky bed along A narrow streain, and wreathed and through

the gate

In dreadful fury, boisterous bursts its way Resistless, terrible he thunders down Precipitous, and swelled, a second height, Abrupter, broader, higher, than the first. Two slender trees grew wild above the linn, Their roots half fix'd in earth and half in

air; My doubtful stand I took between their

trunks.

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In rage its foaming waters 'gainst the rocks!"

But to return, Mr Editor, to my outset, I would seriously advise you, after you have got your July, or perhaps August, impression of your Magazine thrown off, to visit the CROMLIX spring; and as an inducement, I may tell you, as you are a man of books, there is a most valuable library at Dunblane, which was originally founded by Bishop Leighton, access to which you and others can have. I am yours, STRILA.

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• Prospects from Hills in Fife.

SKETCHES OF FOREIGN SCENERY AND MANNERS.

No III.

Leyden.

LEYDEN is a delightful city, and in appearance the healthiest town I have seen in Holland. The broad street (I have already forgotten the Dutch name, though I have given the English signification) in which I took up my residence, is the principal one, and, if straight, would be very fine; it is pretty broad, of great length, and remarkably clean. In it is situated the Stadhouse (Town-house), a strange building, which seems to combine several orders of architecture, without exemplifying any; a circumstance which is pretty common in most parts of the world. I went through this house with the hope of seeing some good pictures, but in this I was disappointed. There are, however, a few paintings worthy of inspection. The portraits, by Jan Schouten, of the Captains and other Officers who served in the train-bands during the famous siege of Leyden, are good; also, some parts of the Execution of the Sons of Brutus, by Carl de Moor. There are some fine expressions of the dreadful misery of a besieged city, and of the horrors of famine, in the relief of Leyden, by Hendrie Van Veen. The Crucifixion, and Taking from the Cross, by C. V. Engelbrecht, is paltry, stiff, and unnatural; and the Last Judgment, by Lucas Van Leyden, is I remember, vulgar in the extreme. before leaving Germany, of having been informed, that a celebrated paint ing of the Judgment, by Huygens, was preserved here; but I suppose it was seized by the rapacity of the French, who have probably forgotten to return it; at least, I could learn nothing concerning it in Leyden.

This is one of the most classical of modern cities, and truly interesting, from the number of great men who have been born or educated within its walls. Its university is the most ancient in Holland, and famous, as well for the many illustrious characters who at different periods have filled its chairs with so much honour and ability, as from the peculiar circumstances under which it originated. The Prince of Orange being duly impressed with the unequalled gallantry displayed by the inhabitants during the great siege by

the Spaniards in 1574, and desirous of manifesting his gratitude for the important services which their example had conferred on the cause of liberty, and as a reward for their individual valour, proposed to the inhabitants of the town, the choice of their exemption from the payment of certain taxes, or the foundation of a university. Notwithstanding the impoverished state to which they must necessarily have been reduced in consequence of such a severe and long protracted siege, they wisely and nobly preferred the latter; and thus, in the hour of poverty and affliction, established the rudiments of an institution, with the fame of which, ere long, "all Europe rung."

In the course of my peregrinations, I formed an acquaintance with a bookseller of considerable intelligence (rara avis), whose name I forget. He is librarian to the university, and curator of its valuable Greek and Latin and Oriental manuscripts, and obligingly offered me an inspection of every object of curiosity under his charge. Having agreed to meet him at the library, which is contained in a building apart from the college, I stept in for a moment to look at the lecture rooms. There I found every thing dark, gloomy, and forlorn-an air of desertion and "faded splendour wan," pervaded the whole interior of the building. The professors' chairs are large and heavy, with huge canopies, like the pulpits in some old churches; and the seats of the sadly diminished students are huddled together at the foot of them, as if with the intention of keeping alive, by concentration, the few sparks of animation and intellectual life which still exist. The whole aspect of things presented a most sad and striking contrast between the present state and that of the olden time. Who could have supposed that those still and dreary abodes, where even the glimmerings of philosophy were scarcely discernible, were at one period the very head and front of learning, and the resort of many of the brightest luminaries in the annals of science? Where was the light which here descended on the Swedish Sage? where the glory of the renowned Boerhaave? The ashes of the latter were beneath our feet, but his spirit seemed fled for ever.

I am told the number of students is very limited; should the olive -continue to flourish on the earth, the

renown of its ancient name may again attract the youth of Europe to its clas sic ground; and if the professors are men of talent and judgment, I know not any place more fitted for a calm and placid, yet enthusiastic turn of mind, a state, of all others the most favourable to intellectual improvement; and while, at the same time, the shady groves of the suburbs, and the academic appearance of the streets, would induce vigour of constitution and cheerfulness of temper, the remembrance of what had been achieved by others, and that, too, under the most unfavourable circumstances, would animate the mind, and inspire even the least sanguine, with the hope of one day reaping the good fruits of learning and research.

I went to the library, where I found my newly-acquired friend true to his appointment. He shewed me many old books worthy of attention, and sundry manuscripts of exceeding beauty, great age, and exquisite perfection. A manuscript copy of the Iliad, written on vellum, and richly illuminated, deserves inspection; also, an illuminated copy of Virgil on the same material. Divers MSS. of Dutchmen with long names, of great celebrity, of whom I had never before heard a syllable, were shewn me; and many books with the annotations of Scaliger, and a MS. holograph of that author, besides very many others, each worthy of a volume.

I must never cease to remember the ingenious and valuable present of the late king, Louis Bonaparte, to the collection of the library. It is the work of a German, and consists of 135 volumes, formed of wood. The binding of each book is formed of a different tree; the back is ornamented with pieces of the bark, and such mosses, lichens, and other parasitical plants, as characterise the species. Each volume opens, as it were, in the centre of the' leaves, and contains the bud, leaves, flower, fruit, farina, and every other part in any degree illustrative of the nature of the tree. It affords a complete and scientific exemplification of 135 trees, beginning with the oaks, and ending with the juniper; and, in fact, may be considered as a brief and perfect epitome of the German groves and forests. In the case of plants, such as the rose and juniper, the lig neous parts of which are not suffi

ciently large for the purposes required, the binding is formed of some ordinary wood, sprinkled over with fine moss, and then elegantly barred with the rose or juniper wood, giving the volume the appearance of a valuable old manuscript with iron clasps. On the whole, it is one of the most ingenious and complete productions I have

ever seen.

My friend the librarian was, I found, one of the chief causes of the most valuable manuscripts in the collection not being transferred to Paris. He was continued in office during the administration of the French; and being naturally inimical to that nation, he endeavoured, by every device in his power, to elude their rapacity, and to prevent the manuscripts from being seen by the Savans who visited Leyden.

One professor was appointed by Bonaparte, and took up his residence in the city, with the avowed and express purpose of procuring whatever was rare or curious, for the adornment of the capital of the Great Nation. The keys were frequently demanded from our friend, for the purposes of investigation; and the demand was as often eluded by him, under the pretence of their being in the charge of some professor or other, who was either confined by sickness, or under the necessity of residing a few days in the country. In this manner the matter was fortunately delayed, until the great and unexpected revolution took place, which rendered such precautions unnecessary; and the chief actor in the scheme, who seemeth passionately fond of the black letter, has happily survived to enjoy the fruits of his resolute and praiseworthy conduct.

I then journeyed unto the gardens of the university, where I knew there were several things worthy of note. By this time, however,

"Twilight gray Had in her sober livery all things clad," so that I could not indulge in a very minute inspection. I saw, however, enough to interest me. There are many beautiful specimens of rare foreign trees and shrubs; particularly a tree planted by the hands of Boerhaave, and a majestic palm, which existed in the time of Clusius, the first professor of botany at Leyden, and one of the

earliest and most successful cultivators of that science, after the revival of learning in Europe. There are also a number of fine hot-house plants, and a good collection of the indigenous plants of Holland, with a beautiful specimen of an Indian water lily, which seems to bear a striking resemblance to that which occurs so frequently in the canals of the country.

In a room adjoining the hot-houses there is a cabinet of antiques, in which the remnants of some ancient statues are well worthy of inspection. Most of these are in a very imperfect and mutilated state; and such as have been repaired by modern artists, mournfully illustrate the decline of the noble art. I never saw an ancient Greek or Roman statue, to which a head or limb had been added by the ingenuity of the present times, which did not appear to be labouring under a severe attack, either of rheumatism or gout. A worthy gardener, who was the only person with whom I conversed during this part of my ramble, seemed grievously afflicted with the apathy which, he said, had affected the curators of the collection. He admitted that some of the statues had been much improved, but could not comprehend why the proposal of a French worker in plaster of Paris should have been rejected, who offered not only to repair those which were incomplete, but even to furnish new and entire figures, in the place of such as might be deemed too much decayed to admit of being effectually mended.

I found a description of this collection in a bookseller's shop, by Oudendorp. It was bequeathed to the university in 1745, by Gerard van Papenbroeck.

The shades of night were now rapidly descending, and the storks, which had nestled on the top of an old conservatory, were clamorous for my departure. I therefore bade adieu to my friend the gardener, who civilly thanked me for my visit, and hoped, that when I returned I should find matters in rather better order. I of course heartily joined in his wish, that the "relics of almighty Rome" might all be whitewashed before the ensuing

summer.

Next morning I visited the theatre of anatomy, where there seems to be a good collection of subjects of every kind, The monstrous fœtuses seemed

particularly abundant, and no doubt very valuable. I observed a fine skeleton of a young Greenland whale, and several other skeletons, perfect in their line. Concerning the history of these, however, I could not gain much information, as the whole was exhibited by a woman, who spoke Dutch, “et preterea nihil.”

I then entered the church of St Peter, which is a magnificent pile. In Holland nothing will be found to astonish and gratify a stranger more than the superb nature of all the buildings appropriated to public worship. They are generally as fine as our cathedrals. The small towns are not destitute of them, and in the large there are many. Here I had not advanced six yards, before I found myself standing by the tomb which contains the ashes of the famous Boerhaave. It is simple and elegant, and consists merely of a large urn of white marble, placed upon a jet black pedestal. The urn is surrounded by six figures of white marble, four of which represent the different stages of life, and the other two the sciences of Medicine and Chemistry. Below the urn is a drapery, likewise of white marble, with several emblematical devices. There is a head of Boerhaave, of the same material, in basso relievo, upon the front of the black pedestal; and below this, at a little distance from each other, are the following inscriptions: "Simplex sigillum veri,' and Salutifero Boerhavii genio sacrum."

Besides this, I observed the tombs of several other illustrious men, particularly that of Camper, the celebrated anatomist. It consists of a large white bust, placed upon a black pedestal, without ornament or decoration. On it there is neither inscription nor device, but simply the name, which will never die.

In the same church lie the remains of Gerard de Meerman, a well-known bibliographer. This man died of fright, in consequence of the explosion which took place here on the 12th of January 1807. A French vessel from Amsterdam to Delft, lying in the canal Van Rappenberg, in the centre of the city, laden with ten thousand pounds weight of gunpowder, blew up about five o'clock in the afternoon, killed some hundreds of the in habitants, destroyed great part of the

town, and produced the utmost havoc and consternation. My servant told me he heard the noise at Amsterdam, two-and-twenty miles off. Many of the inhabitants were sitting at dinner, and perished among the ruins of their dwellings, with their wives and children. A Jewish school suffered considerably; sixteen of the children were blown up. A charity school near it was also destroyed, with all its inmates. Fifty children at a boarding school narrowly escaped, by the collision of two walls, which supported the beams and roof: only two of these were crushed to death, and a third perished with fright in its father's arms. Those who were saved rushed into the court-yard, and the meeting there of parents and children is des cribed to have been terrible. The windows of my bed-room command a view of this very spot, and of what I at first thought, a fine park, with a canal, and trees, and pleasant walks. I did not then know that this was where the explosion had taken place, and that at one period it was the most populous quarter of the city. By this awful catastrophe several streets were annihilated, and Professor Meerman, with many others, died of fright. After the explosion, the town was discovered to be on fire in different places. It must indeed have been a tremendous night.

The environs of Leyden are by no means devoid of beauty; and there is a greater variety in the scenery than is to be observed in most Dutch landscapes. I circumambulated the town during a calm and delightful evening, and enjoyed many picturesque views in the course of my walk. It is surrounded by a high wall, and this wall is again encompassed by a deep and broad canal with many windings, which from some points assumes the appearance of a lake, and from others of a river. On the other side of this canal there is a shady walk, broad and dry, and bordered with two rows of magnificent trees, forming one of the most extensive and pleasing promenades I have ever seen. At each quarter this walk is connected with the town by an elegant drawbridge, which, seen from a distance among the trees, has a romantic effect. The canal abounds in small fish, which attract many water birds, particularly the terns or sea-swallows. These usually

fly in flocks of three or four pair, pursuing the course of the water through all its windings, at about twenty feet above it. Almost every second one of the blythe company descends to the surface of the water with the rapidity of an arrow, and with unerring aim, upon some rash and ill-fated individual of the finny race, which it bears up in triumph, though frequently pursued by its own associates, and sometimes obliged to relinquish the produce of its dexterity to a stronger though less industrious rival.

The country about Leyden seems exceedingly rich and well cultivated; and the peculiar cleanliness and comfort of the farm-houses and cottages must strike every traveller. There is a richness and luxuriance in the vegetation, which I have never seen equalled; and the bright and dazzling glow of the gardens and flower parterres is almost oppressive. In travelling in the treckschuyts early in summer, with a gentle breeze, a person, though deprived of sight, might be sensible of passing the dwellings which adorn the banks of the canal, from the perfumes exhaled by the gardens with which these are surrounded.

"As when to them who sail

Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past
Mozambic, off at sea north-east winds blow
Sabean odours from the spicy shore
Of Araby the blest; with such delay
Well pleased, they slack their course, and

many a league,

Cheered with the grateful smell, old Ocean smiles."

These odoriferous airs, indeed, both surprised and delighted me, as I had usually associated very different ideas with the stagnant swamps of Holland. As the richness of the gardens, how ever, is frequently derived from the less Sabean soil of the marsh, the same cause seems capable of producing very different effects; but the winds

"Whisper not whence they stole those

balmy spoils ;"

at least they are, for the most part, fortunately silent in regard to the prime cause.

Haarlem.

I LEFT Leyden with regret, and pursued my journey to Haarlem by the treckschuyt. The canal between the two towns is thought very fine. It is

certainly clean and spacious, and the surrounding country is rich and fertile, and abounds in country seats. At Haarlem I took up my residence at the Golden Lion (Goude Leeuw), the name which the house in which I lodged in Leyden likewise bore. My stay in the former was too short to enable me to ascertain its character, but the latter I may recommend to future tourists.

The greater part of my stay in this town was spent in listening to the famous organ, the finest in the world. It is indeed "the sovereignest thing on earth," and seems made up of the very soul and essence of musical harmony. The variety of its tones is astonishing; and its power of imitating all instruments, whether single or combined, can neither be conceived by those who have not been in Haarlem, nor described by those who have. The warlike flourish of the trumpet, the clear note of the octave, and the mellow tone of the flute, are heard im beautiful succession, when these appear to swell into a thousand instruments, and the senses are nearly overpowered by the united effect of a most powerful and harmonious military band, which again sinks away in those which an organ alone can produce. more gentle and impressive sounds The organist, whose name is Schumann, played a very fine battle-piece, in which every imaginable sound of joy and sorrow,-fear, courage, misery, and despair,-were combined with the roaring of musketry, the thundrous sweep of cannon, and the loud and irresistible charge of a thousand horses; and commingled with these, during the dread intervals of comparative silence, were the shouts of the victors, the lamentations of the wounded, and the groans of the dying. clear and terrible a picture of two No painting could have presented so ray, mingling in the mortal conflict, mighty armies advancing in battle arand converting the face of nature into one universal scene of confusion, dismay, and death. Rarely does music produce an effect upon the mind so permanent as either poetry or painting; but, in my own case, there is, in this instance, an exception to the general rule. I have listened to notes angelical of many a harp," but never were my ears seized with such ravishment as on the evening I passed

"the

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