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rightful climate of the south of France. Inleed Scotland would afford every charm to the over of nature, if it were not cursed with a weeping climate, owing to the neighbourhood of lofty mountains, and a westerly situation exposed to the vapours from the Atlantic. These misty exhalations are condensed, and dash down in torrents over the country; but the effect produced by the rays of the sun on them is very magnificent,

"For, if they once triumphant spread Their wings above the mountain head, Become enthron'd in upper air,

And turn to sun-bright glories there."

Here the weather is so uncertain, that I am often tempted by a fine appearance of the day, to go out without my umbrella, and, before I walk half a dozen squares, down comes the rain in torrents, and I get a very good soaking. I return home as wet as a rat, determining to profit by experience; I again sally out, armed with my parapluie-the rain ceases, the bright sun, "the deepening azure and the lessening cloud" soon render my umbrella an incumbrance, and I am very glad to get home with

it.

Last night (being New Year's Eve,) presented a shocking picture of riot and debauchery. I had often heard of the scenes of midnight horror with which the first morning of the year is ushered in, and I determined, at all hazards, to gratify my curiosity, and witness this display of folly and extravagance

No sooner did the town clock strike 12, than a shout of universal acclamation " pierced the night's dull ear," and, in a moment, all was hurry, tumult and confusion. The streets of Edinburgh were crowded to excess: drunkards catins, profligate rakes, and amateurs of other people's watches, were met with in every di rection. It is a custom, (one more honoured in the breach than the observance,") with fe males, entirely to throw off reserve, during this beastly saturnalia, and to yield their lips to the rude embrace of all the nauseous vagabonds who meet them; and if the gentlemen by whom they are accompanied, make any resistance, they are soon convinced by knock-downable ar guments: indeed, any lady who would venture out "in such a night as this," deserves to be kissed! All parties on passing each other paid mutually the compliments of the season. the corners of the streets stood groups of drunken fellows, with pitchers full of whiskey or gin, which they obliged every one who passed to drink, under penalty of a broken scull, seasoned with a few damns!

At

After making my way through the hideous crew of night errants, and my arm almost dislocated by repeated shakes, I met a nymph of Venus Vulgivaga, who advanced to me with the familiarity of an old acquaintance, and solicited the compliment of the New Year; but her appearance was not very tempting, and I let her pass by me in sullen disappointment. As I advanced to my lodgings, I was sur

unded by various hordes, carrying tea-kettles ll of nasty flip, and bottles with spirits. I at ngth met a young lady of my acquaintance alking with her brother, who appeared to have artaken of the smoking beverage in the streets. could not resist so tempting an opportunity doing the honours of the new-born day-I -ized her in my arms "and kissed her, mouth mouth, all in a tremble."

A few years ago, a number of young men rmed the infernal scheme of making the reets of Edinburgh the scene of midnight deredations on New Year's Eve. They knocked Own and robbed every respectable person ey met, killed several whom they could not herwise strip of their valuables, and succeed1 in collecting a great deal of money-most them paid the forfeit of their crimes. It is markable that these reprobates belonged to espectable families, but had met with great sses at the gaming table and houses of ill

me.

LETTER V.

Chasms of the early world are yawning there,
And rocks are seen, craggy, and vast, and bare,
And many a dizzy precipice sublime,

And caverns dark as Death, where the wild air
Rushes from all the quarters of the sky.

CORNWALL's Marcian Colonna.

Edinburgh, January 20, 1819.

AN interesting writer has observed, that no man in Edinburgh can for a moment forget

that he is in Scotland; he is in the "land the mountain and flood," and these, in the greatest beauty, are continually feeding h eyes. The city is embosomed in the centre an amphitheatre of mountains, which rear their mighty heads in solitude and silence; on one side the castle lifts itself high above the build ings of the metropolis, on the other Holyrood house presents itself ruined, but majestic in it ruins; Calton Hill affords an agreeable contrast by the beautiful verdure with which it is cloth ed; the eternal rock of Arthur's Seat appears to sleep in the stillness of nature, and to be wrapped in a perpetual hue of mystery; while the magnificent terrace of Prince's street forms the boundary of a splendid amphitheatre.

In the middle of the day I often walk to the summit of Calton Hill, which is circled all

The monument erected to Lord Nelson at the summit of the hill, is not very remarkable; but the inscription, from the pen of Dr. Gregory, is worth preserving:

To the memory of
Vice-Admiral

HORATIO, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON,
And of the great Victory of Trafalgar-
Too dearly purchased with his blood-
The grateful Citizens of Edinburgh
Have erected this Monument,

Not to express their unavailing sorrow for his death,
Nor yet to celebrate the matchless glories of his life,
But, by his noble example,

To teach their sons

To emulate what they admire,
And, like him, when duty requires it,
To die for their country.

A. D. 1807.

round by a walk; the views from this promeade vary at every step. The new town, a rich dain, the surrounding rocks and the town of eith, are gradually unfolded to the eye as you proceed up the hill. The scenery soon changes rom a smiling valley to a gloomy burial round, in which stands the monument of DaHid Hume. The city may be viewed as if tracd on a map; at a distance the Frith recedes nd opens into the German Sea, and its edge. is bordered by the sea port town for a small listance. The singular houses of Old Town nark their bold outlines on the revolving louds; the old edifices are contrasted with the plendid mansions of the new part of the city, and with the bright green vale of North Loch, urmounted with its aerial bridge.

Nothing can present a more striking picture of the decay of human grandeur, and of the instability of worldly greatness than a view of Holyrood. The picture gallery into which I was first conducted, contains a number of antique portraits, few in a state of tolerable preservation, "A long, low and ill-proportioned gallery, hung with pictures, affirmed to be the portraits of kings who, if they ever flourished at all, (says the great enchanter of the North,) lived several hundred years before the invention of painting in oil colours, served as a vestibule to the apartments occupied by Charles Edward." From this saloon, I walked into Queen Mary's council-chamber, in which are kept the bed of state and the royal chairs; here

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