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excellent pastures for sheep. The Forth ser pentines in the most tortuous manner from Alloa to Stirling; which will not appear astonishing, when it is remembered that by land the distance is only 6 miles, whilst by water it is 24.

The castle and town of Stirling are said to exhibit a miniature of the castle and old town of Edinburgh; but, in my opinion, Stirling castle exceeds its metropolitan prototype in the picturesque effect, and the beauty of the surrounding scenery. The view from the esplanade is very fine. The mountains of Argyleshire, of Dumbartonshire, and of Perthshire are seen to the west; to the east stands the metropolis, whilst to the south the river Forth meanders in its tortuous course through a rich and lovely vale. These windings of the river, call up the idea of some fabled serpent, (says Dr. Graham,*) stretching its enormous volume over an extensive region, not, however, to destroy, but to fertilize; a region which presents to the elevated spectator a picture of plenty, partly the gift of nature, and partly the just mead of industry. I walked through the royal park, which reaches to and surrounds the rock upon which the fortress is situated. As I proceeded, I took a volume of "Waverley" from my pocket, and read the following interesting passage: "With a mind more at ease, Waverley could not have failed to admire the mix

* Sketches of Perthshire.

ture of romance and beauty which renders interesting the scene through which he was now passing the field which had been the scene of the tournaments of old-the rock from which the ladies beheld the contest, while each made vows for the success of some favourite knight -the towers of the Gothic church where these are vows might be paid-and surmounting all, the fortress itself, at once a castle and a palace, where valour received the prize from loyalty, and knights and dames closed the evening amid the revelry of the dance, the song and the feast: all these were objects fitted to interest a romantic imagination."

Stirling Castle can hold 11,000 men, with 39 pieces of ordnance, 6 pounders. It is built on a basaltic rock, remarkable for its columnated appearance. Scarcely any thing but the castle, seems to deserve attention in Stirlingso that, after a very pleasant walk round the battlements, and after a hearty breakfast, we proceeded à pied in our way to Perth, 38 miles from Stirling. The view of the castle, town and landscape is very fine on the road to Perth. We turned round and saw the glorious radiant outlines of the castle, with its irregular rocks and towers, painted black on the azure [ canopy of heaven; and in doing so, we felt a delightful sensation in beholding the harmonious blending together of so much earthly and celestial magnificence.

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The villages we passed through were not. very alluring; the huts are thatched with straw,

and the interior corresponds with the exterior. I saw but little woodland scenery on the road, and no oaks whatever; the principal trees were firs. In our approach to Perth, we visited the vault of the Montrose family, a few miles from Auchterarder. I distinguished 4 coffins covered with crimson velvet, containing the bodies of the father, mother, wife and child of his present grace. The humble repositories of the dead in the adjacent grave-yard, when compared to the superb vault of Montrose, recalled to my mind the melancholy observation of the poet,

"Metit Orcus

Grandia cum parvis, non exorabilis auro!”

Soon afterwards, we found ourselves at Duplin, the seat of the earl of Kinnoul. The beautiful river Earn meandered near the road which leads to the mansion house, which we visited in all its details. Most of the rooms are adorned with family paintings, and one of two by B. West.

The battle of Luncarty was the origin of the Kinnoul family. An old man with his two sons at the plough, rushed into the field and gained the victory. Being afterwards asked to name their title and coat of arms, the hawk and earldom of Kinnouil were chosen. The present earl is a young unmarried man; he was colonel in the Perthshire militia in the last war. He has two sisters; one married to the duke of

the Athol in the Isle of Man, and the other to the celebrated banker Drummond.

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The trees in the park are loaded with rooks e which produce a melancholy croaking, and we observed here and there the carrion-bird,

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"Heavily flapping his clogg'd wing,

Which reek'd with that day's banqueting."

We had the Earn to our right, beautifully meandering in a gently tortuous sweep along the vale. The prospect of Perth, in our approach to that city, with the picturesque appearance of the surrounding scenery, gave us a pleasing avant goût of the delight we will experience in the remainder of our excursion.

The new town of Perth is very elegant. A neat bridge stretches over the Tay, whose water is as clear as crystal. History relates that when the army of Agricola, (Augustus' general) saw this fine river and beautiful common, they enthusiastically cried out ecce Tiberim! The most agreeable Belvidere of Perth is Kinnoul craigs. From this spot, the Tay is seen sweeping with gentle curves over the fertile common below. The depôt, built for the French prisoners, next attracts the eye, and then the city of Perth is seen, shaped like two ellipses meeting each other. The Romans, who compared the Tay to the Tiber, might have taken the craigs for the Tarpeian rock, such is their precipitous appearance! And their elevation is such, that the jackdaws

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that wing the midway air,

Look scarce so gross as beetles."

After breakfast, I accompanied Mr. Frazer (to whom I had a letter,) to visit the Gaol and County Hall. Near it, I first noticed the Gowrie palace, famous for an attempt made by the two Gowries to assassinate king James VI., afterwards James I. of England. The Gaol is a strong, new and very prison-looking edifice. There being no lunatic asylum in this place, the maniacs are confined in a separate part of the gaol. The cells are neat, strong, and have Gothic ceilings. Debtors, smugglers and criminals are confined in various parts of the building. The passages, doors, &c. are secured by means of chains and locks, which produce a terrible clanking noise when opened. An awful silence prevails along the corridor which leads to the cells of the malefactors; that silence was only interrupted by the dreadful sound of the opening doors, and the clanking of chains.

"Portals we passed, where deep within
Spoke prisoner's moan, and fetters' din."

years

old!

In one room, I observed a boy 16 under sentence of death for house-breaking. He was lying on his bed in a state of despondency; a parson sat by him, reading prayers aloud: the whole presented a picture, the impression of which will never be effaced from my mind. Oh! how I then did execrate those

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