Jottings In Scotland

Correspondence of iho Ak;i's. ViErtXA, Oct. 18, 1870. Messrs. Editoks - In a previous lotter you had the result of our tirst day's work in Kdinburg, and au travelera have no rest we were out again after taking our coffee next morning. Our hotel was on Prinoes street, the ruain business street of the city, quite near the postofïice, and the early hours were occupied in a walk down this orowded thoroughfare, passing on the way the fine bronze equestrian statue of Wellington, by Steell ; the ever noticeable and beautiful monument toScott; the picturesque Princes street gardens, not gardens at all, but rather one of the mosl attraotive parks of mingled lawn and ghrubbery, rock and flower, extending far upward to the base of the castled precipice, the eye can anywhere lind Along the street were statues to Christopher North in brouze and Allen Ramsay in marble, both by Steell, and sevoral fine publio buildings. The shops along this stroet are especially attractive in their lavish display of everything that can tempt the buyor. Crossing over to Qeorge street we returned along its more quiet but business way, and on which insurance and banking houses seeined most lo congrégate. At the intersection of the several lateral streets with this are located public monuments the Melville column, statues of Pitt and George IV., by Chantery, to the Prinoe consort by Steell, an equestrian group On this street is the hall and assembly room in which in 1827 Sir Walter Scotl acknowledged himself to be (as was already generally believed) the author oi Waverly, and on the opposite side is the unpretending shop of the well-known Blackwood whose name is associated with so many literary celebrities. At 10 o'clock we made our way to Holyrood Palaco. The wings and tower in which Mary Queen of Scotts chiefty resided after her return trom France in 1561, fortunately for us strangers, escaped the fires which, at different times, destroyed other portions of the edifice, and in the restorations subsequently made have been incorporated without change. In the palace as it now stands there is nothing like fine architecture visible in the quadrangular edifice upou either exterior or interior facades, but royalty and royal belonging have consecrated it all - even Louis XVIII. and Charles X , of France, have resided in it, when their own palaces were made uncomfortable to their majesties. The present queen, on her way to Balinoral, stops in rooms which she has had fitted up for this purpose, but what of all this as compared with the associations that are stirred by the name of Queen Mary and the pen of Scott. Entering the inner court, and thence a door in the north wing, we ascended the winding stairway, down which the murdered Eizzio was hurled, and passing through the somewhat gloomy waiting hall, at its upper landing, we came into the suite of rooms that Darnley occupied - n audience chamber, bed ïoom and two sniall rooms, in the turrets, the first was lined with much faded and tawdry tapestries, ceiling overhead pamieled and with inserted monograms of the queen. In the bed room were a number of portraits, Henry VIII., Queen Elizabeth, Lord Darnley and his younger brother, - the former appearing to represent a very green looking youth, about 7 feet long and six inches in diameter, - John Kuox, and the Queen. The bed in this room was that of the Prince Chas. Edward, 1745 ; the turrot rooms were quite small and used as dressing rooms. Adjoining one of the lutter and constructed within the thickness of the outer walls was the private stair which communicated with the rooms of Queen Mary on the floor above. We ascended to these by the staircase from the waiting hall. Tho queen's rooms corresponded in arrangement with those of Darnley below. The audience chamber was about 22 feet square, the walls lined with faded tapestries representing mythological subjects scarcely worth deciphering, several pieces of oíd furniture, and a few portraits. The bed room, not quite so large, contained sof as and chairs of a singularly uncouth pattern, the quoen's bedstead and bed, the forruer of heavy and elaborately but not finely carved oak, the latter as far as visible had a eoverlid of crimson silk, and upon this a few patches, the remnants of a white woolen spread. Beside the bed upon a stand was the basket in which James VI. was cradled. Several portraits of the queen, copied from origináis in various collections, hung upon the walls, and though all are supposed to testify to her peerless beauty, tne one we saw at the castle seemed to ub to realize most nearly '' all our fancy painted her." One of the small tower rooms, about 10 feet square, was Queen Mary's dressing room and the other, scarcely so large, is the one so tragieally connected with her history. It was in this little room that the queen was ontertaiuing a few of her more intimate friends, including her Italian favorite, Rizzio, in March, 1566, when the drapeiy which concealed the private stairway was suddenly pushed aside, almost at the very elbow of the affrighted queen, and in rushed her jealous husband, with Ruthven and Douglas and Kerr, all armed with daggers, and with a purpose too manifest to the whilorn happy favorite. In the very presence of Mary, and while clinging to her for protection, he was murderously stabbed, dragged out like a dog and cast down the stairs, forming but one of the many singular chapters in the romance of Queon Mary's history. Presorved in this room is the marble step on which the queen knelt at the time of her marriage to Daruley. Leaving the scène of this bloody event, we returned to the floor below and entered the long hall, called the pieture gallery, where hang the portraits of 106 Scottish kings, painted by contract by a Dutch painter, DeWitt, in 1684-6, some of them doubtless after origináis, but the strange siinilarity of the noses of each and all to each other would be manifest to any careful observer even if Scott had not also noticed the fact. This great hall has witnessed many a gladsome gathering of Scotch nobility, and even yet the representativo peers are here eleoted. It was in this hall that Flora Mclvor and Rose Bradwardine are made to figure with such marvelous grace and beauty by the magie pen in Waverly, that they become almost real as we stand on tho spot thus consecrated by genius. Quittimg the palace we pass from the court into the ruins of tho Abbey whiuh adjoined and are somewhat crowded upon by the palace. Holyrood Abbey, or the Abbey of the Holy Cross, was founded about 1175, and was known as the Chapel Itoyal, after the restoration of Charles I. It was once a building of somewhat florid gothic style and the front door even yet exhibits some fine details of mouldings and foliage ; the outer walls of the nave remain and tho pointed arches over the south aisle and the supporting cluster columns beneath dating from the 12th century still remain. All the kingB after James I. were iaarried in the old choir and in front of the present traceried window Mary was wedded to Darnloy. In the royal vault, now a dismal looking half underground cellar in the southeast corner, were interred many of tho Scottish kings, and in it also Rizzio and, ono year later, Darnley, hiniself a victiin of violence, wei e placed, tí ut royal heads rest no uiuie aocurely thuu olliers and scaroely mu dust n-iii:i.ii:i ui tbe open aud exposoü. aepiuchre, uor is Timts the ouly ut " guigeuus palaces and uluud oapp'd toweis. " Ihitt Christiau tibio Joiiu ivuux and his ianatic tollowers, uut les iliau lUe brutal soldiery ot tne Unies otEuzabelh aud Heury VI11. weie legcirdlubs ut' auy sanctity ot' rengiou ur art tiiat shuuld protect tbe ünihijdru.B, oliurches uiid beuutitul abüoys tüat once tbruw their enuobling uiiiuenoo over all ut Southern Scotlaiid as weii as ot' Euglaud. tsouie are preservud, if restointiuus uiay bo said to iulüll liiat utüce, but huw many, alas are ïu nupeless ruin or passed away torever. Leaving Holyrood we crossod the so called Uueeu's park, au extensivo open space quite bare ot trees aud shrubbery but exieuding a loug distance with fine lawu and tho splendid drive which passes eutirely around the ruountaiu ele vation ol Arthur's seat and Salisbury crag. ïhere is a sort of innate desire in most people to '■ go up bigher " if pos sible, oeing sometimes forgetful perhap of the propriety ot first takiug the ■ lovver place." It mut have been a propensity of this kind that impelled u to ciiuib to the loi'tiost peak of roei that crowus the lof tiest sumrnit of Ar tbur's seat, for the day was like al Scotch days, hazy with that Rort o misiiuess whicb is not quite a fog, ant the Bplendid vibw the elevation oom inanded of the city and the entire coun try for miles, was rendered indietinc and unaatistactory - however the queen and prince consort once dirt the aam thiug and in that respect we were he equals. This, together with Salisbury crags, constitute au over visible feature in the landscape as they are still highe than the castle and Uolton Hill, and the ascent though laborious is neither dan gerous nor diflicult. At its base we passed St. Margaret's well, a fine spring over-arched with a gothic vault o stone. Higher up we passed the ruin o St. Anthony's chapel, and quite in ou pathway; the singularly hallowed stone into which trickled the limpid water called St. Autbony's well, a draugh from which was quite welcome if no in8piriug. Not a tree, and scarcely a shrub oí heatb, has been permitted to adorn the bare hill side. Even the "wee daisy" was seldom visible. In f act the absence of forest trees is quite a noticeable feature so far as we have hac a ohancetoview the landscapes of Great Britain. The wind made our stay a briuf one on this elevated point and we made our observations hastily. Froni any of the commanding heights of this city the views are picturesque and eharining to a degree seldom witnessed elsewhere, for no other city occupies a site of such striking inequalities of surface though it must be added as a plain matter of fact, that to an American, tho vast army of chimney pots which keep " watch and ward " over all Edinburg do not add anything to the niany beauties of the city. We, of course, visited Greyfriar's church and oemetery where the covenant, so conspicuously sacred to the Scottish heart, was signed ; and where afterward, under the bloody McKenzie's rule, so mauy were imprisoned in one corner of tho grouuds ; and where in a lower portion assigned to the iuter ment of crimináis, so mauy were ingnomiuiously buried. Excesses of religious zeal and of religious persecution dift'er in no marked degree except in the actuating impulse, liobertson, the historian of Charles V. Hugh Blair, McKensie the " man of feeling," as also McKenzie the " man of blood," and other notables are buried here ; and we do not hesitate to add that on no grave did we gaze with warmer interest than on the rlower covered resting place of "Bobby,' the faithful dog, who for so long a time lay at watch by bis hunible master's grave, refusing food and comfort from all, until time, as in human grief, had kiudly allayed the heart's first hopeless poignancy of grief. The story was so touching that it found its way into every nook of the newspaper world and 1) ere he lies af ter having been kindly cared for by the sexton during tbe twelve years that he survived his loss - more honored far than his niaster who was formed of common clay, and worthv, perchance, of an equal immortalit,y "hereafter if not higher. We gladly secured a portrait of Bobby in return tor the sextens kind attentions. Tbe University is near Greyfriar, a fine building indeed, but we had no time to enter or gradúate. We also visited the Dean's cemetery, a very beautiful spot where Allison, Wilson, Lord Jeftrey and otber celebrities lie. Among the memorials is one to a Confedérate soldier, a native of Edinburg, who died while gallantly leading a charge at some place - this iact being his eulogy. Edinburg we hope to see again, so now good-by. M. W. The Comptroller of the Currency advises tbe public to refuse, because o: dangerous counterfeits, all five dollar notes of the following banks : First National, of Chicago ; Traders' National, of Chicago ; First National, of Canton, 111. ; and First National, of Aurora 111. Let our debtors take notice auc not off ir us any fives on auy of tht above named banks, or on any other i they can honestly help doing so. The Comptroller also seeks to retire all gen uine fives on the same banks, and if auy accidentally come uudor our control we will "assist " him. TllE squibbist who does Kalamazoo items for the Dotroit Tribune is almost a fibbist, olso he wouldn't write of Ilon Allon Potter, who left bis home in the "big village " for Washington on tbe 22d : " It is still a problom to the man y whicb side of the political fence he will take, but thore is no doubt about his hard money tendencies." And as little doubt that he will not get down on the Republican side of the fence. TlTE Detaoit Post attempts to break the foroe of the Washington Sunday Chronicle's declaration in favor of a third term for Grant by disclaiming its Republican orgauship And pronouncing it an obsurce weekly Journal. The Sunday Chronide is published by a Furney, is ihe Forney's organ, and so far from being an obscure concern it tías a much larger circulation than tlie othor Chronide. The deatb of Mr. Wilson fiuds Senator Ferry, of this State, teraporary presiding officer of tbe Senate, and if he is continued in that position, leaves only the life of President Grant between him and the White House. " So near and yut so far," and nearer than he will ever get by the suffrage of the people. And this is wbat the Now York Worhl is impertinent enough to say of he now Secretary of the Interior, a man not entirely unknown to the citizens of Michigan : " Zck Cbandler as a rebrmer is a sublime spectacle which nakes Moody and Sankey's greatest conversión success seem trival in comparison." Farmers' Instituten for 187C. At ft meeting of the State Board of Agrioulture held last June, the board leterrainttd to hoht a cries of farmers' institutes during the munth of January, l.ST.'j. Thoy resolved to holrl eix insti tutos. These institutes are the first oí a serios to be held winter after winter il the interest of the atrricultural public shall warrant. It is the desire of the board to hold these institutos in different parts of the State, to subserve the best intorests of those engaged in agriculture and kindred pursuits. LBNGTH OF THE MEETING. It is the design that the institute shall not be long, or wear out the patience and enduranee óf the conumunity. Short, spicy, wide awake meetings are what is desired. The institute will open with an evening meeting, and the whole of the next day and evening will be devoted to the work. It will thus embrace two eveuings and one day. If it is found that the time is too short, a change may be made hereafter ; but it is not designed to make it a protracted meeting in any senso. THBN TO BE HELD. The institutes will begin after the fall and early winter work is out of the way, and the season of the holidays fully past. They will begin with the week eommenciug January 10, and two institutes will be held each week till all are closed. WHÏKE THEY WILL BE HELD. This is for the farmers to settle for themselves. Application has been made tor one istitute by the Armada farmers' club, and another by the Detroit and Bay City district council of patrons of husbandry. These invitatious have been accepted, and the first institute will be held at Armada, and the second at Eochester. Four more institutes are yet to be located. These will be located by th9 committee having this matter in charge, on application by agricultural societies, farmers' clubs, granges, and and other organizations designed to advance the cause of agriculture. Early application should be made to socure an i&stitute. TO W1I0M TO APPLY. The committee hiiving in charge these institutes consists of the following members of the board : Hon. J. Webster Childs of Ypsilanti, chairman ; Hon A. S. Dyokman of South Haven ; and Hon. Milton J. Gard of Oassopolis. Application may be made to any member of the committee. ' The details of each in stitute will be arranged by some mnraber of the committee A local committee should be appointed at each place where an institute is to be held, to assist the committee of the board iu perfecting the details of the meeting. EXPENSES. The community where the institute is held will be expected to furiiiah the hall, and provide for warming and lighting the same. All other expenses will be borne by the board of agriculture. WHO WILL TAKE PART IN THE MEETINGS. It is expected and earnestly desired that leading farmers in the vicinity of the institute will give lectares, read essays, and take part in the discussiong. It is expected that the discussions wil be of especial interest, in which farmer will give their Tiews and relate thei experience upon the topics proposed fo discussion. As the topics for discussion will be selected by the local committee where the institute is held, the public will thereby be assured that Buoh topics for discussion will be presnnted as wil be of especial interest to that commun ity. The luembors of the board wil also take part in the proceedings, am the members of the college faeulty wil take part, if so desired. WHO ARE INVITED. Every one who tills the soil or is interested in agriculture. Farmers and their wives and families are especially invited ; also all who honor or would benefit the noblest of all industries. OEDER OF BUSINESS. The order of business will be determined by each institute for itself. The following programme is suggested if no better one is found : The institute to begin with an evening meeting, with a lecture upori some previously announced subject, to be followed by a discussion on the subject of the lecture, or on some previously selected topic. The morning and afternoon will be given up to essays, lectures, and discussions on selected subjectg, giving especial prominence to the relatiou of experience of farmers upon the subject under discussion. The institute to close with an evening meeting with an essay or leoture and discussion. The meeting will be so short that every farmer and big wife eau ufford to atteud the whole meeting. OBJECTS. 1. It is not the design to secure mero rhetorical eö'orts, but to meet and talk over, in a comiuon-sense way, matters of vital interest to the farmer. 2. One object to be secured is to bring the farmers, the board, and the faculty of the agricultural college in closer relation to each other, in hope of mutual benefit, that the teacher may have the beuetit of the board and extensive experience of the farmer, and that the farmer may perhaps derive hints frorn the teacher, to be put in practice on the farm. 3. üne very important object to be secured is to gather up and preserve iu permanent forui the results of agricultural experience and the views of the views of leading farmers in different parts of the State. For this purpose a short-haud reporter wili attend the iastitute to make a complete report of all ddresses, essays, and discussions, to be printod in the annual report of the State board of agriculture. 4. Finally, to give a broader scope to the instruetion at the agricultural college, and make it more fully than ever before the exponent of the most progressive and anvanced agricultnre of our State. Farmers of Michigan ! Will you "meet the board way," in this effort for mutual benefit 'i E. C. IÍEDzrE. Agricultural College, Sept. 13, '75. A FULL list of the Forty-fourth Congress, which convenes on the öth of December, politically classified, will be found on the fourth page. The compiler has make a alight mistake in assigning tho notorious Pinchback, of Louisisiana, to a seat in tue Senate. Tho Pinchback has been knooking at the Senate door these man y yoars, and bis toes are still cold, Tho change of affairs in Louisiana may induce the ltejnblicau majority in the Senate to go 3ack on its record and admit him, ;o close the doors against a Democrat sure to be elected, despite the 'act that he was never legally elected )y a legally constituted Legislaturs. The home frionds of Senator Christiancy, without distinction of party, united in tendering and giving him a upper at the Lansing House on Wednesday evening. Wm. B. Astor, one of New York's wealthiest citizeus, dicd on Wednesday. J. Chance, of Vermontville, ss going nto the uuusunl enterprise of raising nd keepiug goats lor their wool.