THE CANONGA TE AND ABBEY SANCTUAR Y. 289
able printer read snatches of the forthcoming novel, and whetted, while he seemed to
gratify their curiosity, by many a shrewd wink, and mysterious hint of confidential insight
into the literary riddle of the age. The scene, indeed, has melancholy associations with
the great novelist. It is a place which he often visited as an honoured guest, while yet
with sanguine mind and fertile imagination he was anticipating the realisation of dreams
as wild as his most fanciful legends; but it is far more nearly allied to those mournful
years, when the brave man looked on the sad realities of ruined hopes, and bent himself
sternly to rebuild and to restore. The house at the head of the street, facing the
Canongate, where James Earl of Bopetoun resided previously to 1788, is associated
with another of the most eminent Scottish poets and novelists, the precursor of Scott in
the popular field of romance. The first floor of this house was the residence of Mrs
Telfer, of Scotstown, the sister of Smollett, during his second visit to his native country
in 1766; and here he resided for some time, and though in an infirm state of health,
mixed in the best society of the Scottish capital, and treasured up those graphic pictures of
men aud manners which he afterwards embodied in his last and best novel, U Humphrey
Clinker, ”
At the foot of the Pleasance, and extending between that ancient thoroughfare and the
valley that skirts the base of Salisbury Crags, is a rising ground called St John’s Hill,
which, from its vicinity to the places already described, may be presumed to have derived
its name from the same cause. The knights of St John of Jerusalem, who succeeded to
the forfeited, possessions of the Templars, it is well-known held lands in almost every shire
in Scotland, and claimed a jurisdiction, even within the capital, over certain tenements
built on their ground, some of which, now remaining in the Grassmarket, still bear the
name of Temple Lands. In the absence of all evidence on this subject, we venture to
suggest the probability of a similar proprietorship having been the source of this name.
In the earliest map of Edinburgh which exists, that of 1544, a church of large dimensions
appears occupying the exact site of St John’s Hill, but this is no doubt intended for the
Blackfriars’ Monastery which stood on the opposite side of the Pleasance. It is possible
that some early deeds or charters may yet be discovered to throw light on this subject,
though we havs been unsuccessful in the search. The Templars, indeed, would seem to
have had an establishment at Mount Hooly on the southern verge of St Leonard‘s Hill.
‘<O n the eastern side of Newington,” says Maitland, ‘(o n a gentle eminence denominated
Mons Sacer, or Holy Mount, now corruptly Mount Hooly, was situate a chapel, which,
from the position of the bodies buried cross-legged wayLyB, with their swords by
their sides, which were found lately in digging there, I take to have belonged to
the Knights Templars.” It is difficult now to fix the exact site of this interesting
spot, owing to the changes effected on the whole district by the extended buildings
of the town.’
On the north side of the Canongate, opposite to St John Street, a large and lofty
stone tenement bears the name of Jack’s Land, where the lovely Susannah, Countess
Maitland, p. 176, where a reference is made to the Council Registers, but we have searched them in vain for any
The fact of cross-legged corpses with swords by their sides being dug up, is, to
Perhaps
notice of it under the date assigned.
say the least of it, somewhat marvelloua, and merited a more elaborate narrative from that careful historian.
however, it should be understood ae referring to sculptured figures.
2 0
=go MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
of Eglinton, resided during her latter years, and was visited by Lady Jane Douglas,
as appears in the evidence of the Douglas Cause. The other tenants of its numer0usJiTat.s
were doubtless of corresponding importance in the social scale ; but its most eminent
occupant was David Hume, who removed thither from Riddle’s Land, Lawnmarket, in
1753, while engaged in writing his History of England, and continued to reside at Jack’s
Land during the most important period of his literary career. Immediately behind this,
in a court on the east side of Big Jack’s Close, there existed till a few years since some
remains of the town mansion of General Dalyell, commander of the forces in Scotland
during most of the reign of Charles II., and the merciless persecutor of the outlawed
Presbyterians during that period. The General’s dwelling is described in the Minor
Antiquities a as (( one of the meanest-looking buildings ever, perhaps, inhabited by a
gentleman.” In this, however, the author was ‘deceived by the humble appearance of the
small portion that then remained. There is no reason to believe that the stern
Mmcovite-as he was styled from serving under the Russian Czar, during the Protectorate-
tempered his cruelties by an$ such Spartan-like virtues. The General’s
residence, on the contrary, appears to have done full credit to a courtier of the Restoratidn.
We owe the description of it, as it existed about the beginning of the present
century, to a very zealous antiquary’ who was born there in 1787, and resided in the
house for many years. He has often conversed with another of its tenants, who remembered
being taken to Holyrood when a child to see Prince Charles on his arrival at .
the palace of his forefathers. The chief apartment was a hall of unusually large
dimensions, with an arched or waggon-shaped ceiling adorned with a painting of the
sun in the centre, surrounded by gilded rays on an azure ground. The remainder of
the ceiling was painted to represent sky and clouds, and spangled over with a series of
silvered stars in relief. The large windows were closed below with carved oaken shutters,
similar in style to the fine specimen still remaining in Riddle’s Close, and the
same kind of windows existed in other parts of the building. The kitchen also was
worthy of notice for a fire-place, formed of a plain circular arch of such unusual
dimensions that popular credulity might have assigned it for the perpetration of
those rites it had ascribed to him, of spiting and roasting his miserable captives l 4 Our
informant was told by an intelligent old man, who had resided in the house for many
years, that a chapel formerly stood on the site of the open court, but all traces of it
The following advertisement will probably be considered a curious illustration of the Canongate aristocracy at a
still later period:-“A negro runaway.-That on Wednesday the 10th current, an East India ne50 lad eloped from a
family of distinction residing in the Canongate of Edinburgh, and is supposed to have gone towards Newcastle. He is
of the mulatto colour, aged betwixt sixteen and seventeen years, about five feet high, having long black hair, slender
made and long-limbed. He had on, when he went off, a brown cloth short coat, with brass buttons, mounted with
black and yellow button-holes, breeches of the same, and a yellow vest with black and yellow lace, with a brown duffle
surtout coat, with yellow lining, and metal buttons, grey and white marled stockings, a fine English hat with yellow
lining, having a gold loop and tassle, and double gilded button. As this negro lad has carried off sundry articles of
value, whoever shall receive him, EO that he may be restored to the owner, on sending notice thereof to Patrick
M‘Dougal, writer in Edinburgh, shall be handsomely rewarded.”-Edinhwgh Advertiser, March 12th, 1773. An
earlier advertisement in the Courunt, March 7th, 1727, offers a reward for the apprehension of another runaway :-“A
negro woman, named Ann, about eighteen years of age, with a green gown, and a brass collar about her neck, on which
are engraved these words, ‘ Gustavus Brown in Dalkeith, his negro, 1726.’ ” ’ Minor Antiquities of Edinburgh, p. 230.
Mr Wm. Rowan, librarian, New College,
Fountainhall‘s Deciaiona, vol. i. p. 159. Burnet’s Hut. of his Own Times, vol. i. p. 334.
