Edinburgh Past and Present

All Books Kay's Originals Vol. 1 Kay's Originals Vol. 2 Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time Edinburgh Past and Present Old and New Edinburgh Vol. I Old and New Edinburgh Vol. II Old and New Edinburgh Vol. III Old and New Edinburgh Vol. IV Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V Old and New Edinburgh Vol. VI

Go to: « Kay's Originals Vol. 1 « Kay's Originals Vol. 2 « Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time Edinburgh Past and Present Cover Title Pages Contents Ch I: General Description of Edinburgh Ch II: The Old Town Ch III: Edinburgh from Warriston Cemetery Ch IV: Historical and Descriptive Notes Ch V: Modern Dwellings of the People Ch VI: Queensferry to Mussleburgh, Along the Shore Ch VII: Roslin, Hawthornden, and The Vale of The Esk Ch VIII: Outline of the Geology of Edinburgh and Its Neighbourhood » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. I » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. II » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. III » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. IV » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. VI

LEITH. I11 King and the Estates of Parliament;’ they were tried, found guilty of high treason, sentenced to the forfeiture of all their property, and so reduced to the sad and miserable condition of beggars, homeless and penniless, in the very place where they had so long lorded it as feudal tyrants. A younger scion of this family, however, appears at a little later period tb have retrieved to some extent the sad fortunes of his house. Returning from LOCHESD. France-whence he had to flee for having slain in a duel a favourite of the King, who had given him great provocatioa-to his native pIace, he chanced shortly thereafter to meet, at the house of a mutual friend, with a certain Isabella Fowler, the onIy child of a wealthy couple in the neighbourhood, and heiress of all their possessions. Miss Fowler, or as she is better known by the sobriquet of TiBk 0’ fhe Glen, had no pretensions to beauty : rather, we should say, in the language of these days, a plain-Iooking young lady, but whose plainness in this respect was wonderfully compensated for by a quick, shrewd intelligence, and brisk, sprightly piquancy of manner, which are not without their attractions, and often interest and ch-ann when a pretty face and fine form would fail. Besides, she was ‘a weel-tochered lass,’ and that in those times, as we11 as in ours, covered a multitude of sins, so that Tibbie, as might have been expected in the-circumstances, had a great number of suitors

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I13 QUEENSFERRY TO MUSSELBURGH. Wooin’ at her, puin’ at her, Courtin’ her, and canna get her. Filthy self! it’s for her pelf That a’ the lads are wooin’ at her.’ Young Logan enrolled himself in the list of her admirers, and had not much difficulty in carrying her off from all the other competitors for her hand. It is said that he built, wifh the mong ske brought him, a large handsome house at the head of the’shirra Brae fronting the Coalhill, in which they resided, and which continued to be shown as an object ‘of interest until 1845, when it was removed to make room for other erections. As however we cannot possibly advert to them all, we shall, for that reason, just select for description what are considered the most prominent of them. The Exchange, in Constitution Street, facing westward into Bernard Street, is an extensive and handsome structure in the chaste Grecian style. It rises to the height of three stories, is adorned with-Ionic columns, and contains a large assembly-room and a public reading-room, together with a number of offices. Then immediately opposite, and in the south-east corner of Baltic Street, stands the Corn Market, a large and substantial edifice, with a side-wall, looking into Constitution Street, of polished stone beautifully ornamented with cherub-like figures in basso-reZimo-some busily engaged in carrying sacks of grain, others in whirling along barrow-loads of the same produce, and others again in ploughing or driving the harrows. It is an attractive erection of highly dressed ashlar, surmounted by a dome of very fine proportions, with a number of spacious business-rooms, well lighted and comfortably ventilated. So also the Banks, of which there are no fewer than seven or eight, principally in Bernard Street, are all very substantial buildings -the RoyaZ, of an ornate and handsome appearance, and the NafionaZ, with its semicircular projecting front, ribbed wi’th Ionic columns and crowned with a dome, are especially interesting specimens of architecture, and quite ornamental to the locality. Nor are the Court House, the Trinity House, andthe Custom House in any way inferior in these respects. The first mentioned is a compact, massive structure of four stories, with an elegant Ionic fagade on the side of Constitution Street, and a fine Doric portico on that of Charlotte Street. The Council Chambers are very handsomely fitted up, and, among other pictures, contains a large painting of the landing of George IV. In like manner the Trinity House, situated in Kirkgate, and just opposite the church, is a graceful edifice of the Grecian type. It stands The public buildings of Leith now deserve our notice.

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