130 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Princes Strat
municipal oflices, and was twice Lord Provost. It
is from the studio of John Hutchison, R.S.A. In
the same year there was placed in West Gardens
the bronze statue of the great and good physician,
Sir James Sinipson, Bart. It is from the
PROFESSOR WILSON'S SI'ATUE
studio of his friend, William Erodie, R.S.A., and
is admitted by all to be an excellent likeness,
but is unfortunately placed as regards light and
shadow.
Another monument erected in these gardens of
Princes Street is the bronze statue of Dr. Livingstone,
which was inaugurated in August, 1876.
It is from the hands of Mrs. D. 0. Hill (widow of
the well-known artist of that name), sister of Sir
Noel Paton. It has the defect of being-though
an admirable likeness of the great explorer-far too
small for the place it occupies, and is more suitable
for the vestibule of a public building.
In the spring of 1877 great improvements were
begun in this famous street. These included the
widening of the foot pavement along the north
side by four feet, the removal of the north line of
tramway rails to the south of the previous south
lice, the consequent inclusion of a belt of gardens
about ten feet broad, the shifting of the parapet
wall with its iron railing ten feet back, and the
erectibn of an ornamental rail along the whole line
of gardens ahout two feet from the north edge of
the sloping bank, at the estimated cost of about
A6,084 from St. Andrew Street to Hanover Street,
and ~ 1 2 , 1 6 0 from thence to Hope Street.
The width of the new carriage-way is sixty-eight
feet, as compared with some fifty-seven feet before
these improvements commenced, whilt! the breadth
of the pavement on the south side has been
increased from seven and nine feet, to a uniform
breadth of twelve feet, and that on the north to
eighteen feet. The contract price of the carriage
road was Azo,ooo, a fourth of which was payable
by the Tramway Company and the remainder by
the Town Council.
Some idea of the extent of this undertaking niay
be gathered from the fact that about one million of
whinstone blocks, nine inches in length, seven
in depth, and three thick, have been used in connection
with the re-paving of the thoroughfare,
which is now the finest in the three kingdoms.
On either side of the street square dressed chahnel
stones, from three to four feet in length by one foot
ALLAN RAMSAY'S STATUE
in breadth? slightly hollowed on the surface, have
been laid down, the water in which is canied
into the main sewers by surface gratings, placed at
suitable intervals along the whole line of this magnificent
street.
