Since on her dusky summit ranged,
Within its steepy limits pent
By bulwark, line, and battlement,
And flanking towem and laky flood,
Guarded and garrisoned, she stood,
Denying entrance or resort,
Save at each tall embattled port ;
Above whose arch suspended hung
Portcullis, spiked with iron prong,
That long is gone ; but not so long,
U
tains above 24,000 volumes of standard works in
every department of literature and science j and
there is bne of reference, kept in a separate department,
consisting of a valuable collection of encyclopzdias,
geographical, biographical, and scientific
dictionaries, atlases, statistical tables, &c., which
are at all times available to the numerous members
on application.
THE MUSIC HALL,
Since early closed, and opening late,
Jealous revolved the studded gate,
Whose task from eve to morning tide
A wicket churlishly supplied.
Stem then and steel-girt was thy brow,
Dun-Edin ! Oh, how altered now !
When safe amid thy mountain court
Thou sitt'st like empress at her sport,
And liberal, unconfined, and free,
Flinging #icy white m s #o the sm !
Near the east end of Queen Street is the Philosophical
Institution, the late president of which was
Thomas Carlyle. It was founded'in 1848. Here
lectures are delivered on all manner of. scientific
and literary subjects. The programme ef these
for a session averages about thirty subjects. There
are a library, reading-room, news-room, and ladies' I
GEORGE STREET
Classes for Latin, French, German, drawing of
all kinds, mathematics, shorthand, writing, arithmetic,
fencing, and gymnastics, are open on
very moderate terms; and the members of the
Edinburgh Chess Club, who must also be members
of the Philosophical Institution, meet in one of
the apartments, which is open for their use from
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Adjoining this edifice were the offices of the
United Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
No. 8 Queen Street was built and occupied by
Chief Baron Orde of the Scottish Exchequer, and
in size considerably exceeds and excels the other
houses in its vicinity. Baron Orde, whose
daughter Elizabeth became the second wife of
Lord Braxfield, died in I 777, and was succeeded in
