Old and New Edinburgh Vol. IV

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 « Old and New Edinburgh Vol. I « Old and New Edinburgh Vol. II « Old and New Edinburgh Vol. III Old and New Edinburgh Vol. IV Title and Plates Ch 26: The Northern New Town (continued) Ch 27: Northern New Town (concluded) Ch 28: The Western New Town - Haymarket - Dalry - Fountainbridge Ch 29: West Port Ch 30: The Grassmarket Ch 31: The Cowgate Ch 32: Cowgate (concluded) Ch 33: The Society Ch 34: The Lord Provosts of Edinburgh Ch 35: Infirmary Street and the Old High School Ch 36: The Old Royal Infirmary - Surgeon Square Ch 37: Arthur's Seat and its Vicinity Ch 38: Bristo and the Potterrow Ch 39: Nicolson Street and Square Ch 40: George Square and the Vicinity Ch 41: Hope Park End Ch 42: Lauriston Ch 43: George Heriot's Hospital and the Greyfriars Church Contents List of Illustrations » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. V » Old and New Edinburgh Vol. VI

296 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Semnd High Schml, School, a gold medal of the same value (five guineas) as that annually presented to the Latin class.? ?Several circumstances, to which I shall briefly advert,? wrote an old pupil to Dr. Steven, seemed, in my time, to distinguish the High School, and could not fail to give a peculiar character to many of its scholars in after life. For instance, the variety of ranks : for I used to sit between a youth of a ducal family and the son of a poor cobbler. Humanity in the University, which he filled long and with the highest honour. He was succeeded as Rector by Aglionby-Ross Carson, M.A., LL.D., a native of Dumfries-shire, who in 1806 had obtained a mastership in the school, and laboured in it assiduously and successfully. Three months before his appointment as Rector he had declined the Greek chair in the University of St Andrews, to which, though not a candidnte, he had been elected. It was while he THE SECOND HIGH SCHOOL, 1820. (AferStonr.) Again, the variety of nations: for in our class under Mr. Pillans there were boys from Russia, Germany, Switzerland,the United States, Barbadoes, St. Vincent?s, Demarara, the East Indies, England, and Ireland. But what I conceive was the chief characteristic of our school, as compared at least with the great English schools, was its semidomestic, semi-public constitution, and especially our constant intercourse at home with our sisters and other folk of the other sex, these, too, being educated in Edinburgh j and the latitude we had cor making excursions in the neighbourhood.? In June, 1820, the connection ceased between (he school and Mr. Pillans, who, on the death of Professor Christison, was awarded the Chair of was in office that the third and last High Schoolthat magnificent building which has been described in our account of the Calton Hill-was erected ; and the closing examination in the old schoolhouse at the foot of Infirmary Street took place in the autumn of 1828, and that interesting locality, where the successive youth of Edinburgh for more than two hundred and seventy years had flocked for the acquisition of classical learning-a schoolboy scene enshrined in the memories of many generations of men, was abandoned for ever. In 1828 the disused school-house was sold to the managers of the Royal Infirmary for jE7,500, and was adapted to form part of the Surgical Hospital, externally, however, remaining unchanged.

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