Portobello.] ?THE LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL? I45
afterwards an earthenware manufactory. These
public works, as well as others which followed them,
necessarily made the place a seat of population.
Portobello began to grow a thriving village, from
which it rapidly expanded to the dignity of a town,
but was still so small that, in 1798, we find advertised
to sell ?the old Thatch House of Portobello?
on the great road leading to Musselburgh.
In 1801 it was advertised that the Marquis of
Abercom was prepared to feu in lots the whole of
of drilling, Scott used to delight in walking his
powerful black horse up and down by himself on
Portobello sands, within the beating of the surge;
and now and then you would see him plunge in his
spurs and go off as if at the charge, with the spray
dashing about him. As we rode back to Musselburgh
he often came and placed himself beside me
to repeat the verses he had been composing during
those pauses in our exercise.?
These verses were probably portions of the ? Lay
MARIONVILLG
the land lying on the north side of that road, from
Mr, Rae?s property westward to the Magdalene
Bridge; for about that time the beauty of the beach,
the firmness of its sand, and its general eligibility
as a bathing place, drew the attention of the citizens
towards it, and speedily won for the rising
town a fame that prompted the erection of many
villas and streets, and a growing local prosperity.
With other corps of cavalry, here the Edinburgh
Light Horse in those days were wont to ?drill on
. the noble extent of sandy beach, which has an
average breadth of half a mile, with a slow and
almost insensible gradient.
When Scott was in the corps mentioned, Skene
of Rubislaw tells us that, in 1802, ?? in the intervals
115
of the Last Minstrel,? for we are told that when the
corps was on permanent duty at Musselburgh,
Scott, the quartermaster, during a charge on Portobello
sands, received a kick from a horse, which
confined him for three days to his lodgings, where
Skene always found him busy with his pen ; and
before three days were passed he produced the first
canto of ?The Lay,? very nearly in the state in
which it was ultimately published j and that the
whole poem was sketched and filled in with extraordinary
rapidity there can be no difficulty in
believing, for Scott?s really warlike spirit was warmed
up by the daily blare of the trumpet, the flashing of
steel, and the tramp of hoofs,
From Mr. Jarnieson, to whom a great portion of
146 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [Portoklla
Portobello once belonged, Mr. James Cunningham,
W.S., one of the earliest feuars there, procured the
piece of ground to the westward, whereon he
erected, in the first years of the present century,
the eccentric and incongruous edifice named the
Tower, the window-lintels and cornices of which
were formed of carved stones found in the houses
that were pulled down to make way for the South
Bridge, from the cross of the city, and even from
the cathedral of St. Andrews. For many years
it remained an unfinished and open ruin.
The editor of Kay tells us that Mr.Jamieson,
to whom this locality owes so much, was also contractor
for making the city drains, at an estimate
of LIO,OOO. The rubbish from the excavations was
to be carted to Portobello free of toll at Jock?s
Lodge, as the bar belonged to the Towh Council.
The tollman, insisting on his regular dues, closed
the gate, on which Mr. Jamieson said to the carters,
?? Weel, weel, just coup the carts against the tollbar,?
which was done more than once, to the inconceivable
annoyance of the keeper, who never after
refused the carters the right of free passage.
Portobello, in spite of its name, is no seaport,
and neither has, nor probably ever will have, any
seaward trade. At the mouth of the Figgate Bum a
small harbour was constructed by the enterprising
Mr. Jamieson after his discovery of the clay bed ;
but it was never of any use except for boats. It
became completely ruinous, together with a little
battery that formed a portion of it ; and now their
vestiges can scarcely be traced.
The manufactures, which? consist of brick, lead,
glass, and soap works, and a mustard manufactory,
are of some importance, and employ many hauds,
whose numbers are always varying. Communication
with Princes Street is maintained incessantly
by trains and tramway cars.
On the sands here, in 1822, George IV. reviewed
a great body of Scottish yeomanry cavalry, and a
picturesque force of Highland clans that had come
to Edinburgh in honour of his visit. On the mole
of the little harbour-now vanished-the royal
standard was hoisted, and a battery of guns posted
to fire a royal salute.
On that day, the 23rd of August, the cavalry
were the 3rd Dragoon Guards, the Glasgow Volunteer
Horse, the Peebles, Selkirkshire, Fifeshire,
Berwickshire, East and West Eothian, Midlothian,
and Roxburgh Regiments of Yeomanry, with the
Scots Greys, under the veteran Sir James Stewart
Denholm of Coltness, latterly known as ? the father
of the British army.?
The whole, under Sir Thomas Bradford, formed
a long and magnificent line upon the vast expanse
ofyeliow sands, with the broad blue Firth, Prestos
Bay, and Berwick Law as a background to the
scene, and all under a glorious sunshine. The
King more than once exclaimed, ? This is a fine
sight, Dorset ! ? to the duke of that name, as his
open carriage traversed it, surrounded by a glittering
staff, and amid the acclamations of a mighty
throng. .After the march past and salute, His
Majesty expressed a desire to see the Highlanders ;
and the Duke of Argyle, who commanded them,
formed them in open column, Sir Walter Scott
acting as adjutant-general of the ?Tartan Con- ?
fderacy,? as it was named.
The variety of the tartans, arms, and badges on
this occasion is described as making the display
?? superb, yet half barbaric,? especially as regarded
the Celtic Society, no two of whom were alike,
though their weapons and ornaments were all
magnificent, being all gentlemen of good position.
The clans, of course, were uniform in their own
various tartans.
The Earl of Breadalbane led the Campbells of
his sept, each man having a great badge on his
right arm. Stewart of Ardvoirlich and Graham of
Airth marched next with the Strathfillan Highlanders.
After them came the Macgregors, all in
red tartans, with tufts of pine in their bonnets, led
by Sir Evan Macgregor of that ilk ; then followed
Glengany, with his men, among whom was his tall
and stately brother, Colonel Macdonnel, whose
powerful hand had closed the gate of Hougomont,
all carrying, in addition to targets, claymores, dirks,
and pistols, like the rest, antique muskets of extraordinary
length. The Sutherland Highlanders wore
trews and shoulder plaids. The Drumrnonds, sent
by Lady Gwydir, marched with sprigs of holly in
their bonnets. ?TO these were to have marched
the clans under the Dukes of Athole and Gordon,
Macleod of Macleod, the Earl of Fife, Farquharson
of Invercauld, Clanranald, and other high
chiefs; but it was thought that their numbers
would occasion inconvenience.?
The King surveyed this unusual exhibition with
surprise and pleasure, and drove off to Dalkeith
House under an escort of the Greys, while the
Highlanders returned to Edinburgh, Argyle marching
on foot at the head of the column with his claymore
on his shoulder.
In 1834 Portobello, which quoad CiZliZia belongs
to the parish of Duddingston, was separated from
it by order of the General Assembly.
ceding year, by an Act of William IV., it had been
created a Parliamentary burgh, and is governed Ly
a Provost, two bailies, seven councillors, and other
officials In conjunction with Leith and Musselg
In the pre- ,
