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<h2> To Dr LEWIS. </h2>
<h3> DEAR LEWIS, </h3>
<p>That part of Scotland contiguous to Berwick, nature seems to have intended
as a barrier between two hostile nations. It is a brown desert of
considerable extent, that produces nothing but heath and fern; and what
rendered it the more dreary when we passed, there was a thick fog that
hindered us from seeing above twenty yards from the carriage—My
sister began to make wry faces, and use her smelling-bottle; Liddy looked
blank, and Mrs Jenkins dejected; but in a few hours these clouds were
dissipated; the sea appeared upon our right, and on the left the mountains
retired a little, leaving an agreeable plain betwixt them and the beach;
but, what surprised us all, this plain, to the extent of several miles,
was covered with as fine wheat as ever I saw in the most fertile parts of
South Britain—This plentiful crop is raised in the open field,
without any inclosure, or other manure than the alga marina, or seaweed,
which abounds on this coast; a circumstance which shews that the soil and
climate are favourable; but that agriculture in this country is not yet
brought to that perfection which it has attained in England. Inclosures
would not only keep the grounds warm, and the several fields distinct, but
would also protect the crop from the high winds, which are so frequent in
this part of the island.</p>
<p>Dunbar is well situated for trade, and has a curious bason, where ships of
small burthen may be perfectly secure; but there is little appearance of
business in the place—From thence, all the way to Edinburgh, there
is a continual succession of fine seats, belonging to noblemen and
gentlemen; and as each is surrounded by its own parks and plantation, they
produce a very pleasing effect in a country which lies otherwise open and
exposed. At Dunbar there is a noble park, with a lodge, belonging to the
Duke of Roxburgh, where Oliver Cromwell had his head-quarters, when
Lesley, at the head of a Scotch army, took possession of the mountains in
the neighbourhood, and hampered him in such a manner, that he would have
been obliged to embark and get away by sea, had not the fanaticism of the
enemy forfeited the advantage which they had obtained by their general's
conduct—Their ministers, by exhortation, prayer, assurance, and
prophecy, instigated them to go down and slay the Philistines in Gilgal,
and they quitted their ground accordingly, notwithstanding all that Lesley
could do to restrain the madness of their enthusiasm—When Oliver saw
them in motion, he exclaimed, 'Praised be the Lord, he hath delivered them
into the hands of his servant!' and ordered his troops to sing a psalm of
thanksgiving, while they advanced in order to the plain, where the Scots
were routed with great slaughter.</p>
<p>In the neighbourhood of Haddington, there is a gentleman's house, in the
building of which, and the improvements about it, he is said to have
expended forty thousand pounds: but I cannot say I was much pleased with
either the architecture or the situation; though it has in front a
pastoral stream, the banks of which are laid out in a very agreeable
manner. I intended to pay my respects to Lord Elibank, whom I had the
honour to know at London many years ago. He lives in this part of Lothian;
but was gone to the North, on a visit—You have often heard me
mention this nobleman, whom I have long revered for his humanity and
universal intelligence, over and above the entertainment arising from
originality of his character—At Musselburgh, however, I had the
good-fortune to drink tea with my old friend Mr Cardonel; and at his house
I met with Dr C—, the parson of the parish, whose humour and
conversation inflamed me with a desire of being better acquainted with his
person—I am not at all surprised that these Scots make their way in
every quarter of the globe.</p>
<p>This place is but four miles from Edinburgh, towards which we proceeded
along the sea-shore, upon a firm bottom of smooth sand, which the tide had
left uncovered in its retreat—Edinburgh, from this avenue, is not
seen to much advantage—We had only an imperfect view of the Castle
and upper parts of the town, which varied incessantly according to the
inflexions of the road, and exhibited the appearance of detached spires
and turrets, belonging to some magnificent edifice in ruins. The palace of
Holyrood house stands on the left, as you enter the Canon-gate—This
is a street continued from hence to the gate called Nether Bow, which is
now taken away; so that there is no interruption for a long mile, from the
bottom to the top of the hill on which the castle stands in a most
imperial situation—Considering its fine pavement, its width, and the
lofty houses on each side, this would be undoubtedly one of the noblest
streets in Europe, if an ugly mass of mean buildings, called the
Lucken-Booths, had not thrust itself, by what accident I know not, into
the middle of the way, like Middle-Row in Holborn. The city stands upon
two hills, and the bottom between them; and, with all its defects, may
very well pass for the capital of a moderate kingdom.—It is full of
people, and continually resounds with the noise of coaches and other
carriages, for luxury as well as commerce. As far as I can perceive, here
is no want of provisions—The beef and mutton are as delicate here as
in Wales; the sea affords plenty of good fish; the bread is remarkably
fine; and the water is excellent, though I'm afraid not in sufficient
quantity to answer all the purposes of cleanliness and convenience;
articles in which, it must be allowed, our fellow-subjects are a little
defective—The water is brought in leaden pipes from a mountain in
the neighbourhood, to a cistern on the Castle-hill, from whence it is
distributed to public conduits in different parts of the city. From these
it is carried in barrels, on the backs of male and female porters, up two,
three, four, five, six, seven, and eight pairs of stairs, for the use of
particular families—Every story is a complete house, occupied by a
separate family; and the stair being common to them all, is generally left
in a very filthy condition; a man must tread with great circumspection to
get safe housed with unpolluted shoes—Nothing can form a stronger
contrast, than the difference betwixt the outside and inside of the door,
for the good-women of this metropolis are remarkably nice in the ornaments
and propriety of their apartments, as if they were resolved to transfer
the imputation from the individual to the public. You are no stranger to
their method of discharging all their impurities from their windows, at a
certain hour of the night, as the custom is in Spain, Portugal, and some
parts of France and Italy—A practice to which I can by no means be
reconciled; for notwithstanding all the care that is taken by their
scavengers to remove this nuisance every morning by break of day, enough
still remains to offend the eyes, as well as other organs of those whom
use has not hardened against all delicacy of sensation.</p>
<p>The inhabitants seem insensible to these impressions, and are apt to
imagine the disgust that we avow is little better than affectation; but
they ought to have some compassion for strangers, who have not been used
to this kind of sufferance; and consider, whether it may not be worth
while to take some pains to vindicate themselves from the reproach that,
on this account, they bear among their neighbours. As to the surprising
height of their houses, it is absurd in many respects; but in one
particular light I cannot view it without horror; that is, the dreadful
situation of all the families above, in case the common staircase should
be rendered impassable by a fire in the lower stories—In order to
prevent the shocking consequences that must attend such an accident, it
would be a right measure to open doors of communication from one house to
another, on every story, by which the people might fly from such a
terrible visitation. In all parts of the world, we see the force of habit
prevailing over all the dictates of convenience and sagacity. All the
people of business at Edinburgh, and even the genteel company, may be seen
standing in crowds every day, from one to two in the afternoon, in the
open street, at a place where formerly stood a market-cross, which (by the
bye) was a curious piece of Gothic architecture, still to be seen in lord
Sommerville's garden in this neighbourhood—I say, the people stand
in the open street from the force of custom, rather than move a few yards
to an Exchange that stands empty on one side, or to the Parliament-close
on the other, which is a noble square adorned with a fine equestrian
statue of king Charles II.—The company thus assembled, are
entertained with a variety of tunes, played upon a set of bells, fixed in
a steeple hard by—As these bells are well-toned, and the musician,
who has a salary from the city, for playing upon them with keys, is no bad
performer, the entertainment is really agreeable, and very striking to the
ears of a stranger.</p>
<p>The public inns of Edinburgh are still worse than those of London; but by
means of a worthy gentleman, to whom I was recommended, we have got decent
lodgings in the house of a widow gentlewoman of the name of Lockhart; and
here I shall stay until I have seen every thing that is remarkable in and
about this capital. I now begin to feel the good effects of exercise—I
eat like a farmer, sleep from mid-night till eight in the morning without
interruption, and enjoy a constant tide of spirits, equally distant from
inanition and excess; but whatever ebbs or flows my constitution may
undergo, my heart will still declare that I am,</p>
<p>Dear Lewis, Your affectionate friend and servant, MATT. BRAMBLE EDR. July
18.</p>
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