Edinburgh

the metropolis « d and | land, and one of the finest as well as pe was | most ancient cities in the British emcounpire; lies within 2 miles of the S. pitable!shore of the Firth of Forth. It. i i ‘ Nit - Ben car iF a, 2 4 A, | 2 a;; t. 7 e STONE LIGHTHOUSE, o the picturesquely situated, being built on three eminences which run in a direc- Seot-i tion from E. to W., and surrounded — on all sides by lofty hills except on the N., where the ground slopes gently toward the Firth of Forth. The central ridge, which constituted the site of the ancient city, is terminated by the castle on the W., situated on a high rock, and by Holyrood House on the E., not far from which rise the lofty elevations of Salisbury Crags, Arthur’s Seat (822 feet high), and the Calton Hill overlooking the city. The valley to the N., once the North Loch, but now drained and traversed by the North British railway, leads to the New Town on the rising ground beyond, a splendid a emblage of streets, squares, and gardens. The houses here, all built of a beautiful white freestone found in the neighborhood, are comparatively modern and remarkably handsome. The palace of Holyrood, or Holyrood House, as it is more generally called, stands at the lower or BE. extremity of the street leading to the castle. No part of the present palace is older than the time of James V. (1528), while the greater portion of it dates only from the time of Charles II. In the N. W. angle of the building are the apartments which were occupied by Queen Mary, nearly in the same state in which they were left by that unfortunate prince . Adjoining the palace are the ruins of the chapel belonging to the Abbey of Holyrood, founded in 1128 by David I, The Advocates’ Library, the largest library ih Scotland, contains upward of 250,000 printed volumes and 2,000 MSS. The origin of Edinburgh is uncertain. Its name is thought to be derived from Eadwinsburh, the Burh of Edwin, a powerful Northumbrian king who absorbed the Lothians in his rule. The town was made a royal burgh in the time of David I.; but it was not till the 15th century that it became the recognized capital of Scotland. Pop. (1901) 316,479.