Imagini ale paginilor
PDF
ePub

they soon become dry, like those at the city of Chester, so that you may walk there without soiling your shoes when every other part of the city remains in a muddy and wet condition.

The castle is appropriated to the use of the county-goal, which is more like a palace than a prison; the court-house handsomely built, forming one side of the large quadrangle, and the sessions on the other, both ornamented with lofty Doric columns; the felons' apartments form an extensive airy building, at the lower part of the quadrangle, opposite to which is a large wall, the whole comprising a space as extensive as one of our modern-sized squares in London.

In

In the centre is a level lawn, in a circular form, of smooth green turf, kept so by some nibbling deer, which

[ocr errors]

are suffered to range there for that purpose; the lawn is gravelled round, where the debtors are allowed to walk for the sake of health, and to enjoy the air; in this respect it must be admitted that there is not only great humanity but wisdom in the idea, as the inhabitants of the city, from this caution, are seldom in fear of being visited by a goal-distemper, which is often fatal to a whole neighbourhood.

What renders this place the more creditable to those who have the care of it is its being not only made pleasant to the eye, but kept remarkably clean and wholesome; so that, when you visit it, you are not annoyed with

offensive

offensive smells, nor does the mind become wretched by the melancholy impression often made upon it in viewing many places of this kind.

I had seen this extensive place of confinement previous to my visiting Edinburgh, which city I had been told by one of that country was a city of palaces; in which however I had not been many days, before I was intreated by an ignorant and bigoted Scotchman (who had never been out of his own country) to see the palace of Holy-rood-House, which was then in a deplorable and filthy state. The roof of the royal chapel, for want of proper attention, had been suffered to tumble in; the sepulchres of their kings were broken to pieces from this shameful event, and their `sacred

sacred bones exposed to the unhallowed hands of every hind that might happen to get admittance to the scene of dissolution; and when I had gone through the whole of this dilapidated melancholy palace, I was asked by the

person who took me to see it, with au emphasis of strong and national exultation, as if he meant to mortify me by setting every thing in my poor country at a distance, "whether I thought the King of England could shew such a palace as that!" like Miss Cunegunda, speaking of the castle of Vandertentrunk, as the best of all possible castles.

I could not help replying to this childish interrogatory, saying, "that I did not wish to affront him by making the comparison in respect to palaces,"

palaces," but calling to mind what I had recently seen at York and many other parts of England, told him, "that I had seldom beheld' such a palace as that which he had been dragging me through, but that I had seen much better-looking goals in my own country."

This so hurt the nationality of his mind, that he put on a sullen countenance, turned upon his heel, saying, with some vehemence, that, "I had made a base reflection upon the first kingdom in all Europe!" I parted with him with a smile upon my countenance, but never had the honour to change another word with this petulent Caledonian, while I remained in the first kingdom in all Europe! In respect to eulogium, when speaking of

« ÎnapoiContinuă »