After spending the 14th with some relations of Mrs. Stuart's, visiting the city, whose architectural antiquities are fast disappearing, before the march of mind and the progress of public improvement (nevertheless we saw the house in Curfew-street, occupied some four or five centuries ago, by "the Fair Maid of Perth," and her father, the glover), and Scone Palace, recently rebuilt by Lord Mansfield; we accompanied, at night, the Rev. Joseph Mac Laggan, Mr. Stuart's son-in-law, to his residence, Kinfauns Manse, four miles, where we stayed till the 18th.

We visited Kinfauns Castle, recently rebuilt by Lord Gray, in a style which reflects the greatest credit upon his good taste. These, and a few other modern mansions of the British nobility, whether the government of the country remain what it is, which is probable, or be revolutionized, or republicanized, which is possible, will endure for centuries to come, massive monuments of their immense wealth. I do not quarrel with them for rearing such piles; on the contrary, methinks they are mighty pretty toys for the lieges to look at, which they can only see to perfection, in a country where the law of primogeniture prevails (and I think we can hardly pay too dear for that whistle);

but what I do complain of, is their absorbing within the vortex of their vast domains so many Naboths' vineyards, so many minor estates. I apprehend, this has been particularly the case in Scotland, since the abolition of the heritable jurisdictions. Until then, the magnates had power, independent of wealth,— now money's their only chance.

Carse

Lord

I suppose, some of the most fertile fields in Great Britain are to be found in the Carse of Gowrie, which stretches between Perth and Dundee, twenty-two miles. Near Perth, it adjoins the almost equally fertile districts of Strathearn and Strathmore. signifies alluvial; strath, a narrow valley. Gray receives £8 an acre for some of his land; not less than £5 for any; but then the Scotch acre is one-seventh larger than the English, pays no tithe, and hardly any poor's rate; the reason of which is, that the ley payers assess themselves, instead of the magistrates. Potatoes, in the ground, are selling to London dealers for £20 an acre; last year they fetched £22. Farms in the Highlands, on which sheep, goats, and black cattle are depastured, are let by the mile, averaging three shillings an acre. The

Duke of Montrose receives £800 per annum for the Ben Lomond farm, (4000 acres.)

On the 18th, we returned to, and quitted Perth, for Edinburgh, forty-four miles. We passed the interesting ruins of Loch Leven Castle; still large and lofty. The march of mind and the progress of public improvement are about, forthwith to drain the Loch, and to discharge its contents into Firth of Forth, which we crossed at Queensferry. We then rode eight miles in shadows, clouds, and darkness, and entered Edinburgh at eight. The lights in the houses, and the long vistas of lamps in the streets, formed a striking contrast to the previous gloom. We put up at Miss White's, 35, York Place, a boarding-house, I can strongly recommend.

We stayed at Edinburgh a week, and dined at the Castle with Colonel Harvey, fort major, and pro tem. governor, with Mr. Cowan, our Arroqhar acquaintance, who lives in that romantic old palace, Moray House, Canongate, once the residence of the Regent Murray, and with Dr. B- 124, George-street: Mrs. M

late of Manchester, resides at the next door: she was always tall, and now, I am told, she is stout too. In fact, so many ladies of large calibre live, walk, and

talk in George-street, that it has acquired the name of the "Giant's Causeway." Visiting, one day, Queen Mary's apartments in Holyrood House, I asked the young woman who attended us, and who enacted the part of cicerone, if there was any chance of our seeing that football of fortune, Charles X, who returned there the day before; she answered, very archly, "Charles X is not shewn."

On the 23rd, Mr. M― returned to London, in the "Soho" steamer. I bought Galt's Life of Lord Byron for him, to beguile the passage, and wrote in the beginning, as follows:

"J. B. To T. H. M.

SACRED

TO THE MEMORY OF A PLEASANT

EXCURSION INTO SCOTLAND, &c.,

WHICH DEPARTED THIS TRANSITORY LIFE,

AT EDINBURGH,

THE TWENTY-THIRD DAY OF OCTOBER, 1830,

AGED SEVEN WEEKS.

HÆC OLIM MEMINISSE JUVABIT, ETC.

ttt D. s. s."

I arrived at Stirling on the evening of the 25th,

thirty-five miles, and stayed till this morning. On

the 26th I dined with Colonel Milles, 66th regiment. It was a beautiful sunshiny day, and I saw the magnificent prospect from the battlements of Stirling Castle to every advantage. It included Arthur's

Seat, Ben Lomond, Ben Ledi, Ben More, &c., the Carse of Stirling, about as flat and fertile as the Carse of Gowrie, and stretching for twenty-five miles towards the Grampians; the Forth, like a silver serpent, meandering along it, in a manner that would have puzzled Meander himself (within half a mile of the Castle walls, it twice describes the figure of 8) -the superficies of a vast tract of country we had lately traversed, about Callandar, &c., which was an interesting object; Ben Lomond, however, being the load-stone of the landscape. Near the Castle walls are the marks of the entrenchments occupied by the Pretender when he besieged the fortress in 1744; eight miles on the other side, is the fatal field of Bannockburn. I arrived at Glasgow this morning (twenty-seven miles); dined at Mr. W.'s, in Collegestreet, this afternoon, and expect to sail to Liverpool this evening, in the "William Huskisson." foundered in the Irish sea, on her usual and accustomed passage, 11th January, 1840.)

(She