Defcription of the City of Edinburgh. act with unabated vigour and unparalleled fuccefs. What may be the confequences to the other governments of Europe, fhould men of real patriotifm, integrity, and abilities arife to direct the efforts of this ardent and enterprising people, is not eafy to forefee; but fuch an event is probably yet far diftant. A DESCRIPTION of the CITY of EDINBURGH. *(With a View elegantly engraved.) E DINBURGH, the metropolis of Scotland, takes its prefent name from the Saxons; but its molt ancient inhabitants, the Irifh, or Northern Scots, called it Duned, or Duner Eder, i. e. Eden Town, and the Latins Edeni, or Edinodunum which all fignify a town upon a hill, or rather the city of the Edini, built upon a hill. The town is fo antient that no hiftory has recorded when, by whom, or on what occafion, it was built; yet it seems molt natural to conclude, that such a fituation could not be chofen, but for a retreat from the outrages and attempts of the Britons, Saxons, Danes, or other enemies; for, having an impregnable cattle at the welt end, and a lake on either fide, the inhabitants had nothing to defend but the entrance, at the caft end, which it was ealy to fortify. ; 491 Every fair-cafe is called a turnfome name to dillingaith it from pike or land, with the addition of another. The families of the belt rank have generally but one floor, fome only half a floor, and others lefs. The gentry take the firit, second, or third; the middling and poor mount higher. From the principal freet are ma ny wynds or narrow turnings, and it is not eafy for a ftranger to find his way to any one of the dwellings, which in thefe wynds are, as it were, piled one upon another. But there is in Edinburgh a very ufeful kind of blackguard, called Cawdies, who attend at taverns, coffee-houses, and other public places, to go on errands, and know every body of any note in the town. though they are in hele boys, rags, and lie eve. ry night upon the stairs, or in the ftreets, are yet confiderably trusted, and have feldom proved unfaithful. They are fubject to a kind of captain, or magiftrate, called the contable of the Cawdies, who punishes any neglect or misdemeanor, generally by a fine of ale or brandy, but fometimes corporally. Mo of them are uncommonly acute, and execute whatever employment is aligned them with great speed and addrefs. It is faid that a judge formerly a bandoned two of his fons to this way of lite, for a time, believing they would acquire that vigilance and acuteness, which could no otherwife be taught them, and which would be of great ute in a higher ftation. Most of the houfes in Edinburgh are built of a rough kind of stone, undreffed, becaufe of its extreme From the palace gate, welward, hardness; but the window cafés and the street is called the Canon-gate, corner tones are generally well-where the canons of the abbey dreffed; and fo indeed are the whole formerly rended; which is a kind fronts of many houtes, particularly of luburb by itfelf, as Southwark is in the Parliament Clote, and fome to Londen. At the upper or welt parts of the High-ftreet. They are end of this street, where it joins to mostly covered, especially the new the city, is a gate which buildings, with blue flate. Parts the city from the uburb, but does not 3 R 2 dif difcontinue the ftreet, which widens and is more fpacious, when you are through the gate, than before. This is the famous Nether-bow Port, whofe doors were like to have been taken away by the parliament, when the affair of captain Porteus was under their confideration. Though the oppofition of the Scots in general, to the propofal of taking away the doors of this gate, was fo great as to prevent that meafure being then adopted by parliament, yet they have fince, about the year 1766, of their own accord, taken down the whole gateway, and thereby laid the Canon-gate and Highftreet entirely open to each other. For, while the Nether-bow was ftanding, the paffage through it was fo narrow, as frequently to occafion a ftoppage of carriages. Juft at this gate, on the outfide, are two streets, one of which is called St. Mary Wynd, and the other Leith Wynd: the firft leads out of the city, fouth, into the great road for England, by the way of Kelfo; and at the foot of it is a gate, turning weftward into the Low-freet, called the Cow-gate, because the cattle are often driven through it to and from the great market place; the other leads north, into a fuburb called the Calton, from whence there is a very handfome gravel walk, twenty feet broad, continued to the town of Leith, which is kept in good repair, at the public charge, and no horses fuffered to come upon it, The Royal Exchange is a handfome building, forming a large fquare. From a grand ftair-cafe, in the back part, is a fine view of the New Town, Leith, the Forth, and fhips in the Road; and, upon a clear day, the coaft of Fife is full in fight. The city is governed by a lord provoft, whofe office is much the fame with that of the lord mayor of London; four baillies, who, befides. the power of aldermen, in the government of the city, have that of fheriffs; and a common council ordinarily confifts of twenty-five perfons, but extraordinarily of thirtyeight. All these are chofen annually; and the provoft, dean of guild, and treasurer, are to be merchants; or if any tradefman be chofen, he muft quit the trade, and not return to it without leave of the magiftrates and town council; and he must alfo be a year or two a member of the common council. No one is to continue in the council above two years at a time, except he be a member of it by virtue of a fuperior office. The baillies are to be chosen indifferently out of twelve candidates proposed; and none is to be elected deacon, out of any of the fourteen incorporated trades, except he has been a mafter of his trade two years at leaft, and must not continue deacon above two years at a time. |