The battlement's summit display'd near in sight, Her Majesty's graciously pleas'd to alight; A whisper could scarce have advanc'd with less noise, Than that splendid cortège delighting our eyes; Here veteran officers wearing their star, White hair and white feathers all streaming afar; Display'd where Mons Meg is preserving her station, The royal regalia, long lost or forgotten, Till found in a strong box then laid up in cotton; Its jewels all clean'd, and its gold in profusion, up 1 The first remark George IV. made on seeing his ancient regalia was, in a tone of surprise at the modern cushion, which had been intended as an embellishment in his Majesty's eyes, the old one, which was in existence before the Union, having been discarded, and consigned to the late Sir Alexander Keith, knight marshal, in whose house it still remains. The old novel of the Velvet Cushion had nothing in it more interesting than this ancient relic might relate of its own history. Sir Alexander Keith's castle of Dunottar was the last which capitulated to Oliver Cromwell, who carried on the siege with more vigour, from knowing that the Scottish regalia was concealed there. The place may yet be seen, under a ruinous stair-case, where these precious insignia were hid, until the clergyman's wife of that parish ingeniously contrived to carry them off in a fish-basket, being herself disguised. She buried them beneath the pulpit of the neighbouring church, where they remained many years unsuspected; as one of Lord Kintore's G Behold here the grandest of nature's displays, A crowd was there gather'd with cheers to respond; A million of hats left their owners' heads bare; The guns themselves scarcely were louder in tone, When firing their royal salute, twenty-one. Now ladies and lords cluster'd round the fair scene, family wrote a letter, on purpose that it might be intercepted, stating that the regalia had safely reached France. After meeting with so many adventures together, the cushion and jewels are now divorced. 1 One peculiarity of Edinburgh consists in the number of bridges over dry land, several of which look down upon streets underneath, crowded with carriages and pedestrians. Opposite the post-office, and at other places, one bridge rises aloft like a triumphal arch, and another, far below, yet immediately underneath, is of the ordinary elevation. 2 The oldest and largest cannon in Scotland. A chair being summon'd in haste for the Queen, A drummer-boy brought one, all hurried and keen; But seeing her Majesty fill'd him with dread, And casting the seat down, in panic he fled, Proceeding thro' Princes Street, there the hubbub Increas'd to a whirlwind beside the New Club; Where ladies not black-ball'd, but guests for the day, A forty-mob pow'r, yet all vastly genteel, One hat, far more daring it seem'd than the rest, Applauses reverberate, reaching the clouds, grave!" But strange, what a wardrobe's afloat in the crowds! A shoe near Sir Robert fell down from the air, A shoe which its owner might very well spare. Now Peel, quite a stranger, was ne'er perhaps told The custom of kindness in Scotland of old, When trav❜llers depart, 'tis an omen of luck, By a show'r of old shoes, as they pass, to be struck.' Success with exertion increase ev'ry year; And missiles directed by folly or spite, Like fairy-gifts, turn to flow'rs before night.2 1 At every marriage in Scotland, all the old shoes in the family are precipitated after the happy pair; but the origin of this ancient superstition is unknown, unless it be taken from "The old woman who lived in a shoe." Some amusing instances of the Premier's popularity now took place. One shop advertised, "Real Peel hams sold here! Whigs and Radicals need not apply!" The Earl of Liverpool, riding on horseback the previous morning along Princes Street, was mistaken for Sir Robert Peel. Hundreds assembled to cheer and shake hands with the Premier, when his Lordship, finding this outburst of enthusiasm rather inconvenient, and that none of his zealous applauders were willing to believe themselves mistaken, it is said that, with ready humour, he took out a packet of his own visiting cards, and distributed them among the crowd, none of whom had ever before been honoured by so great a man leaving cards with them, consequently the applauses were all directed to himself. 2 A poor servant girl having been severely injured by the fall of a scaffold, her Majesty caused an inquiry to be made respecting the extent of the injury, most graciously intimating her intention to provide for the sufferer. The young woman's mistress, however, gratefully replied that she would herself do whatever might be necessary on the occasion,-a pledge it is to be hoped she may remember to act upon. CHAPTER VI. London and death gar'd thee look doole, And hing thy head. ALAN RAMSAY. No inch of lace left, nor a feather in town, See Blackwood's all pillag'd of stores he'd brought down; And bandboxes fly swift as dust on the drives, While tir'd sleepless milliners stitch for their lives, And tailors, with frantic speed, day and night cut on, While scolded to death, if they place wrong a button. More lovely and joyous than now brightly shone; Had realis'd all that was told by report. A picture by Watteau seem'd brought on the stage, All started to life in fair nature's best page, |