Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

446
EDINBURGH.
of the one, powerfully contrasts with the intellectual
elevation of the other." — In the centre of St. An-
drew's-square, at the east end of George-street,
stands Lord Melville's monument. This is a re-
markahly handsome column, begun in 1821, and
finished in 1828, by subscriptions chiefly of naval
officers. It rises to the height of 136 feet, and is
then surmounted by a statue 14 feet high. The
design is, in general, a copy of the Trajan column in
Rome ; but deviates from that model in the shaft
being fluted instead of ornamentally sculptured, and
in the pedestal being a square instead of a sphere.
The column is 12 feet 2 inches thick at the bottom,
and gradually diminishes in its ascent, till it is 10i
feet thick at the top. Up the interior is a spiral
staircase, lighted by almost imperceptible slits in the
fluting. The base is adorned with some beautiful
architectural devices ; and the colossal statue, formed
of stone, appears, on its giddy elevation, of the natu-
ral size of the human figure. — In front of the Royal
bank in St. Andrew's-square is a statue, in Roman
costume, of the Earl of Hopetoun, erected in 1835.
The Earl leans on a charger pawing the pedestal,
and is eulogized in inscriptions commemorative of
his military exploits East of Bridewell, on the
same side of the road, standing on an isolated emi-
nence, is Burns' monument. This structure, though
elegant, is unpleasing in its proportions ; but has in
its interior a fine statue of the poet by Flaxman. —
Near this monument, in the same locality, is a dark,
low circular tower to the memory of David Hume.
On the summit of the highest rocky eminence of
Calton-hill stands Nelson's monument, — a conspicu-
ous object in almost every view of Edinburgh from
sea or land, and a magnificent termination to the
view along Prince's-street from the west. It was
commenced shortly after Lord Nelson's death, but
was not finished till 1815. Fastidious criticism has,
in one instance, described it as " more ponderous
than elegant;" and, in another instance, it has for-
gotten its own dignity by buffoonishly representing
the monument as " modelled exactly after a Dutch
skipper's spy-glass or a butter churn;" yet, as if
fearful of a rebound of the witticism upon itself, has
added that the monument, "from the grandeur of
its site and the greatness of [its] dimensions, must
be admitted to possess those attributes of sublimity
which are independent of grandeur of design." [' The
Modern Athens.' By a Modern Greek. London,
1825.] The base is a battlemented edifice, divided
into small apartments, and occupied by a restaura-
teur; and has, over its entrance, the crest of Nelson,
and sculpture in bas-relief representing the stern of
the San Joseph, and, underneath, an appropriate in-
scription. From this edificed base rises, to the
height of more than 100 feet, a circular, hollow tur-
ret, battlemented at the top, climbed by a staircase
within, and surmounted by a flag-staff. Around the
edifice are a garden and plots of shrubbery. The
precipice from the edge of which the monument
rises possesses an outline, which, as seen from a
point south of Holyrood-house, is alleged to be a
profile of Nelson Near Nelson's monument, a little
to the north, on the summit of a knoll, stand the
twelve pillars of the National monument. This
structure was projected in commemoration of the
Scotsmen who fell in the land and sea fights conse-
quent on the French revolution; and, with a splen-
dour of design corresponding to the greatness of the
object, was meant to be a literal restoration of the
Parthenon of Athens. No little enthusiasm was
displayed in the prospect of its erection, and pro-
mised to draw out the requisite though vast amount
of money for its completion ; but either it subsided,
or felt its energies to be factitious, and, though
sanctioned and aided by Royal concurrence, has, up
to 1840, and perhaps permanently, left the monu-
ment as commemorative of incompetency of pecu-
niary means on the part of admiring survivors, as of
the deeds and bravery of departed heroes. The
monument was founded in 1822, during George IV. 's
visit to Edinburgh, and was commenced in 1824.
The pillars of it which have been erected are of
gigantic proportions, cost each upwards of £1,000,
and were designed to form the western range of the
entire structure. Within the area of the monument,
in apartments commodiously fitted up, is an interest-
ing exhibition of statuary On the face of Calton-
hill, overlooking Waterloo-place, is Dugald Stewart's
monument, erected in 1831. It was built from a
design by Mr. Playfair ; and is in the style of a Gre-
cian temple, — a restoration, with some variations, of
the Choragic monument of Lysicrates On the
south-east angle of the New observatory is Profes-
sor Playfair's monument ; a square, uninscribed edi-
fice of solid stone, enclosed with a rail.
On the east side of Nicolson-street, south of the
exit of Drummond-street, stands Surgeons' hall, or
the hall of the Royal college of Surgeons. The
building is modern, large, and elegant, with a fine
portico, and cost about £20,000. The interior is
arranged into several very spacious apartments.
The pathological museums are extensive, and well
fitted to aid surgical studies On the south side of
George-street, between St. David's-street and Ha-
nover-street, is Physicians' hall, or the hall of the
Royal college of Physicians, built in 1775. It is
three stories high, purely Grecian, and has in front
four beautiful Corinthian columns supporting a pedi-
ment. In one of the apartments is an excellent
library of old foundation. — On the north end of the
Earthen mound, presenting shorter fronts to Hanover-
street and the Old town, and longer ones to the
views along Prince's-street, stands a magnificent
oblong edifice called the Royal institution. This is
one of the most handsome modern buildings in Scot-
land. It was founded in 1823, and is borne by a sub-
structure of wooden piles and cross-bearers, rendered
necessary by the ground being "travelled earth," and
formed at a cost of upwards of £1,600. Besides a
large central hall for the exhibitions of the Scottish
academy of painting, the building contains apart-
ments for the Royal society of Edinburgh, the Board
of trustees for the improvement of manufactures,
and the Society of Scottish antiquaries. The mu-
seum of the Antiquarian society is enriched, among
many other curiosities, with some colours carried by
the Covenanters during the civil war, the stool which
Janet Geddes hurled at the Bishop of Edinburgh in
St. Giles' church, and "the Maiden," or Scottish
guillotine, with which many noblemen and distin-
guished persons were beheaded — In Prince's-street,
west of the Mound, is the New club, a sort of joint-
stock hotel and reading-room, for the exclusive use
of an association of noblemen and gentlemen, the
members of which are elected by ballot. — On the
lands of Inverleith, nearly a mile north of the city
toward the sea, is the Royal Botanic garden, twelve
acres in area, and transplanted from a former site in
1822-4. The surface declines slightly to the south,
and is disposed in plots and promenades of great
beauty and variety. Within the area, are a pond for
irrigating the soil of aquatic plants, hot-houses heated
by steam for the culture of tropical plants, and a
spacious building fitted up as a class-room for the
professor and students of botany.
The University presents its main front to South
Bridge-street, and forms an entire side respectively
of North College-street, West College-street, and
South College-street. It is a regular parallelogram.