Page:Three Years in Europe.djvu/75

Rh tasteful style, steep hills rise in the midst of houses and trees, while the numerous steeples and spires of Edinburgh form not the least important portion of the beauty of this beautiful place. The Calton Hill and the Castle Hill are situated in the heart of the town,—Arthur's seat (800 ft.) and the Salisbury crags are only a few minutes' walk from the town, while far off the Pentland Hills and the Lemmer Moor Hills encircle the view. A magnificent spiral monument has been erected in one of the principal streets in memory of Sir Walter Scott. It is 200 feet high, but the stairs do not lead quite to the top but only 180 ft. From that height we had an extensive view of the beautiful town. On the Calton Hill we saw the monuments of Nelson, Playfair, and Dugald Stewart, as well as the "National Monument," an unfinished piece of architecture intended to commemorate the heroes of this country who fell at Waterloo. Near this hill is the tomb of David Hume. The Calton Hill is 224 ft. high. The view from that height is really beautiful. On the north you see the blue waters of the Firth of Forth, with busy towns on its southern shore,—Granton, Leith, Porto Bello, and Preston Pans, and on the other shore the high mountains of Fifeshire glimmering at a distance. Just at your foot lies the town of Edinburgh with its many towers and steeples and buildings, some of them nine or ten stories high. And on the south you see the far-off hills of Pentland and Lemmer Moor, forming an extensive range and stretching as far as the eye can reach.

The St. Giles Church, some distance from the Calton