Page:Three Years in Europe.djvu/76

50 Hill, is a very ancient one, where Knox used to deliver his sermons, and his attacks on Mary Queen of Scots. A single square piece of sand-stone marks the spot where the stern reformer lies buried. Very near this church is the Scotch Parliament House, where the members used to meet before the Union in 1707. It is a large hall with several beautiful oil-paintings in it, and among others one of Lord Brougham. Near the Calton Hill is a fine building—a monument erected in memory of Robert Burns. Within it we saw many curious things connected with the life and history of the national poet of Scotland. The walls all round are hung with the letters of the poet. We saw, too, the wine-glass, the earthen jug and the drinking quaigh of the poet. There were also a piece of bread prepared by Mrs. Burns, the sword stick which Burns used when an exciseman at Dumfries, the horn snuff-box which belonged to the father of "Highland Mary," and above all a lock of hair of the "lassie with the lint white locks." There was the three-legged stool on which the poet used to sit when he corrected his poems, as also a hundred other curious things which cannot but be interesting to every admirer of Robert Burns.

From this place we went to the Holyrood Palace and Chapel. The most interesting part of the palace is the part built by James V. and where his daughter the lovely Queen of Scots passed the most eventful portion of her singularly unfortunate life. On the first floor are the picture gallery and Lord Darnly's apartments; on the second floor Queen Mary's rooms. The picture gallery is a large hall