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(I. 1.) DINBURGH, the metropolis of Scotland, and the county town of MidLothian, to which county it frequently gives name, is fituated about a mile S. of the Frith of Forth; in Lon. 3° 14' W. from London, and Lat. 55° 57' N. It is furrounded on all fides, except to the northward, where the ground declines gently towards the Frith of Forth, by lofty hills. Arthur's Seat, Salisbury Craigs, and the Calton-hill, bound it on the E.; the hills of Braid, and the extenfive ridge of the Pentland hills rife on the S.; and the beautiful eminence of Corftorphine rears its fummit on the W. These hills form a magnificent amphitheatre, in which, on elevated, tho' on ground of lefs altitude, ftands this flourishing city. It is faid, with confiderable propriety, to ftand on three hills, which run in a direction from E. to W.; and hence the natural divifion of the town into the fouthern, middle, and northern divilions. The fouthern division is bounded on the S. by the low grounds, called the Meadows, on the E. by the ftreet called the Pleafance, on the N. by the Cowgate ftrect, and on the W. by the Grafs-Market and Portfburgh. The middle divition, which contains the moft ancient part of the city, or what is called the Old Town, is bounded on the S. by the Cowgate, on the E. by the Canongate and Holyrood-houfe, on the N. by the valley called the North Loch, and on the W. by the high rock on which the caftle ftands. The northern divifion, or New Town, is bounded on the S. by the North Loch, on the E. by the Calton Hill, and the road leading down to Leith, on the N. by the villages of Canon-mills, Silver-mills, and Stockbridge, and on the W. by the high road leading north by Cramond. Thefe three divifions are united by the North and South Bridge Streets; the one built on the bridge thrown over the North Loch, the other on that over the Cowgate. (See § 13, 16, 17, &c.) The peculiar fituation of the Old Town has often attracted attention. The principal street, which occupies the flat furface of the central hill, extends nearly in a ftraight line from the Caftle, on the western extremity, to the palace of Holyrood-houfe on the E. This ftreet, which is not improperly named the High Street, measures in length from the Cattle-gate to the Palace-gate, about 5570 feet, and is about 90 feet in breadth. The upper part of it is elevated about VOL. VIII. PART I,

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140 feet above the level of the drained morafs of the North Loch; and on account of the ground which it occupies gently declining to the E. is a bout 180 feet above the palace of Holyrood-house. The amazing height of the houfes in this quarter, has always rendered it an interefting object to a ftranger vifiting Edinburgh; and perhaps the High Street of this city is not equalled in gran. deur by any street in Europe. Parallel to the High Street, in the valley on the S. runs a freet called the Cowgate, from 10 to 20 feet in breadth. The buildings in this ftreet, though lofty, are lefs elevated than thofe of the High Street. From the High Street down to the loch on the N. and to the Cowgate on the S. run narrow cross streets or lanes, called wynds and clofer, which grow steeper and steeper the farther weft towards the castle; fo that, were it not for the clofenefs and great height of the buildings, this city, from its fitua tion and plan, might naturally be expected to be the best aired, as well as the cleaneft, in Europe, The former, notwithstanding thefe difadvantages, it enjoys in an eminent degree; and every poflible means has been used by the magiftrates to accom plish the latter object, and with confiderable fuccefs.

(2.) EDINBURGH, ANCIENT ACCOUNTS OF. The Romans, during the time they held the deminion of part of this ifland, divided their poffeffions into fix provinces. The moft northerly of thefe was called Valentia, which comprehended all the fpace between the walls of ADRIAN and SEVERUS. Edinburgh, lying on the very out-fkirts of that province which was most expofed to the ravages of the barbarians, became perpetually fubject to wars and devaftations; by means of which, the time of its firft foundation cannot now b. gueffed at. The caftle, however, is certainly very ancient. According to our earlieft hiftorians, it was built by Camelon king of the Picts, about A. A. C. 330. Be that as it may, it was in the hands of the Anglo-Saxons, from the invafion of Octa and Ebufa in 452, till the defeat of Egfrid king of Northumberland in 685 by the Picts, who then repoffeffed themselves of it. The Saxon kings of Nor thumberland reconquered it in the 9th century; and it was retained by their fucceflors till the year 956, when it was given up to Indulfus king of Scotland. In 1993, it was unfuccefsfully belieged

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