felf, by what accident I know not, into the middle of the way, like Middle Row in Holborn. The city ftands upon two hills, and the bottom between them; and, with all its defects, may very well pass for the capital of a moderate kingdom-It is full of people, and continually refounds with the noife of coaches, and other carriages, for luxury as well as commerce. As far as I can perceive, here is no want of provisions-The beef and mutton are as delicate here as in Wales; the fea affords plenty of good fifh; the bread is remarkably fine; and the water is excellent, though I'm afraid not in fufficient quantity to answer all the purposes of cleanlinefs and convenience; articles in which, it must be allowed, our fellow-fubjects are a little defective. The water is brought in leaden pipes from a mountain in the neighbourhood, to a ciftern on the Castle-hill, from whence it is distributed to public conduits in different parts of the city. From thefe it is carried in barrels, on the backs of male and female porters, up two, three, four, five, fix, feven, and eight pair of ftairs, for the ufe of particular families.-Every ftory is a complete houfe, occupied by a separate family; and the ftair being common to them all, is generally left in a very filthy condition; a man must tread with great circumspection to get fafe housed with unpolluted shoes.-Nothing can form a ftronger contraft than the difference betwixt the outfide and infide of the door; for the good women of this metropolis are remarkably nice in the ornaments and propriety of their apartments, as if they were refolved to transfer the imputation from the individual to the public.-You are no stranger to their method of discharging all their impurities from their windows, at a certain hour of the night, as the custom is in Spain, Portugal, and fome parts of France and Italy— a practice to which I can by no means be reconciled; for notwithstanding all the care that is taken by their fcavengers to remove this nuifance every morning by break of day, enough ftill remains to offend the eyes, as well as the other organs of those whom ufe has not hardened against all delicacy of fenfation.

THE inhabitants feem infenfible to thefe impreffions, and are apt to imagine the difguft that we avow is little

better than affectation; but they ought to have fome compaffion for ftrangers, who have not been used to this kind of sufferance, and confider, whether it may not be worth while to take fome pains to vindicate themselves from the reproach that on this account they bear among their neighbours. As to the furprifing height of their houses, it is abfurd in many refpects; but in one particular light I cannot view it without horror; that is, the dreadful fituation of all the families above, in cafe the common stair-case should be rendered impaffable by a fire in the lower ftories. In order to prevent the fhocking confequences that must attend fuch an accident, it would be a right measure to open doors of communication from one house to another on every ftory, by which the people might fly from fuch a terrible vifitation. In all parts of the world we fee the force of habit prevailing over all the dictates of convenience and fagacity.-All the people of business at Edinburgh, and even the genteel company, may be seen standing in crouds every day, from one to two in the afternoon, in the open street, at a place where formerly ftood a market-crofs, which (by the bye) was a curious piece of Gothic architecture, ftill to be feen in Lord Somerville's garden in this neighbourhood-I fay, the people ftand in the open street from the force of cuftom, rather than move a few yards to an Exchange, that ftands empty on one fide, or to the Parliament-clofe on the other, which is a noble square, adorned with a fine equestrian statue of King Charles II.-The company thus affembled are entertained with a variety of tunes, played upon a fet of bells, fixed in a steeple hard by-As these bells are well toned, and the mufician, who has a falary from the city for playing upon them with keys, is no bad performer, the entertainment is really agreeable, and very striking to the ears of a stranger.

THE public inns of Edinburgh are still worse than thofe of London; but, by means of a worthy gentleman, to whom I was recommended, we have got decent lodgings in the house of a widow gentlewoman of the name of Lockhart; and here I fhall stay until I have feen every thing that is remarkable in and about this capital. I now begin to feel the good effects of exercise

-I eat like a farmer, fleep from midnight till eight in the morning, without interruption, and enjoy a constant tide of fpirits, equally distant from inanition and excefs; but whatever ebbs or flows my conftitution may undergo, my heart will still declare that I am,

Dear Lewis,

Your affectionate friend, and fervant,
MATT. BRAMBLE.

Edinr. July 18.

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To Mrs MARY JONES, at Brambletonball.

DEAR MARY,

THH

THE fquire has been fo kind as to rap my bit of nonfenfe under the kiver of his own fheet-O Mary Jones! Mary Jones! I have had trials and trembulation. God help me! I have been a vixen and a griffin these many days-Sattin has had power to temp me in the fhape of van Ditton, the young fquire's wally de fhamble; but by God's greafe he did not purvailI thoft as how there was no arm in going to a play at Newcastle, with my hair dreffed in the Parish fashion; and as for the trifle of paint, he faid as how my com plexion wanted rouch, and fo I let him put it on with a little Spanish owl; but a mifchievous mob of colliers, and fuch promiscous ribble rabble, that could bare no fmut but their own, attacked us in the street, and called me hoar and painted Iffabel, and fplafhed my clofe, and fpoiled me a complete set of blond lace triple ruffles, not a pin the worse for the ware.-They coft me seven good fillings, to Lady Grifkin's woman at London.

WHEN I axed Mr Clinker what they meant by calling me Iffabel, he put the byebill into my hand, and I read of van Iffabel, a painted harlot, that vas thrown out of a vindore, and the dogs came and licked her blood-But I am no harlot; and, with God's bleffing, no dog fhall have my poor blood to lick: Marry, Hea ven forbid, amen! As for Ditton, after all his courting and his compliment, he ftole away an Irifhman's bride,

and took a French leave of me and his master; but I vally not his going a farting; but I have had hanger on his account-Miftrefs fcoulded like mad; thof I have the comfit that all the family took my part, and even Mr Clinker pleaded for me on his bended knee; thof, God he knows, he had raisins enuff to complain; but he's a good fole abounding with Chriftian meekness, and one day will meet with his reward.

AND now, dear Mary, we have got to Haddingborough, among the Scots, who are civil enuff for our money, thof I don't fpeak their lingo-But they should not go for to impofe upon foreigners; for the bills on their houfes fay, they have different easements to let; and behold there is nurra geaks in the whole kingdom, nor any thing for pore farvants, but a barrel with a pair of tongs thrown across; and all the chairs in the family are emptied into this here barrel once a day; and at ten o'clock at night the whole cargo is flung out of a back windore that looks into fome ftreet or lane, and the maid calls Gardy loo to the paffengers, which fignifies, Lord have mercy upon you! and this is done every night in every houfe in Haddingborough; fo you may guefs, Mary Jones, what a fweet favour comes from fuch a number of profuming pans: But they fay it is wholesome, and truly, I believe it is; for being in the vapours, and thinking of Iffabel and Mr Clinker, I was going into a fit of afteriks, when this fiff, faving your prefence, took me by the nofe fo powerfully that I fneezed three times, and found myself wonderfully refreshed; and this to be fure is the raisin why there are no fits in Haddingborough.

I WAS likewife made believe, that there was nothing to be had but oat-meal and feeps-heads; but if I hadn't been a fool, I mought have known there could be no heads without karkaffes-This very bleffed day I dined upon a delicate leg of Velfh mutton and cully-flower; and as for the oat-meal, I leave that to the farvants of the country, which are pore drudges, many of them without fhoes or ftockings-Mr Clinker tells me here is a great call of the gofpel; but I wish, I wish some of our family bé not fallen off from the rite way-O, if I was given to tail-baring, I have my own fecrets to difVOL. VI.

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cover There has been a deal of huggling and flurtation betwixt miftrefs and an ould Scots officer called Kifmycago. He looks for all the orld like the fcarecrow that our gardener fet up to frite away the sparrows; and what will come of it the Lord nows; but come what will, it fhall never be faid that I mentioned a fyllabub of the matter-Remember me kindly to Saul and the kitten-I hope they got the horn-buck, and will put it to a good yufe, which is the conftant prayer of,

Dear Molly,

Your loving friend,

Addingborough, July 18.

WIN. JENKINS.

To Sir WATKIN PHILLIPS, Bart. of Jefus College, Oxon.

DEAR PHILLIPS,

accent.

F I ftay much longer at Edinburgh, I fhall be changed into a downright Caledonian-My uncle obferves, that I have already acquired fomething of the country The people here are so social and attentive in their civilities to ftrangers, that I am infenfibly fucked into the channel of their manners and cuftoms, although they are in fact much more different from ours than you can imagine-That difference, however, which ftuck me very much at my firft arrival, I now hardly perceive, and my ear is perfectly reconciled to the Scotch accent, which I find even agreeable in the mouth of a pretty woman-It is a fort of Doric dialect, which gives an idea of amiable fimplicity-You cannot imagine how we have been careffed and feasted in the good town of Edinburgh, of which we are become free denizens and guild-brothers, by the special favour of the magiftracy.

I HAD a whimsical commiffion from Bath, to a citizen of this metropolis-Quin, understanding our intention to visit Edinburgh, pulled out a guinea, and defired the favour I would drink it at a tavern, with a particular friend and bottle-companion of his, one Mr