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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1887)
THE SCOTTISH BORDER. pleto arches of this onco impregnable fortress, we could not help mourning over the iconoclastic spirit of the age, which, in its forward march of improve ment, necessitated the destruction of the grand old structure, with its antique re cord of yet grander deeds. The town is entered by fire gates and the railway bridge, a daring structure, which spans the Tweed and presents a most graceful appearanco from its nu merous arches and great heights. Near it is the old bridge, which, until the new was built, was regarded with wonder as a piece of splendid workmanship, and is, in its almost zigzag parspets, a curios ity, for no two arches run in a straight line, owing, it is said, to the pieco-ineal plan of building, and the great length of time it was in being finished. Bomo one writeB of it: "What an interesting old relic it is, with its inconveniences in re gard to modern traffic, well designed for defense in the days when it was con structed." We can never walk along it, nor hang over its parapets without peo pling it with steel-clad horsemen, and buff-jerkined pikemcn, who were the figures that crowded it daring its youth. IIow whimsical it is to think of tho as tonishment of these men if they could be brought to lifo and have a peep at tho new Royal Border railway bridge, whoso arches are now hanging closo at hand, half way between the Tweed and tho clouds! The names of the streets of tho town are all old. Ravensdowne is traced to the thirteenth century, and from theso one concludes that thcro has been very little change in tho position of it for tho last six hundred years. Tho curfew (couvrc feu) continues to bo rung at fight o'clock, for fifteen minutes, every evening; and with a greater adherence to old customs, the town is now, as then, astir by five in tho morning, when an ouvrc feu, as I style it, an open fire, also peals forth. At tho foot of High street, on which is our temperanco hotel, tho Lome, stands, in tho very middlo of it, and seriously imping traflic, tho tower, a handsome got hie building, with aspiro ono hundred and fifty feet high. Near tho entranco step, tho old stocks are still to bo seen. From its belfry, a peal of bells rings out on all public occa sions, in especial tho queen's birth and coronation days; and in accordance with another ancient custom, tho Ml not only tolls a death, but rings in a lively way for tho funeral, as in Krlangen, Bavaria. When I first heard it there, I iuquired what jubilee was being ushered in. This moruiog, Jan. 8, 18S.", tho Mis proclaim that Victor, tho eldest son of tho priuco of Wales, attains his majority, and wher ever thcro is a al of Mis throughout tho British Isles, this joyous acclaim will bo sounded, not once, hut many times during tho day. A few hours later, and the Ml from tho samo tower annouuees two dentin, which occurred last night, under most Iragio circumstance. A fire broko out in a confectioner's shop, but a few doors from our hotel, and before assistance could Ik1 gained, mother ami son jt ished, suffocated by tho smoke. Tho father died a year since, and he, M tho only son of his mother, and she a wi . ow," had remained unmarried, tho sole support and prop of his aged parent. Again, as I write, tho merry chimes fob low hard ujoh tho mournful death knell, and so, closo ujwn each other, succeed joy and woe, lifo and death, mortality and immortality. To-day our kind-hearted and obliging landlady brings us tho tinier' book, with a protect against asking any lodger to write in it, but with tho modest re quest that sh might leave it with us, t while away half an hour or so, if wo had it at comuiamL We could not reit tho silent suggestion, nor fail to glorify Lt
