Isle are the ruins of an ancient castle of the chief of the M'Naughtens. At the eastern extremity of Loch Awe, at the base of Ben Cruachan, is a slightly elevated neck of land at the head of the lake, on which stand the ruins of the celebrated Castle of Kilchurn. The great tower is said to have been erected in 1443, by the lady of Sir Colin Campbell, the Black Knight of Rhodes, son of the ancestor of the Argyle family. He was absent on a crusade when his lady erected this noble pile, which, "in the Western Highlands at least, claims the pre-eminence, no less from its magnitude and integrity of its ruins, than from the very picturesque arrangements of the building."

SIR WALTER SCOTT was born at Edinburgh, August 15th, 1771. His father was a respectable writer to the Signet, a branch of the law profession in Scotland, and for many years was an elder in the parish church of Old Greyfriars. His mother was possessed of superior natural talents, had a good taste for poetry, and great conversational powers. Sir Walter was the third child of a family of six sons and one daughter, all of whom he survived. From an early period of his infancy until the age of sixteen, he was afflicted with frequent ill health. By some means his right foot was injured and rendered him lame for life. The delicacy of his health

induced his parents to consent to his residence with his grandfather, a respectable farmer at Sandy Know, in Roxburghshire. The farm-house occupied an elevated situation, overlooking a large portion of the vale of the Tweed and the adjacent country, the "Arcadia of Scotland, and the cradle of Scottish romance and song."

It was at this secluded spot that the future minstrel, by the aid of free air and exercise, became quite robust, though he never got rid of his lameness. It was here that his love of ballad lore, and border story, was fostered into a passion, and here he acquired that intimate acquaintance with the manners, character, and language of the Scottish peasantry, which he afterward turned to such an account in his celebrated novels.

He entered the University of Edinburgh in 1783, at the age of twelve years. He, however, did not make much progress in the regular studies, as he preferred poring over works of fiction. About the age of twenty-one, he passed advocate at the Scottish bar. Soon after, by the powerful influence of the Duke of Buccleugh, he was appointed quarter-master of the Edinburgh Light Dragoons. Being an excellent horseman, he distinguished himself in this favorite vocation. By the friendship of this nobleman, in 1799 he received the crown appointment of Sheriff of Selkirkshire, with a salary of £300 a year. He was married to Miss Carpenter in 1797, and soon after commenced his literary career. His first successful work, "The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border." established his name in literature. His "Lay of the Last Minstrel," appeared in 1805, and attained a popularity for him far beyond his most sanguine hopes could have anticipated.

From the appearance of the "Lay of the Last Minstrel," the history of Scott is, with the exception of a few important incidents, little else than the history of his numerous publications. After the publication of the "Lady of the Lake," in 1810, the popularity of Scott's poetry began to decline. This was partly owing to the public having become satiated with his peculiar style, which had now lost the charm of novelty, and principally by the brilliant productions of Lord Byron, which now at tracted the attention of the public. In the mean time, Sir Walter prospered apace in his worldly circumstances. He had an income of above £2,000 a year, independent

of his literary revenue, which at this time was about £4,000 yearly. After he was appointed sheriff, he hired a romantic situation on the banks of the Tweed, where many of his poetical works were written. He afterwards purchased a small farm of one hundred acres, three miles above Melrose, in the center of that romantic and legendary country which his first great poem has made familiar to every reader. By degrees, as his resources increased, he added farm after farm to his domain, and reared his chateau of Abbotsford, turret after turret, till he had completed, what a French tourist not inaptly terms, "a romance in stone and lime," clothing the hills behind, and embowering the lawns with woods of his own planting.

The appearance of the prose romance of "Waverley," in 1814, forms an epoch in modern literature as well as in the life of Scott. It was in this style of composition that he found where the true secret of his strength lay. Such was his industry that seventy-four volumes of his tales were produced. Such was their success that all the chief booksellers of the kingdom competed for the privilege of turning his literary merchandise into money. From the sales of the novel of Waverley alone, he received upwards of one hundred thousand dollars, and it is estimated that his works must have produced to the author, or his trustees, the sum of two and a half million of dollars.

In 1820, Scott was created a baronet of the united kingdom by George IV, as a testimony of personal favor and friendship. In 1826, the house of Constable and Co., the great booksellers of Edinburgh, became bankrupt, and the public learnt, to their great surprise, that Sir Walter was involved by the failure to an extent which appeared utterly ruinous. He encountered this adversity with dignified and manly intrepidity. He refused to accept any compromise with creditors, and declared his determination, if life was spared him, to pay off every shilling. For five years, from 1826 to 1831, Sir Walter continued his indefatigable labors. During this period the "Life of Napoleon," History of Scotland," &c., with eight or ten new works of fiction, were produced. The profits of these and his other works were so considerable, that in 1830 he paid off £54,000 of his debts.

The great labor which these numerous works necessarily required was too much even for his ready intellect and robust frame. During the summer of 1831, his health became quite impaired, and his physi. cians forbid mental exertion. A visit to Italy was recommended, and a passage in a ship of war to Malta was readily obtained. He was accompanied by his eldest son and an unmarried daughter, his wife having died in 1826. His health seemed improved by the voyage; he was received with almost regal honors in Naples and Rome. He, however, earnestly desired to return home. In his passage down the Rhine he had a severe attack of his disorder, and he reached London in the last stages of physical and mental prostration. On the 11th of July, 1832, he reached Abbotsford in such a pitiable condition that he no longer recognized his nearest relations. He died September 21st, 1832, and was buried in his family burial aisle amid the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey.

JAMES HOGG, generally known by his poetical name of "The Ettrick Shepherd," was perhaps the most creative and imaginative of the uneducated poets. He was born, as he alleged, (though the point was disputed.) on January 25th, 1772, the birth-day of Robert Burns. His

James Hogg's (the Ettrick Shepherd) Birth-place, Selkirkshire.

birth-place was in one of the pleasant secluded vallies of the forest of Ettrick, in the humble dwelling (now demolished) of which the annexed engraving is a representation. Hogg's forefathers had been shepherds for many generations, and when a mere child he was put out to service, acting first as a cowherd, until capable of taking care of a flock of sheep. When eighteen years of age he entered the service of Mr. Laidlaw of Blackhouse. His first literary effort was in 1801, when he published a small volumes of songs, &c. He was soon introduced to Sir Walter Scott, and was employed by him in collecting materials for his "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border." Hogg repaired to Edinburgh, where he published several works. The "Queen's Wake," published in 1813, established his reputation as an author. This "legendary poem," consists of a collections of tales and ballads, supposed to be sung to Mary Queen of Scots by the native bards of Scotland, assembled at a royal wake at Holyrood, in order to prove the powers of Scottish song. He died, November 21st, 1835, in a cottage which he had built at Attrive, on a piece of moorland presented him by the Duchess of Buccleuch.

The ruinous CASTLE OF NORHAM (anciently called Ubbanford) is situated on the southern bank of the Tweed, about six miles above Berwick, and where that river is still the boundary between England and Scotland. The extent of its ruins, as well as its historical importance, shows it to have been a place of magnificence, as well as strength. Edward I resided there when he was created umpire of the dispute concerning the Scottish succession. It was repeatedly taken and retaken during the wars between England and Scotland; and, indeed, scarce any happened

in which it had not a principal share. Norham Castle is situated on a steep bank, which overhangs the river. The repeated sieges which the castle had sustained, rendered frequent repairs necessary.

The celebrated battle of FLODDEN-FIELD, September 9th, 1513, was fought about twelve miles south of Berwick, in Northumberland, between Henry VIII, of England, and James IV, of Scotland. It appears that for some cause, James suffered the English to pass the river Till, without molestation, when he might have attacked them to great advanage. Some authors ascribe it to his romantic declaration, "that he was determined to have his enemies before him on a plain field." After a long and desperate fight, the Scottish army became surrounded by the enemy. James refusing to flee, drew up his men in a circular form, and obstinately continued the contest, till the most of his nobles and bravest men were killed; darkness now came; he was himself killed by an unknown hand. The English were ignorant of the victory they had obtained, and had actually retreated from the field of battle with the design of renewing it the next morning. The loss of the English has been estimated at 5,000, and that of the Scots at 10,000 men.

GRETNA GREEN, so celebrated in the matrimonial world, is nine miles from Carlisle, and about one-fourth of a mile from the railroad station. A small stream, the Sark, divides Scotland from England. The engraving shows the house of Mr. Linton, the blacksmith, on Gretna Green, where so many irregular marriages have been performed. Here, it is said, that nothing further is necessary to constitute marriage, but a declaration before witnesses or a writing to the same effect. Since the death of Linton, his widow and his two daughters perform the business by which he became so celebrated. The parties who get married at this place