Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/415

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EDINBURGH 407 which is appropriated for the maintenance and education of children at the hospital, and for the establishment of free schools in different parts of the city. The hospital for the main- tenance of poor children, erected out of funds amounting to 210,000 bequeathed by James Donaldson, printer, in 1830, is a handsome building. There are also within the city George Watson's, John Watson's, Gillespie's, and the orphan hospitals, the asylum for the blind, the deaf and dumb institution, and many other similar establishments. Edinburgh is also noted for its educational institutions. The principal of these is the university, which was chartered by James VI. in 1582. The front of the col- lege building, 356 ft. long, is in South Bridge street. The building is of Roman architecture, heavy in design and massive in execution. There are faculties of theology, law, medicine, and the arts, with over 30 professorships. The many eminent instructors who have been em- ployed in the medical school have given it a rank among the first in Europe. The university derives a revenue of 1,172 from foundations or bursaries, which is applied in aid of 80 poor students. The total number of matriculated stu- dents in 1872-'3 was 1,906, including 728 in med- icine. Students are not required to live with- in the college walls, and are not subjected to discipline except when in attendance at the college. The university library contains 120- 000 printed volumes and 500 volumes of MSS. The high school was founded in 1519; its present building, on the S. slope of Calton hill, was opened for use in 1829, and cost 34,- 000. It has a rector and four Greek arid Latin masters, and the average number of students is between 400 and 500. The college founded under the auspices of the Free church is at the S. end of the Mound, and has about 500 stu- dents. There are many private medical schools of celebrity in the city which are not connect- ed with the university. Students who attend them may obtain degrees in surgery upon ex- amination from the royal college of surgeons. Among the other schools are the Edinburgh academy, the naval and military academy, the normal schools, Dr. Bell's schools, the Lancas- terian schools, and the school of arts. The royal association has spent since its foundation 130,000 for promoting the fine arts, besides 81,000 for pictures and sculptures, and 3,000 for works to be deposited in the Scott gallery. The corner stone of the Watt institution and school of art was laid in October, 1872. Edin- burgh is the seat of the supreme courts of Scot- land. The court which has supreme jurisdic- tion in law and equity is called the court of session, and is composed of 13 judges or lords. The court of supreme criminal jurisdiction is called the high court of justiciary. The right of pleading in the court of session belongs ex- clusively to an association of barristers called the faculty of advocates, and the privilege of preparing such papers and warrants as require the royal seal or signet is vested exclusively in the writers of the signet. The judges and members of the supreme courts, including the advocates and writers of the signet, form what is called the college of justice, an institution founded by James V. in 1532. The old parlia- ment house of Scotland is appropriated to the use of this body. It is in the heart of the old town, separated from the High street by Par- liament square and the cathedral of St. Giles. Connected with it are the libraries of the wri- ters of the signet and the faculty of advocates, both of which are extremely valuable, the latter being the finest in Scotland, and containing 150- 000 volumes. Several railways centre in Edin- burgh. The Edinburgh and Glasgow, the North British, and the Granton have their termini in the valley N. of the old town, near the North bridge. The terminus of the Caledonian is in the W. part of the city, and of the Dalkeith line in the E. Through the Union canal, which connects with the Forth and Clyde canal, Edinburgh has communication with Glasgow. On the establishment of the " Edinburgh Re- view " (1802) and the publication of the earlier works of Sir Walter Scott, Edinburgh began to be the seat of a large publishing business. There are about 60 printing houses, which give employment to more than 1,000 workmen. About 500 are employed in bookbinding. The manufactures of the city are not very important, but ale, shawls, carriages, and linen are made, and iron founding is carried on to some extent. The city is governed by a council of 41 mem- bers, which elects from its own number a lord provost, and six bailies, who constitute the civic magistracy. It has two representatives in parliament. The city is supposed to have received the name of Edwin's burgh early in the 7th century, from Edwin, king of North- umbria, who is said to have made it his place of residence. The name of the place in Gae- lic was Dunedin. It became a walled town and the capital of Scotland in the 15th century, when, after the murder of James I., its castle was selected as the only sufficient stronghold for the royal family and the government offices. The necessity of keeping within the walls was the cause of the houses being extended to such unusual heights. In 1513 the city was deso- lated by the plague. In 1544 the earl of Hert- ford, landing at Leith with an English army, set fire to the town, but failed to take the cas- tle. Many conflicts took place here during the minority of James V. ; one of the most vio- lent, in which 200 men were killed, was be- tween the Hamiltons and Douglases, and is known in history as "clear the causeway." While John Knox was minister of Edinburgh, his preaching in 1556 gave occasion to tumults which were followed by the triumph of Prot- estantism. Disturbances also arose on the marriage of Queen Mary with Bothwel], and on the accession of James VI. of Scotland to the throne of England, when the union of the two kingdoms was proposed. In 1650 Crom- well, after the battle of Dunbar, took posses--