With a View of PoSSIL; the Seat of Robert Crawford, Efq. From a Drawing taken upon the Spot by MR DENHOLM, of GLASGOW. 1801, March 11. The Court of Seffion rifes. 14. An eclipfe of the Sun, invifible; (fee p. 138.) 29. A total eclipfe of the Moon, (fee p. 139.) THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE OR LITERARY MISCELLANY, FOR FEBRUARY 1801. DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW. POSSIL, the feat of Robert Crawford, Efq. is fituated about two miles to the north of the city of Glasgow, in the county of Lanark. The house, which is modern, ftands in the center of a beautiful and extenfive park, containing many fine trees, and commanding feveral extenfive and varied profpects almoft in every direction. The policy is laid out with much tafte; it is enlivened by a fine canal, which in fome fituations lofes itself amongst the foliage, in others exhibits a lengthened sheet; and in a third place, where it is croffed by the artificial ruins of a bridge, it forms a beautiful cafcade. Stiff regularity, and right lines, which fo much characterize the pleafure grounds of many of our fineft feats, have here no place; the walks are cut and carried through amongst the trees with an eafy and agreeable fweep; the fhrubs and hedges exhibit the bold, though beautiful outline of nature, and blow in all her wild luxuriance; while the numerous trees, though difpofed with tafte, appear to have been grouped more by accident than defign. However rich and beautiful this part of the country now appears, it is an undoubted fact, that little more than half a century has elapfed, fince it had a very different appearance, the greatest part of it, even to the very fuburbs of the city of Glasgow, being covered with heath, uninclosed, and deftitute of planting. That this change has arifen from the profperous state of that city, within the period alluded to, need fcarcely be mentioned. As the estate of Poffil lies almost immediately fouth of the great Roman wall, called Graham's dyke, extending betwixt the Forth and Clyde, it may naturally enough be fuppofed that now and then fome veftiges of that people will be met with. Accordingly ancient urns, containing coins of many defcriptions, have been found in the neighbourhood; and at no very diftant period, in the park of Poffil, a great quantity were dug up, of the reign of Antoninus Pius. One of these, of gold, and fomewhat lefs than a guinea, Mr Crawford has ftill in his poffeffion. The lands of Poffil, befides coal, contain quarries of the most durable and beautiful freeftone that can be procured in the neighbourhood of Glasgow; and not only are the front walls of the best edifices in that city erected with it, but great quantities have been exported to the Weft Indies, by means of the great canal, which, for upwards of a quarter of a mile, runs through the eftate. J. D. PLAN 83 SIR, PLAN OF A HISTORY OF SCOTTISH POETRY. To the Editor of the Edinburgh Magazine. probably acquainted; but which I fhall tranfcribe, for the fake of any other of your readers who may take an intereft in fuch ftudies. It occurs at the clofe of the XIV. Section of the fecond volume of his elegant History of English Poetry: " A well "executed Hiftory of Scotch Poetry, "from the thirteenth century, would "be a valuable acceffion to the ge"neral literary history of Britain. "The fubject is pregnant with much "curious and inftructive information, PERMIT me, through the me dium of your Mifcellany, to return my acknowledgments to that ingenious correfpondent, who, under the fignature of J. B. enriched the laft number of your Magazine with an effay on the language and poetry of Scotland. With his favourable opinion of the Daft Days I concur heartily, and with the preference he gives to it over Ferguson's poem with the fame title*. His obfervations on the principal caufes which have obftructed the popularity of Scottish is highly deferving of a minute and poetry, as arifing in part from the "regular refearch; has never yet affociation of ideas, and partly from "been uniformly examined in its full the want of due discrimination in the "extent, and the materials are both employment which has been made of "acceffible and ample. Even the our vernacular dialect, are equally "bare lives of the vernacular poets ingenious and philofophical. The "of Scotland have never yet been eftimate he makes of thefe advantages "written with tolerable care, and at which are peculiarly poffeffed by the "prefent are only known from the Scottish language, and of thofe de- "meagre outlines of Dempfter and partments of poetical compofition for Mackenzie. The Scotch appear which it feems to be particularly fit-to have had an early propenfity to ted, difplay both information and "theatrical reprefentations; and it tafte; and his predilection for our "is probable, that in the profecuelder poets, evinces an extenfive ac- “tion of such a defign, among fevequaintance with the subject. "ral other interefting and unexpect"ed difcoveries, many anecdotes, "conducing to illustrate the rise and progrefs of our ancient drama, might be drawn from obfcurity." From the first perufal of this interefting paffage, I had never ceased to think of the project it recommends, and it is now twelve years fince I drew up a plan of the different particulars that feemed to be requifite to the complete execution of fuch a work; and which, though ftated feparately for the fake of precifion, were meant to be intimately blended together, in their proper proportions throughout the whole. Of After the warm and earnest manner, in which your ingenious correfpondent has recommended a compleat inveftigation of the progrefs of the Scottish language and poetry, he will no doubt be pleased to underftand, that fuch a hiftorical work as he hints at, has long been the subject of ferious meditation. It is now upwards of fifteen years, fince the prefent writer was ftruck with the idea, upon reading a very interefting paffage of that eminent critic and philologer, Thomas Warton; with which, though he does not exprefsly allude to it, your correfpondent is this * I question, however, whether any of the ftanzas in Nicol's poem will be fo frequently quoted, as Ferguson's one upon Auld Reikie, or the two which contain his facetious parallel between the Italian and Highland mufic. |