The Old World and the New (Volume 1); Or, a Journal of Reflections and Observations Made on a Tour in Europe (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Scotland?A Stage Coach Conversation?Edinburgh?Ita unrivalled beauty?Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crag?Difference between objects of Romance and of real Life?Holyrood ?St. Leonard's Crag?Excursion to the Highlands?Stirling 1 ?The Trosacks?Lock Katrine?Lock Lomond?Highland Cottage at Inversnaid?Hamilton?Bothwell Brig?Lanark ?Tweedale?Abbotsford?Melrose and Dryburgh Abbeys? Comparison between the People of Scotland and of New-England. As I took my place on the top of the coach at Glasgow for Edinburgh, I found a handsome young man seated opposite to me?a boy of twelve years and a modest looking Scotch girl, with eyes sparkling like diamonds, and a freckled cheek, which coloured and changed at every turn; and to whom the young gallant was evidently attempting to make himself agreeable. On the fore part of the coach sat a young fellow, who I soon saw was much given to ranting sentiment. We took up on the way a sturdy looking middle aged man, dressed in coarse but substantial broadcloth, who said, to my surprise, as he took his seat, " This is STAGE COACH CONVERSATION. 53 the first time I ever was on a coach." What American that ever was dressed at all, could say that ? However, this made up our dramatis persona: for we had a dialogue on the way, in which I took so much interest, that I shall record it. I forget how the conversation began, but I soon observed some sharp sparring between the gallant and the sentimentalist, in which the former was expressing some ideas of the strongest skeptical taint, and especially insisting that there was no life beyond the present. " Ay," said the sentimentalist, " I know what you are; I have seen such as you before; you believe nothing, and destroy everything. Do you believe there is a God ?" " Oh ! certainly I...