Cassell's Old and new Edinburgh: its history, its people, and its places . w proved, however,that he was an idiot of the most wretched kind,rabid and gluttonous as a wild animal, and grew Canongate. 1 THE EARL OF DRUMLANRIG. 37 to an enormous stature, as his leaden and un-ornamented coffin in tlie family vault at Durisdeerattests at this day. This monstrous and unfor-tunate creature was always confined in a ground-floor room of the .vestern wing of QueensbenyHouse; and • till within these few years theboards still remained by which the windows ofthe dreadful receptacle were darkened to prevent
Cassell's Old and new Edinburgh: its history, its people, and its places . w proved, however,that he was an idiot of the most wretched kind,rabid and gluttonous as a wild animal, and grew Canongate. 1 THE EARL OF DRUMLANRIG. 37 to an enormous stature, as his leaden and un-ornamented coffin in tlie family vault at Durisdeerattests at this day. This monstrous and unfor-tunate creature was always confined in a ground-floor room of the .vestern wing of QueensbenyHouse; and • till within these few years theboards still remained by which the windows ofthe dreadful receptacle were darkened to preventthe idiot from looking out or being seen. stripped and spitted him, and he was found de-vouring the halfroasted body when the dukereturned with his train from his political triumph,to find dire horror awaiting him. The commonpeople, among whom the dreadful tale soon spread,in spite of the dukes endeavours to suppress it,said that it was a judgment upon him for his odiousshare in the Union. The story runs that the duke,who had previously regarded his dreadful offspring. IHE CANONGATE, LOOKING WEST; SHOWING, ON THE IMMEDIATE RIGHT, THE HOUSE IN WHICH GAY RtSIUtli,AND THE LEFT THE GATE OF MILTON HOUSE. (/•><.«; a Diaiviug by Shepherd, published in 182Q.) On the day the Treaty of Union was passed allEdinburgh crowded to the vicinity of the Parlia-ment House to await the issue of the final debate,and the whole household of the duke—the HighCommissioner—went thither en niasse for that pur-pose, and perhaps to prevent him from being tornto pieces by the exasperated people, and amongthem went the valet whose duty it was to watchand attend the Earl of Drumlaniig. Hearing all unusually still in the vast house, thelatter contrived to break out of his den, and roamedwildly from room to room, till certain savouryodours drew him into the great kitchen, where alittle turnspit sat quietly on a stool by tlie seized the boy, took the meat from the fire, with no eye of
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