back, and I dare
not keep her away from such treasures.

I beg you, my dearest Victoria, to give my affectionate love to dear
Albert, and to believe me ever most devotedly, your very affectionate
Aunt,

ADELAIDE.

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN VISITS SCOTLAND]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

TAYMOUTH,[77] _8th September 1842._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I make no excuses for not having written, as I know
that you will understand that when one is travelling about and seeing
so much that is _totally_ new, it is very difficult to find time to
write....

Albert has told you already how successfully everything had gone off
hitherto, and how much pleased we were with Edinburgh, which is an
unique town in its way. We left Dalkeith on Monday, and lunched at
Dupplin, Lord Kinnoul's, a pretty place with quite a new house, and
which poor Lord Kinnoul displayed so well as to fall head over heels
down a steep bank, and was proceeding down another, if Albert had not
caught him; I did not see it, but Albert and I have nearly died with
laughing at the _relation_ of it. From Dalkeith we went through Perth
(which is _most_ beautifully situated on the Tay) to Scone Palace,[78]
Lord Mansfield's, where we slept; fine but rather gloomy. Yesterday
morning (Tuesday) we left Scone and lunched at Dunkeld, the beginning
of the Highlands, in a tent; _all_ the Highlanders in their fine
dress, being encamped there, and with their old shields and swords,
looked very romantic; they were chiefly Lord Glenlyon's[79] men.
_He_, poor man! is suddenly become _totally_ blind, and it was very
melancholy to see him do the _honours_, _not_ seeing _anything_. The
situation of Dunkeld, down in a valley surrounded by wooded hills,
is very, very pretty. From thence we proceeded to this enchanting
and princely place; the whole drive here was beautiful. All Lord
Breadalbane's[80] Highlanders, with himself at their head, and a
battalion of the 92nd Highlanders, were drawn up in front of the
House. In the evening the grounds were splendidly illuminated, and
bonfires burning on the hills; and a number of Highlanders danced
reels by torchlight, to the bagpipes, which was very wild and
pretty....

[Footnote 77: Lord Breadalbane's house. The Queen left London
on 29th August for Scotland by sea, reaching Edinburgh on 1st
September.]

[Footnote 78: Scone Abbey was granted to Sir David Murray
(afterwards Viscount Stormont) by Jam