r Landlady, by name Mrs.
Mackay, is a nice clean old body--exceedingly civil and attentive. She
lives in "11, Lothian Street, Edinburgh" (1/1. In a letter printed in
the "Edinburgh Evening Despatch" of May 22nd, 1888, the writer suggested
that a tablet should be placed on the house, 11, Lothian Street. This
suggestion was carried out in 1888 by Mr. Ralph Richardson (Clerk of
the Commissary Court, Edinburgh), who obtained permission from the
proprietors to affix a tablet to the house, setting forth that Charles
Darwin resided there as an Edinburgh University student. We are indebted
to Mr. W.K. Dickson for obtaining for us this information, and to Mr.
Ralph Richardson for kindly supplying us with particulars. See Mr.
Richardson's Inaugural Address, "Trans. Edinb. Geol. Soc." 1894-95; also
"Memorable Edinburgh Houses," by Wilmot Harrison, 1898.), and only four
flights of steps from the ground-floor, which is very moderate to some
other lodgings that we were nearly taking. The terms are 1 pound 6
shillings for two very nice and LIGHT bedrooms and a sitting-room; by
the way, light bedrooms are very scarce articles in Edinburgh, since
most of them are little holes in which there is neither air nor light.
We called on Dr. Hanley the first morning, whom I think we never should
have found, had it not been for a good-natured Dr. of Divinity who took
us into his library and showed us a map, and gave us directions how to
find him. Indeed, all the Scotchmen are so civil and attentive, that it
is enough to make an Englishman ashamed of himself. I should think Dr.
Butler or any other fat English Divine would take two utter strangers
into his library and show them the way! When at last we found the
Doctor, and having made all the proper speeches on both sides, we
all three set out and walked all about the town, which we admire
excessively; indeed Bridge Street is the most extraordinary thing I ever
saw, and when we first looked over the sides, we could hardly believe
our eyes, when instead of a fine river, we saw a stream of people. We
spend all our mornings in promenading about the town, which we know
pretty well, and in the evenings we go to the play to hear Miss Stephens
(Probably Catherine Stephens), which is quite delightful; she is very
popular here, being encored to such a degree, that she can hardly get
on with the play. On Monday we are going to Der F (I do not know how
to spell the rest of the word). (1/2. "Der F" is doubtless