EDINBURGH (ed'n-bur-o), the me tropolis of Scotland and one of the finest as well as most ancient cities in the Brit ish empire; lies within 2 miles of the S. shore of the Firth of Forth. It is pic turesquely situated, being built on three eminences which run in a direction from E. to W., and surrounded on all sides by lofty hills except on the N., where the ground slopes gently toward the Firth of Forth. The central ridge, which consti tuted the site of the ancient city is ter minated by the castle on the W., situated on a high rock and by Holyrood House on the E., not far from which rise the lofty elevations of Salisbury Crags, Ar thur's Seat (822 feet high), and the Cal ton Hill overlooking the city. The valley to the N., once the North Loch, but now drained and traversed by the North British railway, leads to the New Town on the rising ground beyond. The houses here are all built of a beautiful white freestone found in the neighborhood.
From Prince's street, which is lined by fine gardens adorned with Sir Walter Scott's monument and other notable buildings, a magnificent view of the Old Town with its picturesque outline may be obtained. The principal street of the Old Town is that which occupies the crest of the ridge on which the latter is built, and which bears at different points the names of Canongate, High street, Lawnmarket, and Castle Hill. This an cient and very remarkable street is up ward of a mile in length, rising grad ually with a regular incline from a small plain at the E. end of the town, on which stands the palace of Holyrood, and ter urinating in the huge rock on which the castle is built, 383 feet above sea-level. The houses are lofty and of antique ap pearance. Among the notable buildings are the ancient Parliament House, now the seat of the supreme courts of Scot land; St. Giles' church or cathedral, an imposing edifice in the later Gothic style, recently carefully restored; the Tron Church; Victoria Hall (where the Gen eral Assembly of the Established Church meets), with a fine spire; the Bank of Scotland, etc. From this main street descend laterally in regular rows numer ous narrow lanes called closes; those which are broader, and admit of the pas sage of carriages, are called wynds. In these and the adjacent streets the houses are frequently more than 120 feet in height, and divided into from 6 to 10 stories, or flats. In the Old Town the
most remarkable public building is the castle. This fortress contains accommo and George IV. Bridge), stands the re maining portion of the city, which is mostly modern. Besides the buildings already noticed Edinburgh possesses a large number of important edifices and institutions, chief among which are the Royal Institution, the National Gallery of Scotland, the Museum of Science and Art, the new Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mary's, etc. Among the more promi nent educational institutions are the uni versity, the high school, the academy, the New or Free Church Theological College, the United Presbyterian Theological Hall, the Edinburgh School of Medicine, the Veterinary College, the Fettes Col lege, the Heriot-Watt College of Science and Literature. The manufactures of Edinburgh are neither extensive nor im portant. Printing, book-binding, coach building, type-founding, machine-making, furniture-making, ale-brewing, and dis tilling are the principal industries. Edin dations for 2,000 soldiers, and the ar mory space for 30,000 stand of arms.
The palace of Holyrood, or Holyrood House, stands, at the lower or E. extrem ity of the street leading to the castle. No part of the present palace is older than the time of James V. (1528), while the greater portion of it dates only from the time of Charles II. In the N. W. angle of the building are the apartments which were occupied by Queen Mary. Adjoining the palace are the ruins of the chapel belonging to the Abbey of Holy rood, founded in 1128 by David I. The Advocates' Library, the largest library in Scotland, contains upward of 250,000 printed volumes and 2,000 MSS.
On the S. side of the Old Town, and separated from it also by a hollow 'crossed by two bridges (the South Bridge burgh is the headquarters of the book trade in Scotland, and the seat of the chief government departments.
The origin of Edinburgh is uncertain. Its name is thought to be derived from Eadwinsburh, the Burgh of Edwin, a powerful Northumbrian king, who ab sorbed the Lothians in his rule. The town was made a royal burgh in the time of David I.; but it was not until the 15th century that it became the re cognized capital of Scotland. Pop. (1918) 333.833.