STIRLING, an ancient town of Scotland, and capital of the county of Stirling, is situated in a plain watered by the Forth, and on the sloping ridge of a rock, on the western and precipitous extremity of which stands Stirling castle. The town is irregular, the street on the crest of the hill is broad, but the other streets are narrow; several new streets con taining elegant modern buildings have been erected on the north side of the town. At the south side of the town, several elegant villas extend along each side of the road, and a little farther soutLis Wel lington Place, where several handsome houses have been built.
The principal public buildings arc two churches, three hospitals, the town house, the jail, the school house, a public library and reading room, a military hospital and the castle. The east church, erected in 1494, is a fine building, which received some addi tions from Cardinal Beaton; the west church, said to have been built also in 1494, and to have constituted one building with the east church, is in the rude Gothic style, and has been lately repaired after a plan by Mr. Gillespie; it is now internally one of the most commodious and handsome churches in Scotland. The oldest of the three hospitals, built in 1530, for the support of poor tradesmen, was endowed by Robert Spittal, tailor to James IV.; the second, for twelve decayed guild brethren, was founded in 1639 by John Cowan. It is furnished with a steeple and bell and apartments for the guildry. Its annual revenue is about £3000. The third, for maintaining and educating the children of decayed tradesmen, has a revenue of nearly £500, and was founded by John Allan. The town house is a spacious building, with convenient apartments for the town courts. The jail, which has been recently built on an approved plan, contains an elegant hall for the sheriff and circuit courts. The grammar school, the academy for arith metic and mathematics, and the English school, are commodious and good buildings. The public library and reading room is a new and elegant building, having a spire 120 feet high. The library contains several thousand volumes. The military hospital occupies Argyll's Lodging, built in 1633, and in which John Duke of Argyll lived in 1715.
The castle is situated at the precipitous extremity of the ridge on which the town stands. It is of very ancient date, and still exhibits marks of royal mag nificence. James II. was born here, and the room
called Douglas's room is still shown where that cruel monarch stabbed with his own hand his kinsman William Earl of Douglas. A skeleton supposed to be that of the earl was some years ago found in the cleft of the rock directly beneath the window of this room. The hall for the meetings of parliament, built by James III. is now used as a barrack. The chapel royal, built by James VII. for the baptism of Prince Henry, adjoins to the barracks, and is now a store room and armoury. The palace is a large building of a square form, enclosing a quadrangular court. A number of grotesque figures on pedestals adorn its exterior. It now forms barrack-wards to the gar rison, a house to the governor, and apartments for the inferior officers. The apartments occupied by George Buchanan while tutor to James VI. are still shown. In one of the apartments of this quadrangle, called the king's room, the roof was covered with rich carvings in oak, which have been engraved and described in a work published in 1817, called Lucunar Strevelincnsc. Queen Anne's battery, with bomb proof barracks, was erected at the beginning of the last century on the south side of the castle; the ram part is mounted with about 36 guns. On the south side of the castle is a piece of flat enclosed ground which was devoted to tournaments; and a rock whence the ladies observed them is called the Ladies' Rock. No fewer than twelve fields of battle are seen from the castle, the prospect from which is universally ad mired. Towards the cast, Edinburgh and the wind ings of the Forth form one of the most interesting portions of it. The castle rock is basaltic. Around it is an agreeable walk, in many places cut from the solid rock.
Stirling enjoys a considerable inland trade, besides a small trade with the Baltic; vessels of about 70 tons can come up to the quay. Cotton and woollen goods, but particularly carpets, are among its chief manu factures; it has two banks and two weekly papers; it is governed by a provost, four bailies, a dean of guild, treasurer, and fourteen other counsellors; it sends a member to parliament along with Dunferm line, Inverkeithing, Queensferry and Culross. The revenue of the town from the salmon fishing amounts to £2250 per annum. The population of the burgh and parish in 1821 was