eight in the morning
All the people of business at Edinburgh , and even the genteel company , may be seen standing in crowds every day , from one to two in the afternoon , in the open street , at a place where formerly stood a market-cross , which -LRB- by the bye -RRB- was a curious piece of Gothic architecture , still to be seen in lord Sommerville 's garden in this neighbourhood -- I say , the people stand in the open street from the force of custom , rather than move a few yards to an Exchange that stands empty on one side , or to the Parliament-close on the other , which is a noble square adorned with a fine equestrian statue of king Charles II . -- The company thus assembled , are entertained with a variety of tunes , played upon a set of bells , fixed in a steeple hard by -- As these bells are well-toned , and the musician , who has a salary from the city , for playing upon them with keys , is no bad performer , the entertainment is really agreeable , and very striking to the ears of a stranger . The public inns of Edinburgh are still worse than those of London ; but by means of a worthy gentleman , to whom I was recommended , we have got decent lodgings in the house of a widow gentlewoman of the name of Lockhart ; and here I shall stay until I have seen every thing that is remarkable in and about this capital . I now begin to feel the good effects of exercise -- I eat like a farmer , sleep from mid-night till eight in the morning without interruption , and enjoy a constant tide of spirits , equally distant from inanition and excess ; but whatever ebbs or flows my constitution may undergo , my heart will still declare that I am , Dear Lewis , Your affectionate friend and servant , MATT . BRAMBLE EDR . July 18 . To Mrs MARY JONES , at Brambleton-hall .