Had this collection been weeded of nearly half the
jiictures, and the remainder properly hung, it would
have been an honour to Glasgow.
R. T. Hamilton Bruce.
MADONNA DI SAN SISTO.
Safe-guarded by immortal charms, She clasps her Heaven in folded arms ; And, starlike, over tempest knows Bright unassailable repose.
Thomas Woolxkis.
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTION.
Glasgow Exhibition.
THE ' old London "' idea, which was improved upon at Edinburgh, has readied a much higher development on the slopes of Kelvingrove. Here we have not merely a picturesque and interesting- representation of a building of the olden time, but an attraction of surpassing interest in its contents ; — an immense collection of objects of great historical and antiquarian value. In comparison with what it contains, the Bishop's Castle itself nnist be regarded as an object of quite subordinate interest ; and here- in it differs from any of its quasi-antique predeces- sors, although both in design and execution it will compare favourably with any of these. It was neces- sarily to a large extent an original conception ; for not only is the site peculiar and entirely different from that on which the ancient building stood, but the views of the old castle which have come down to us — and from which alone we can now gain any idea of its appearance — are of comparatively recent date, and by no means so exact as one could wish for purposes of restoration ; and, what is of more conse- quence, we have no representation whatever of the main building as it existed in the 15th century. The architect of the castle of 1888, therefore, had to draw largely on his imagination, and he had, more- over, not only to deal with a difficult site, but also to face another difficulty, which, in less skilful hands, would have been fatal to the verisimilitude of his work, namely, the adaptation of the building to its intended purpose by providing sufficient light for the various apartments. This has been managed without any apparent incongruity, and the erection as completed gives an excellent idea of a baronial tower of the 15th century, with many picturesque characteristic features. But the treatment of the interior is not less careful nor less creditable. The massive walls, about five feet thick, the vaulted Hall with its spacious fireplace, and the turret stairs, with ribs springing from the top of their newals, are all in excellent keeping ; the whole will be readily recog- nised as a most appropriate temporary home — so far as appearance goes — for the many curious and pre- cious relics of the past which it containg. It is impossible, within the compass of this short notice, to do more than indicate in the most general terms how the collection is arranged, and what are some of its special features. Besides several small rooms, there are three principal apartments in the Castle — one on the basement floor, another on the ground floor, and another on the first floor. The last of these, which is the great Hall, contains three groups of relics specially interesting in their histori- cal connection. In the first of these we find such objects as the Brooch of Lome, the sword and the battle-axe of the Bruce, many objects found on the field of Bannockburn, and other things belonsins- to the period antecedent to the reign of Mary Queen of Scots. The second group comprises Queen Mary relics only. These are exceedingly numerous, and many of them are of great value and exceedingly interesting. The third group consists exclusively of Jacobite relics, of which there is a very large collec- tion. In the room immediately below, on the ground floor, there is much greater variety. Here there is a small collection of prehistoric remains — weapons and implements of the stone age, and of the bronze age- — ^^jiist enough to give an idea of the characteristics of such articles, but the series is not continued downwards chronologically. There is, however, a most extensive and interesting collection of old armour and weapons, including cannon and fire-arms of the most ancient make ; also many curious instruments of torture and punishment, old Scotch furniture, mechanical appliances, spinning- wheels, and the like. Also personal ornaments, ancient charms, jewels, enamels, medals, tokens, mini- atures, ' Tassie ' gems and medallions. Another interesting group here is the ecclesiastical, muni- cipal, masonic, and academic insignia, which includes several magnificent maces. A totally different group consists of what may be called implements and trophies of amusement, ancient golf clubs, curling- stones, and the like. And yet another group, which will have a peculiar interest for many a west-country visitor, is made up of relics of Covenanting times. The ' Solemn League and Covenant ' itself is there, the flags the Covenanters bore, and the swoi-ds they wielded at Drumclog and Bothwell Brig, and many other objects. Coming- to a still later period, we find a large assortment of Burns relics ; and besides all these, a miscellaneous collection — literary, artistic, and antiquarian, which would be hard to classify, but which will well repay careful examination. The room in the basement is devoted to old
