The Scotsman - Monday, 13th September 1869, page 6

_INAUGURATION ( W ; TpE _MAiaO _^ At _, _^ _F WALLACE _MOSTJMEIt-aBy- _'^ _^ . ' - _?• _- _' . - ' _"••* _f'Tfi _^^ i - - - _•""

———•• ' _' _'•• _V _SM_^_'_^I:_^._^ !: _THB ceremony of handing.. qTer. ' _^ _tnep Mational _Wallace _Monument to the custody _^" of * . _tne- _"T 6wn Council _of _Starling took place on _Saturday_^' _- _-The monument is built upon the Abbey Craig _(:_;_BJlich is situated _about a mile and _a-half from Stirung_.-and as the Craig is the property of Cowane's Hospital_, of which the Town Council are the patrons ' _, _"' they naturally become _tlie principal- guardians of_? the _monument, whichJias been erected there _in memory of Scotland's greatest _hero. As _most people —especially Scotchmen—are aware, the _monument_,-which is now almost finished, has been in ' course of construction for a very long time, the work being occasionally _interrupted in _consequence of a scarcity of _funds. So long ago as the 24th' June 1856, 'a demonstration took place for _. the purpose of organising _measures for tlie erection of a monament to Sir William Wallace. Between twelve and thirteen thousand _people'frbm all parts _of _Scotland met on that occasion at Stirling, and took part in the prbceedings , which were of a very enthusiastic character. The _meeting was held in the King's Park, and _was presided over by the Eight" Hon_. the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, _\K_.T;' _Resolutions _, in favour of the object were carried' unanimously , and a large and _influential committee was _appointed to _collect _subscriptions for the _purpose'contemplated. A ,few years passed away, _and at the _beginning of 1861 it was found that the _sum _collected_, _and which could be used for the purpose of erecting-the _monument , was between £5200 _and £5300. _Measures were then proceeded with to have the work commenced . The Town _Council of Stirling_, as _patrons of Cowane's Hospital , consented to _give a site on the _Abbey Craig . A design by Mr S. T. Eochhead, architect, _Glasgow, _was submitted and approved of, _and a _contract for the completion of . the work'_.wils _entered into with Mr Hame, builder; Hamilton_, for the _sum of _£6500- i The foundation-stone was laid on the 24th June IS81—the _anniversary of the battle of Bannockbnm—and the ceremony w_;is performed with great pomp, people having gone from all parts of Scotland_, to join in the procession_. At tnc masonic ceremony in connection with the _event, the late Dnke of _Athole _presided ;" _anil _the" late Sir Archibald Ah'son, Bart., occupied-the chair at, a _banquet _held on the occasion. . The work was proceeded with until _1853, when _.Mr Harvie _found himself unable to complete the contract, and the Suilding Committee undertook the _management of the building operations themselves, aad _in _August of that _year _appointed Mr John _M'Lean , _Glasgow, to superintend the work. Since that period Mr M'Lean has _continued to occupy the same responsible positionand _has given the utmost' _satisfaction _to tha _committee. - . . ; . _As there have been two such rtemoi' -str .-. _tior-srirst _at _the _meeting helil to consider the .propriety ot erecting a _monument to _Wallace, and _afterwards at the ceremony of laying _, _the" fouudatioa-stone—it has been thought that it _would 'only be _proper to have a similar, if _not a : greater, _demonstration, now that the _labours of the committee have _been concluded_, and that the monument has been _almost finished_. _Much _disappointment was felt, and considerable indignation was _expressed, when it became known that the Building Committee _-had resolved that there should be no public _demonstration on the occasion of the _inauguration of the _monument. _The committee are not , _however/tobe blamed in the matter. Instead of costiugabont.£7000, thecxpenseof crocting the monument will be _upwards of £14,000, and the committee having _liabilities to tlie _extent _of £600, deemed it _inexpedient to incur _further _expenses by _organising _any _procession or _demonstration _. : The _monument _occupies a very prominent _position upon the summit of the Abbey Craig , at a height of ._it least 300 feet. It consists of a tower rising to a height of 220 feet, _30 _feet square, and. built in the Scotch _baronial style . The _walls. at the base arc 18 feet _thick, and at that _portion where _the dimensions are _smallest there is still a _thickness of 5 feet. At the _east side _of _thcfcowcris _situated the _warder_'s _lodge—a in_._tssr. -c _building of two _storeys. _An open _court-yard , which is _cutsred bj' _arched _gateways, separates the tower from the warder's _dyelling. Immediately above the doorway arc the.arms of Sir William _Wallace , _ar.rinounted by a large _Scottish _thistle. . Passing through Ilie doorway into the areacd _passage, and tiiraiug _towards the _left_, a Earies of steps _leads to a winding _staircase, which _projects from the _south-west _aaglu of the tower, _and runs 'up to. the _bilrcisan parapet _at _the top, _immediately _beneath _ths crown_. _Arrow-light apertures ierce the walls of tho _staircase at intervalsand p , it is thus _well-lighted _. On the _ground floor is a _waiting-room , and _there are thrsc {_loors above. Ascending the _staircase, the _first of three _halls is reached. _Tlie halls are _atone, arched, _aid measure 24 feet _Binarc, with a roof 30 _feet high . It is _intc-n' _-led that _in one _of these halls specimens, of _ancient armour _should be placed ; in the second,_' Scottish _autinnitias _of various descriptions ; and in the _third, _works o£ _sculpture . At the top of the staircase, which contains about _259 _steps , there is a bartisau _parapet 5 feet wide, and protected_, by a parapet _wall 6 _feet high , a' _-id 18 inches thick. The four sides of this parapet have to be _walked round, _whsn a lew steps load up to the b_.-irtisau platform , v/hich is an _open syncc of _about 25 feet _stjuare, and paved v. _-ith _heavy ilags of _Dundee stone. The platform _is _protected on _the outside by a low ._parapet, _consisting of large rounded balls. _An _imperial cron-n _forma the apex of _the _monument. This coronal top _ia 70 _feet lii _^ li_, and is. built of hcvm cube _stone. It _is composed _of _eight _arms stretching _from the _angles and _sides, and _converging in the centre, _thus forming a _series 01 flying _buttresses . Croaketcd _pinnacles surmount _the outer _Hanks _of _tile _buttresses, _and _some very _effective _skylines _are _obtained by _the _openings ill t ' he crown. The greater portion of the _stone used in _building _themonument was obtained from the _freestone quarry .at the base _of the hiQ ; the stone_, used in the interior, and_^or p.wkil_)^ or _henrtuig ' the _walls, was got from a _whinstoue _quarry on _the top of _the Craig .,, The _circumstances _attending the _erection of the _monument have _been of no ordinary _character. A railroad leading- to both" quarries bad to be _constructed on the hill, and a _steam-engine had to ba _erected-to pull up _stone_, lime, coal, _:water , and _every other _requisite_, of'which _noue were _to' _be _found on _tha Cra;g. The _building _also _has _been _erected with a view to .durability , and for tluit reason no material _which would be easily destroyed has _been used. K_^o wood lias been _introduced into the _building—the _floors, _^ roots, &c., being all of _stone. ' . The _ceremony _of banding over the _monument to the custody _of the _Town Council was a _formal matter, and the proceedings occupied scarcely half- - _all-hour . The Provost, _Magistrates , and _members of the Town _Council, together with the Gnildry, _met at the Corn _Exchange, _and-walked thence to _tha Abbey Craig, _preceded by _the town and _Gnildry officers in _uniform, and a _^wsse of policemen under the _command of _Superintendent Stupart. There were one or - two. excursion _parties in _Stirling_, and _one of these, preceded by.the Stirling Brass _.Band,_i _walked to the Craig a short distance _; before the Council. On the'Craig a considerable _number of people were collected to witness _, the arrival of _the very small _procession. The _ceremony took place in _the first hall _of the tower, where the following _members of the committee were in waitingto receive the Town Council:—Lord Jeryiswoode , _convener _of the Acting _Committee; _Colonel Dreghoru , ' Glasgow; Messrs; W. Burns, writer, Glasgow ; P.'S .Fraser, Edinburgh ; Macadam, Glasgow;. Carrick, Master. of _Works, Glasgow ; Colin , Eae Brown, London'; P. Drnnunond, _treasurer; and.Eben.Morrisbn, secretary. Among others _present-were :—M . Francique Michel , of Paris, author of "The _Scots-in _France;" Mr Rochhcad, architect, designer _of the monument; Sheriff Monro; Dr _Rogei-s , London; D. _Hunter, of _Blackness, &c. _- .. ' _. - - _' ' - ' Mr _EBBS. _MoEBisoy read a report to the _Acting _Committee_,-which _hadibeen-prepared by _: ' _tlie Building _Committee. . .This : report _related tlie history of the _monument, and _embraced the _following abstract ofacconnts ;— ; ' ; " -. '"' - . - .' _L—INCOME . : . Amount subscribed up to _laying _founda-. _' . _' tion-stone on _June _2-1 , 1S61 (embracing ' S13G6, _ISa _. Bd. then already _expended_,.. :. i, _leaving _available £5400)_,......... —_........- £0,76C 13 o Amount _subscribed _since,. ;.. ——...... —— 6,136 3"3