O pale, pale now, those rosy lips, And clos'd for aye the sparkling glance, Shall live my Highland Mary. ous strife of obtaining the books, and that, if you see fit in this way to raise it, a considerable sum may be realized for the necessities of the poor.' "On this memorial the Session pronounced the following judgment upon it: "The Kirk Session of the Old Parish of Greenock, with their Heritors, being met-inter alia, the Kirk Treasurer laid before the meeting a letter from Mr Joseph J. Archibald, Teacher at Largs, containing an offer of £10. for the effects (including furniture, books, &c. &c.) left by Widow Campbell, mother to Burns' Highland Mary, which effects became the property of the Kirk Session, in consequence of the said Widow Campbell being, for several years, a pauper on their roll. The Session agreed to resign their hypothec in said effects to and in favour of the said Mr Joseph J. Archibald, for the aforesaid sum of £10. and authorize their clerk to intimate this to him.' "Notwithstanding the grave and formal tenor of this resolution, we suspect that the Bible is the unquestionable property of its present possessor, and if the account we have received of his character and conduct approach the truth, he is well worthy of remaining their custodier in perpetuity." A correspondent informs us, who resides in Dalry, that the John Jamieson Archibald had the Bibles, alluded to in the preceding narrative, for a considerable time in his possession, and that he deposited them, along with a lock of Mary's hair, in our correspondent's hands for some time. Jamieson was in the employment of Dr Kirk, late of Greenock, now in Glasgow, where he took badly, and his mother went from Dalry to nurse him. On his death, and her return to Dalry, our correspondent inquired about the Bibles, but she informed him that she had never seen the Bibles all the while she remained in Greenock. Of course it is impossible to say into whose possession these precious relics have found their way. Our correspondent, Mr Andrew Crawford, Dalry, Ayrshire, still retains a small portion of the lock of Highland Mary's hair.-M. 14th November, 1792. MY DEAR SIR, you I AGREE with that the song, Katharine Ogie,' is very poor stuff, and unworthy, altogether unworthy, of so beautiful an air. I tried to mend it, but the awkward sound Ogie recurring so often in the rhyme, spoils every attempt at introducing sentiment into the piece. The foregoing song pleases myself; I think it is in my happiest manner; you will see at first glance that it suits the air The subject of the song is one of the most interesting passages of my youthful days; and I own that I should be much flattered to see the verses set to an air which would insure celebrity. Perhaps, after all, 'tis the still glowing prejudice of my heart, that throws a borrowed lustre over the merits of the composition. I have partly taken your idea of Auld Rob Morris.' I have adopted the two first verses, and am going on with the song on a new plan, which promises pretty well. I take up one or another, just as the bee of the moment buzzes in my bonnet-lug; and do you, sans ceremonie, make what use you choose of the productions. Adieu! &c. DEAR SIR, No. VII. MR THOMSON TO BURNS. EDINBURGH, November, 1792. I was just going to write to you, that on meeting with your Nannie I had fallen violently in love with her. I thank you, therefore, for sending the charming rustic to me, in the dress you wish her to appear before the public. She does you great credit, and will soon be admitted into the best company. I regret that your song for the Lea-rig' is so short; the air is easy, soon sung, and very pleasing; so that, if the singer stops at the end of two stanzas, it is a pleasure lost ere it is well possessed.* Although a dash of our native tongue and manners is doubtless peculiarly congenial and appropriate to our melo. dies, yet I shall be able to present a considerable number of the very flowers of English song, well adapted to those melodies, which in England at least will be the means of recommending them to still greater attention than they have procured there. But you will observe, my plan is that every air shall, in the first place, have verses wholly by Scottish poets; and that those of English writers shall follow as additional songs, for the choice of the singer. What you say of the Ewe-bughts' is just; I admire it, and never meant to supplant it. All I requested was, that you would try your hand on some of the inferior stanzas, which are apparently no part of the original song : but this I do not urge, because the song is of sufficient length though those inferior stanzas be omitted, as they will be by the singer of taste. You must not think I expect all the songs to be of superlative merit: that were an unreasonable expectation. I am sensible that no poet can sit down doggedly to pen verses, and succeed well at all times. I am highly pleased with your humorous and amorous rhapsody on 'Bonnie Leslie :' it is a thousand times better than the 'Collier's Lassie!' "The deil he couldna skaith thee, &c." is an eccentric and happy thought. Do you not think, however, that the names of such old heroes as Alexander, sound rather queer, unless in pompous or mere burlesque verse? Instead of the line "And never made. anither," I would humbly suggest, "And ne'er made sic anither;" and I would fain have you substitute some other line for "Return to Caledonie," in the last verse, because I think this alteration of the orthography, and of the sound *The fashion of the day, however, is short songs. At present nothing can be tolerated in the way of a song, above a couple of stanzas.-M. of Caledonia, disfigures the word, and renders it Hudibrastic. Of the other song, My wife's a winsome wee thing,' I think the first eight lines very good, but I do not admire the other eight, because four of them are a bare repetition of the first verse. I have been trying to spin a stanza, but could make nothing better than the following: do you mend it, or as Yorick did with the love-letter, whip it up in your own way. O leeze me on my wee thing, Tho' warld's care we share o't, And ne'er a word repine. You perceive, my dear Sir, I avail myself of the liberty which you condescend to allow me, by speaking freely what I think. Be assured, it is not my disposition to pick out the faults of any poem or picture I see my first and chief object is to discover and be delighted with the beauties of the piece. If I sit down to examine critically, and at leisure, what perhaps you have written in haste, I may happen to observe careless lines the re-perusal of which might lead you to improve them. The wren will often see what has been overlooked by the eagle. : I remain yours faithfully, &c. P. S. Your verses upon Highland Mary are just come to hand they breathe the genuine spirit of poetry, and, like the music, will last for ever. Such verses united to such an air, with the delicate harmony of Pleyel superadded, might form a treat worthy of being presented to Apollo himself. I have heard the sad story of your Mary: you always seem inspired when you write of her. No. VIII. BURNS TO MR THOMSON. DUMFRIES, 1st Dec. 1792. YOUR alterations of my 'Nannie O' are perfectly right. So are those of My wife's a wanton wee thing.' Your alteration of the second stanza is a positive improvement. Now, my dear Sir, with the freedom which characterizes our correspondence, I must not, cannot alter 'Bonnie Leslie.' You are right, the word " Alexander," makes the line a little uncouth, but I think the thought is pretty. Of Alexander, beyond all other heroes, it may be said, in the sublime language of scripture, that "he went forth conquering and to conquer.” "For Nature made her what she is, And never made anither;" (such a person as she is.) This is in my opinion more poetical than "Ne'er made sic anither." However, it is immaterial: make it either way.* "Caledonie," I agree with you, is not so good a word as could be wished, though it is sanctioned in three or four instances by Allan Ramsay: but I cannot help it. In short, that species of stanza is the most difficult that I have ever tried. · The Lea-rig' is as follows. (Here the poet gives the two first stanzas, as before, p. 52. with the following in addition :) The hunter lo'es the morning sun, To rouse the mountain deer, my jo; • Mr Thomson has decided on "Ne'er made sic anither. Currie. |