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transcribe and send, provided that her own were returned. Mr Robert Aiken had gathered together many of the bard's communications; but the bundle was stolen by an unfaithful clerk, and, it is feared, destroyed, to prevent detection. The mass collected by Syme was transmitted to Dr Currie in February 1797, and excited great surprise from its utter want of arrangement. 'I received,' says Currie, 'the complete sweepings of his drawers and of his desk-as it appeared to me-even to the copy-book on which his little boy had been practising his writing.' It may partly account for the confusion, that Syme spoke a month earlier to Mrs M'Lehose of being worn out with duty, and having to write occasionally twenty letters a day. Currie relates, that he read these papers with sympathy, with sorrow, with pity, and with admiration; and at times, with strong though transient disgust.'

Dr Currie, after having the heart-secrets of Burns exposed to him, spoke on the subject as might be expected of a sensible, kindnatured man. He said: 'The errors and faults, as well as the excellences, of Burns's life and character, afford scope for painful and melancholy observation. This part of the subject must be touched with great tenderness; but it must be touched. If his friends do not touch it, his enemies will. To speak my mind to you freely, it appears to me that his misfortunes arose chiefly from his errors. This it is unnecessary, and indeed improper, to say; but his biographer must keep it in mind, to prevent him from running into those bitter invectives against Scotland, &c. which the extraordinary attractions and melancholy fate of the poet naturally provoke. Six Liverpool poets have sung the requiem of our admired bard; and every one of them has indulged in the most pointed, and in some degree unjust, invectives against the country and the society in which he lived.'

An important part of the unpublished writings of Burns consisted in the songs, upwards of sixty in number, which he had written for the work of Mr George Thomson. Of these, only six had as yet been published, for one part or half-volume of Mr

1 I have been favoured with an extract from a letter of Mrs M'Lehose to Mr Syme, written at this time:

What can have impressed such an idea upon you, as that I ever conceived the most distant intention to destroy these precious memorials of an acquaintance, the recollection of which would influence me were I to live till fourscore. Be assured, I never will suffer one of them to perish. This I give you my solemn word of honour upon; nay, more, on condition that you send me my letters, I will select such passages from our dear Bard's letters as will do honour to his memory, and cannot hurt my own fame even with the most rigid.'

In another letter of the 9th January 1797, to the same gentleman, she says: "It rejoices me to hear so large a sum is to come from other places-and [I]join you in reprobating Caledonia's capital for her shabby donation. But there are few souls anywhere who understood or could enter into the relish of such a character as B.'s. There was an electricity about him, which could only touch or pervade a few, cast in nature's finest mould.'

Thomson's work had alone appeared. Burns had conferred on Mr Thomson the copyright of these songs, as securing that gentleman against their being used in any rival publication. Of course, when a posthumous collection of the poet's writings was designed for the benefit of his destitute family, Mr Thomson at once gave up the songs. As he could not be said to have paid a pecuniary equivalent for them, this conduct was no more than just; but Mr Thomson did all besides which was to be expected from a man superior to sordid considerations. In order that the songs might come out fresh in the posthumous collection, and thus serve the family as far as possible, he interrupted, or at least retarded, the progress of his own work for some considerable time. He at first demurred to the surrender of the valuable series of letters which Burns had addressed to him regarding Scottish songs; but this point was speedily yielded to the earnest request of the trustees of the poet's family. He was also induced to permit his own letters to appear in connection with those of Burns, thus perfecting a section of the projected work which Currie justly considered as the most valuable. After remarking to his publishers, that 'the letters of Mr Thomson are themselves very good,' the learned biographer says: "His conduct in giving up this treasure to the family is deserving of every praise.'1 Such was the sense of it entertained by both the widow and brother of the bard, and such afterwards proved to be the feeling of the children of Burns. By the whole family, Mr Thomson has ever been regarded as one who had acted in a most honourable manner towards them.2

1 Correspondence of Dr Currie with Messrs Cadell & Davies, manuscript in possession of Joseph Mayer, Esq. Liverpool.

2 Mr Thomson's elegant work extended to five volumes, of which an octavo edition was subsequently published, and after a long interval, he added a sixth volume in 1841, the work having thus occupied in its preparation and publication not much less than half a century. The editor was a man of singularly amiable character and cheerful manners. A hitherto inedited letter of Mr Gilbert Burns, addressed to him on receiving the present of a volume of his collection of songs, proves that the statement in the text is not exaggerated.

TO MR GEORGE THOMSON, TRUSTEES' OFFICE, EDINBURGH.

DINNING, 14th March 1800.

SIR-I received your very acceptable present of your songs, which calls for my warmest thanks. If ever I come to Edinburgh, I will certainly avail myself of your invitation, to call on a person whose handsome conduct to my brother's family has secured my esteem, and confirmed to me the opinion, that musical taste and talents have a close connection with the harmony of the moral feelings. I am unwilling indeed to believe that the motions of every one's heart are dark as Erebus to whom Dame Nature has denied a good ear and musical capacity, as her ladyship has been pleased to endow myself but scantily in these particulars; but 'happy the swain who possesses it, happy his cot, and happy the sharer of it.' To the sharer of yours, I beg you will present my most cordial congratulations. My sister-in-law hegs me to present her best, thanks to you for her copy, and to assure you that,

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Another section of Burns's writings consisted in the songs he had contributed to Johnson's Scots Musical Museum. The number sent in his handwriting has been stated at 180; but many of these were old songs, gathered by him from oral tradition; many had only received from him a few improving touches; and only forty-seven were finally decided upon by Dr Currie as wholly and undoubtedly the production of Burns. The poet himself, though the voluminousness of Johnson's collection seems to have disposed him to regard it as 'the text-book and standard of Scottish song and music,' felt ashamed of much that he had contributed to it. 'Here, once for all,' said he in a letter to Mr Thomson, 'let me apologise for the many silly compositions of mine in this work. Many beautiful airs wanted words, and in the hurry of other avocations, if I could string a parcel of rhymes together, anything near tolerable, I was fain to let them pass.' On the other hand, a considerable number of his contributions to Johnson were equal to the best of his compositions, and had already attained popularity.

The memoir of Dr Currie by his son contains an ample account of the difficulties experienced by that gentleman in arranging the papers and composing the life of Burns. The only material assistance he seems to have obtained, was from Mr Syme and Gilbert Burns during a fortnight which they spent with him at Liverpool in the autumn of 1797. 'It was determined that the work should be published by subscription; and Dr Currie, in addition to that part for which he was more particularly responsible, undertook to make the necessary arrangements with the booksellers and printer, and to superintend the publication. A negotiation was soon afterwards concluded by him with the London publishers (Messrs Cadell & Davies), who behaved with a liberality very honourable to their character-at once however little she may have expressed it, she has a proper sense of the kind atten tion you have so kindly shewn her.-I am, dear sir, with the highest esteem, your most obedient, humble servant, GILBERT BURNS.

Mr Thomson retired from the principal clerkship of the Trustees' Office in 1839, after having filled it for fifty-eight years. He died in February 1851, aged 94. On the 3d of March 1847, a silver vase, purchased by one hundred gentlemen of Edinburgh, was presented to Mr Thomson, as a mark of their respect and esteem. On that occasion, Lord Cockburn spoke of the protracted life which had been devoted, in one course of unchanging gentleness, to public and private duty.' In his official capacity, 'in everything that related to the advancement of the useful and the elegant arts, he was an instructor and a guide; and if there was a single young man who had the promise of merit united with a humble disposition, it was to Mr Thomson he looked for counsel, and it was his house that was always ready to receive him.' As to the imputations in connection with the history of Burns, his lordship said, that he had long ago studied the matter with as much candour as any man could apply to any subject in which he was not personally interested; and his clear conviction was, not only that all these imputations were groundless, but that, if placed now in the same situation in which he was then, nothing different or better could be done.'

agreeing to take upon themselves the risk of the promised or expected subscriptions to the intended volumes, and also to relieve the widow and family from all anxiety or further trouble attending their publication. To those persons who were not eye-witnesses, it would be difficult to convey an idea how much Dr Currie's labours were increased by the necessity of attention to all these details. Indeed, he found himself embarked in an undertaking which consumed much valuable time, that would have been otherwise employed on subjects connected with his profession.' He was sustained through all these troubles and exertions by his benevolent feelings. I trust,' he says to Cadell and Davies (February 1798), 'that by our co-operation we shall lift this family from the ground, and give the five infant sons a chance in the world which their poor father never had.'

In a subsequent letter to the same individuals, Dr Currie says: 'In tracing the life of this singular genius, it is most curious and interesting to observe the incidents which gave rise to the effusions of his muse. Every one of his poems, printed and unprinted, has a history attending it, which, while it illustrates the character of the poet, illustrates also the manners and character of the class of men to which he belonged. In giving his biography, therefore, it would be very desirable to have the liberty of introducing such of his poems as relate to the incidents recorded, in their proper places, as well as to introduce occasionally his letters to his friends and his own private observations from his imperfect diaries. In this way, his journey through the classical ground in the south of Scotland, as well as his tour through the Highlands, including his visits to the Dukes of Athole and Gordon, may be made out clearly and very amusingly.' The biographer here sketches out the plan which has been for the first time fully followed out in the work now before the reader. The degree in which Dr Currie acted upon it was much more limited.

The Works of Robert Burns, with an Account of his Life, and a Criticism on his Writings, by James Currie, M.D, appeared in May 1800, in four volumes 8vo. The publication was received with the greatest approbation by the public. It was admitted that the biography was executed with surprising delicacy towards the memory of the poet and the feelings of his surviving friends, as well as the interests of truth and virtue. The letters of Burns occupying two of the volumes, formed a feature of novelty which was highly appreciated. These compositions deepened the sense of his literary powers which had been previously entertained, particularly in England, where there was no drawback, as in the

1 Memoirs of Dr Currie, by his son William W. Currie. 2 vols. 1831.

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poetry, to their being fully understood. It was admitted by Dr Aiken, then considered at the head of criticism in England, that English literature scarcely contained any compositions of the same nature equal to them. The success of the publication was great. Four editions, of 2000 copies each, were disposed of in the first four years. It is not unworthy of remark, that the first edition was printed in a very elegant style at Liverpool, by John M'Creery, a north-of-Ireland man of Scottish extraction, who had entered upon his task with a feeling superior to the usual principles of trade. He is described as a man of talent and extraordinary ardour of character, a lover of literature, and a worshipper of genius. He had exerted himself to render the volumes a beautiful specimen of the typographic art, and in this object he succeeded, so as to secure general admiration. The profits of the work are stated by Mr Wallace Currie as having been L.1200; but I find in Dr Currie's own papers reference made to the sum of L.1400, as that realised for the widow and her family by the publication.

Mrs Burns continued to live in the same small house in which her husband died, an object of general respect on account of her modest and amiable character, and the interest associated with the memory of the poet. The proceeds of the fund raised for her, sufficed to enable her to bring up her sons in a creditable manner. Dr Currie paid her a visit in June 1804, when everything about her,' he says, 'bespoke decent competence, and even comfort. She shewed me the study and small library of her husband nearly as he left them. By everything I hear, she conducts herself irreproachably.'

6

He adds: From Mrs Burns's house, I went to the church-yard, at no great distance, to visit the grave of the poet. As it is still uninscribed, we could not have found it, had not a person we met with in the church-yard pointed it out. He told us he knew Burns well, and that he (Burns) himself chose the spot in which he is buried. His grave is on the north-east corner of the church-yard, which it fills up, and at the side of the grave of his two sons, Wallace and Maxwell, the first of whom, a lad of great promise, died last year of a consumption, the last immediately after his father.'

Robert, the eldest son, whose early intelligence seems to have excited general admiration, attended for two sessions at the university of Edinburgh, and one in the university of Glasgow. A situation being procured for him in the Stamp Office, London, he

Ten copies were printed on thicker and finer paper than the rest-of which four were for the brother and three sisters of Burns, one to Syme, one to George Thomson, one to Murdoch (the poet's preceptor), and one to Mr Roscoe.