The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-08-02 00:00:00

UNVEILING THE BURNS STATUE,

In London, on Saturday afternoon, the Earl of
Rosebery performed the ceremony of formally un-
veiling the bronze statue of Robert Burns, which has
recently been placed in one of the gardens on the
Thames Embankment. The statue, which is of
colossal size, is the gift of Mr. John Gordon Crawford,
formerly a Glasgow merchant. It is the work of Sir
John Steell, R.S.A., her Majesty's sculptor in Scot-
land, and is partly a replica, with some variations of
attitude, of the statues executed by the same artist
for New York and Dundee. The poet is represented
in meditative mood sitting on the stump of a tree.
The figure wears the conventional Scottish farmer's
garb, and bolds a pen in its right hand,
while its left rests lightly upon a pro-
jecting branch of the tree stump. At its
feet are a ploughshare and a scroll, the latter bearing
the words, "Oh, swcet to stray and pensive ponder a
heartfelt sang." The pedestal is of red Scotch granite,
and bears the following inscription: " The poetic
genius of my country found me at the plough, and
threw her inspiring mantle over me. She bade me
sing the loves, the joys, the rural scenes and rural
pleasures of my native soil, in my. native tongue. I
turned my wild, artless notes, as she inspired." The
amount paid for the statue was £2OOO, and the pedestal,
which weighs nine tons, cost an additional £lOOO.
For the purpose of the ceremony on Saturday a
carpeted platform was erected near the base of the
statue, and at three o'clock this was occupied by a
distinguished company of ladies and gentlemen.
Professor Dewar, in openingthe proceedings, stated
that he had received letters from illustrious and dis-
tinguished persons regretting their inability to be
present at the ceremony. The Prince of Wales, who
had been invited to unveil the statue, wrote, through
his secretary, that it would have afforded him sincere
pleasure to have acceded to the request but for his
numerous previous engagements, and expressed his
high admiration of the works of the poet.
Mr. Crawford then, in a brief speech, requested the
Earl of Rosebery to unveil the statue.
The Earl of Rosebery, who was received with pro-
longed cheering, said that they were assembled for a
purpose which was deeply interesting to all Scotsmen
—namely, to inaugurate the statue of the greatest
Scotsman that ever lived. Although the task of
thanking the donor had been placed in other hands,
he should be wanting in his duty if he did not con-
gratulate Mr. Crawford on enjoying the privilege of
having supplied a want long felt in London. He must
also congratulate the venerable sculptor who for the
second time had performed the duty of recording the
appearance of the poet Burns, and who was also to
have the honour of moulding the bust which was to
be placed in Westminster Abbey. Speaking of West-
rninster Abbey reminded him that there had long
been a sentimental grievance in Scotland, namely
that their stone of destiny had centuries ago been
removed from their country and placed in that
ancient pile. But all recollection of that
wrong, was that day obliterated, and they presented
London with a real stone of destiny—Scotland's
greatest poet cast in immortal bronze. He spoke
advisedly when he spoke of the statue as their stone
of destiny, for he thought that when a nation found
its greatest poet at the plough, untrained by art or
education for the highest forms of intellectual exer-
tion, and prepared to go forth as a prophet and a
poet into all lands, he might safely be described as a
man of destiny. He claimed also that Burns was
entitled to rank amongst the greatest poets of the
world. His peculiar character enabled him to enter
the temple of fame unchallenged; for he was a poet
of nature and of humanity. He raised the concep-
tion of the peasant, and gave honour and dignity to
toil. He hoped it would not be considered disrespectful
to this great metropolis if he expressed his pleasure
at the fact that Burns had never visited it in the
flesh—and that his first visit was reserved for the
statue which was about to be unveiled. If in the
comparatively quiet atmosphere of Edinburgh Burns
was liable to be seduced and over-balanced, it was
probable that in the smoke, and the wealth, and the
din of this imperial city he would have been sub-
merged and lost altogether. He belonged to the class
of the poet's admirers who liked to know something
of his hero's life as well as his genius, for he felt that
the two could not be separated. A great deal too
thuch had been made of the painful part of Bursts's
life, for his errors were mainly those of a gefterous
man, and the world ?id not love a poet less because
it felt that he was not altogether removed from lower
humanity. He died, as did Raphael and Byron, at
what Lord Beaconsfield had called the fatal age of
37; but, short as his life had been, he, like those
others, had lived his full term of years, for his labours
were accomplished, and the world had no right to
repine because the full term of three-score years and
ten had,not been accorded. He should unveil the
statue, which, he felt, did honour alike to the donor,
the sculptor, and to the great city which had given it
so prominent and dignified a situation.
Lord Rosebery then withdrew the covering from
the statue., the pipers of the Scots Guards and the
boys of the Caledonian Asylum playing, meanwhile,
the National Anthem and "Auld Lang Sync."
On the motion of Sir Lyon Playfair, a vote of
thanks was accorded to Lord Rosebery; and after-
wards, on the motion of Mr. Anderson, M.P., seconded
by Lord Houghton, thank.% were given to the donor
of the statue.

Mr. T. Faed move?, and the Lord Advocate
seconded, a vote of thanks t.o- the eculptor, and the
proceedings were closed.

I\ll3 AMImTCAI Fnurr MAsucor.—lt is said that
twenty-four steamships are kept busy by one firm in
bringing fruit from Mediterranean ports to New
York. Twelve of them are passenger vessels, the
greater part d whose cargoes are composed wholly of
fruit. The cargoes are discharged at a Brooklyn
pier, near the Wall-street ferry. The firm has just
finished an crxtensive saleroom, which is said to con-
stitute the most extensive, fruit market in this
country. Sales take place at noon on the day after
the cargo has arrived. A crowd of importers, brokers,
grocers, vendors, and western buyers is always on
hand. Each importer to whom fruit has been con-
signed opens two boxes as samples, and the contents
of these are overhauled by vmsneetive buyers.