The Express.
London, England, 1846-10-02 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

Atte trona RODOER.—The epithet " rhymester " ap-
plied to this man of real genius, iu your brief notice of his
death, is grating to me, and will be so to a wide circle of
countrymea by whom, as by me, he was loved for his inde-
pendent and sagacious mind, and his mingled powers of ,
humour and pathos. The rich treasure of Scotch lyrical
poetry is made up of the contributions of many who have
left behind them no names, or names to which attaches only
a beat celebrity. Burns is almost our only voluminous
song-writer. Of Hogg's songs, comparatively few keep
their ground ; and the rest of our lyrists have at most suc-
ceeded in two or three. These songs have been contributed
by all classes. The gentle authore,ses of "Auld Robin
Gray," and " the Flowers o' the Forest," belong to the
same guild as Tannehill. The muse which found Burns at
the plough has found many at the less likely source of in-
spiration—the loom. The diffusion of general education
among the peasantry has in part done this ; but the extent
to which all classes used to be instructed in psalmody, by
diffusing some knowledge of melody, concurring with
the many examples of popular song, rendered com-
paratively easy some progress in the mechanical
art of versification, and when a man had a real thought
or sentiment to express, the rest was easy. So Mr
back as my memory• or the traditions of my friends and
relatives can carry me, no part of Scotland has been without
its local poet. Alexander Rodger was habitually called—
half in jest, half in earnest—" the Bard of the 1% est." He
was aline specimen of the intellectual leaders of the work-
ing classes in that busy district of Scotland of which Glas-
gow is the capital. His verses may owe something to the
quaint expressions of our provincial dialect and our associa-
tions with them; but I MU much mistaken if they do
n it along with this contain a rich store of graphic sketches
of character, and a varied play of humour, pathos, and
generous sentiment. Rodger was born in 1784 ; he was
bred a weaver; in 1803 he joined the Glasgow Highland
Volunteers ;in 1812 he returned to his weaving. His politi-
cal leanings brought him in 1319 into connexion with a
Radical journal, The Spirit of the Union. After the
alarmist times of 1319-20 came to a close, Rodger obtained
employment as inspector of the cloths used for printing and
dyeing in a respectable factory in the environs of Glasgow.
In 1532 he attempted to set up in business, but this experi-
ment was a short one. During the rest of his life he found
employment successively in the establishments of the Glas-
gow Chronicle, the Liberator, and the Scotch Reformer's
Gazette. Though a sturdy assertor of the rights of his
order, there was nothing sectarian, nothing cf the prejudices
, of caste, about Itodger. Among his mos: felicitous produc-
tions are copies of so rses inscribed,one to Colin Dunlop, the late
high-spirited and accompl,shed representative of Glasgow,
the other to James M'Nab, a kindred spirit in many respects
to Rodger, the faithful reporter to the high Tory Glasgow
Herald. For delicate appreciation of character, and a happy
mixture of playfulness with earnest eulogy, I know few
liner verses, though the local character of their IllU3:4128,
as wttl as the dialect, must necessarily limit the sphere
within which they can be felt. Personal experience of several
years taught me to appreciate the value of Rodger's sagacity
and independence, as rendering him the means, without
any compromise of his personal independence, of maintain-
ing a degree of cordiality (not always easy in a manufae-
' toning district) between the liberals of the middle and the
working classes, Some of his verses are rich in reckless
humour, some are full of that homely cordiality and self-
respect whieh endears and hallows the peasant's lire-side in
our common country. In the notices which have appeared
of Rodger, his " Sawney, now the King's come," has had
a more prominent place assigned it than is desirable. That
piece conveys no idea of his best and most peculiar powers.
It was, in fact, a protest against the exaggerated, fantastic,
and hollow outbreak of ultra-loyalty, with which Scotland
received George IV., in 1822, not intended, and scarcely
fitted, for general publication, which was printed for private
circulation, and found its way into the P..ramincr, by acci-
dent. .h selection of Rodger's best lyrics would be accepta-
ble to many Scotchmen in England, and the colonies and
dependencies, and perhaps to some Englishmen who have
taken the trouble to learn the language. It would be an in-
teresting monument of a fine specimen of a class peculiar
almost to his country.—W. W.
Govetnestesr AND THE HIGRIAND POOR.—An answer
has been sent by the Home Secretary to Mr. Baillie, member
for Inverness-shire, relative to the apprehended scarcity in
the Highlands and islands. It mentions that an experienced
commissariat officer will proceed immediately to Scotland,
with instructions to make a full report to the government as
to the supply of food which will probably be available for the
people in those districts. " This report," says Sir George
Grey, " will receive the earliest attention on the part of the
government; but I feel it my duty to state, that while her
Majesty's Government will be desirous to promote and faci-
litate the efforts of landed proprietors to lessen the distress
which is apprehended, they cannot encourage the expecta-
tion, that by any direct system of pecuniary advances they
can relieve the proprietors from the obligation which rests
upon them, or take upon themselves the charge of providing
for the wants of the people."
Ate EXAMPLE. —We (Edinburgh IVechly Register) un-
derstand that Sir George Mackenzie, of Coul, Bart., has
instructed the tenants cn his estate, when settling their rents
at Martinmas, to deduct the proportion due for the extent of
land they may have had under potatoes.
FAMINE IN SievE.7Petitions to government are getting
up throughout Skye, in order to give timely warning of the
famine that is feared. The potatoes are getting worse, al-
though in but toe many places here, indeed in all, they suf-
fered enough before to render them of little use to people, or
even to animal.-. Herrings are also very late in making their
appearance.
APPREHENDED FiIIINE DI THE COUNTS- OF CAITHNESS.—
It is iDlDO=Sible to contemplate the approaching whiter, says
J.lot o'Groat's Jourmil, without fear' and trembling. What

are the facts ? F tea geaertbs in the year, fully three-
fourths of the food of at least twcnty-five thousand of the in-
habitants of this county consists of potatoes. These potatoes
are nearly all destropd, consequently there is to be made up
a deficiency of three-fourths of the people's food. How is
this to be done This is the question 'which has to receive
an immediate and practical reply. Moreover, in consequence
of the depressed state of the herring-market, most of oar
honest, hardworking, ill-paid coopers will be thrown idle
for some time. The miserable wages they receive, when ht
full employment, is barely sufficient to support their
families when employed, consequently they are not
able to have a reserve fund for idle days. The
little plots of potatoes, to which they looked for sus-
terrance in winter, are entirely destroyed. Meal is
dear, but even were it cheap, they have no money wherewith
to buy it, and there is nothing for them but dire want. Even
while we now write, the cry is abroad in the town that
there is no meal to be had. Dot were it to be had, how is
the money to be raised to buy it ? But, once again, let us
leek to the Latheron district. We have the testimony of
several gentlemen, in whose veracitvwe have the fullest con-
fidence, that the prospects of that district of Caithness are
truly dreadful. With a miserable fishing, blighted potatoes,
diseased turnips, deeply in debt, the poor people are already
in a dreadful plight. They arc, with few exception., all
poor together. At the best, the people of Latheron are
neither over-comfortable, nor over-fed. At the best, they
have just enough ado to make both ends meet; how much
worse must they now be, when both land and sea refuse to
give them of their abundance ?
COAL-PIT ACCIDENT.--Suc Ltres LOST.—Monday morn-
ing a dreadful accident from explosion of fire-damp, whereby
six lives have been last, occurred at a pit connected with the
Clyde Iron Works, the property of Messrs. Dunlop, a few
ri,.les up the Clyde tom Glasgow. The pit in which the
accident occurred if called Begle's Hole, and is situated
within a stone-throw of the river s'ale. It is a working which
has been daily open of late, and no premonition of danger
had taken place in connexion with it. About four o'clock
on Monday morning, five men and a boy went down in the
coulee of their ordinary occupations, and immc di at uly on the
lights which they carried coming in contact with the foul ter,
the explosion took place, by which the whole have been de-
prived of life. The majority, if not the whole, of the
men 'were married, and have leR widows and families.
The common impression amongst the mining population of
Rutherglen and the neighbourhood was, that the disaster
had been caused by a trap-door connected with the venti-
lation having been left open when it ought to have been
shut, in consequence of which the gas had beta concentrated
' and rendered peculiarly liable to Ignition on the contact of
flame

GLASGOW HAS BEEN VISITED DT A MEIDER OF TIIE
F RENCK CAlllNET.—Yestcrdas se'ruxittht Monsieur Dumont,
31inister of Public Works in France, accompanied by several
eminent scientific gentlemen, arrived in Glasgow, and visited
several of the manufactories there, and others in Paisley
and Greenock.
FLOODS IN THE COrNTT OF HADDINOTON.—DAMAOF. TO
THE NORTH BRITISH. RAILWAY,— In consequence of the
rains which fell on Monday and Tuesday, much damage has
been done to the North British railway between East Linton
and Dunbar. The Tyne and its tributaries were swollen to
an unusual size. The water carried away the railway bridge
' over the Tyue at Linton, and two other bridges over smaller
streams between Linton and Dunbar. Some men employed
on that part of the line judged the bridge on the Tenn to be
in a precarious position ; and on the approach of a train
from Edinburgh, gave warning of the danger. Mr. Scott,
the goods manager, who happened to be a passenger with
the train, went upon the bridge with another person to exa-
mine its condition. While standing there, the persons on
the embankment cried out that the bridge was „ going,"
and scarcely had Mr. Scott and his companion
got out of danger, when the bridge fell. By the
fall of two smaller bridges, and the destruction of a Urge
portion of embankment near Dunbar; the portion of the
line between that town and Linton has been rendered use-

less. Great difficulty has been experienced in carry ing on
the traffic, owing to all the horses and coaches has hig been
removed from that portion of the road since the opening of
the line. Omnibuses and horses had to be obtained from
Berwick, which conveyed the passengers of the half-past
three Berwick train from Dunbar to Linton, from which a
train carried them to the terminus here, arriving at eleven
o'clock. The mail which leaves Berwick at 1..:1f. past five,
reached. Edinburgh by the same means at half past one on
Tuesday morning. being five hours and a half atter her usual
time. She brought no passengers. A train was sent from
here to Linton at nine o'clock with a supply of horses and
carriages for the conveyance of the passengers on Tuesday.
No person has been injured by these occurrences. The con-
tractors being bound to maintain their works for a twelve-
month from the opening of the line, the expense of repairing
the damage will, it is believed, fall upon them.
NINE MEN KILLED AND FOUR SEVERELY ROVNDED.
—A melancholy accident happened on Monday morning at
the railway works, at a little distance from Aberdeen, im-
mediately opposite the Devanha brewery. Several arches of
the inclined plane had been completed, and the necessary
wooden erections to support it while building were taken
away last week ; and arrangements were in progress to pea-
coed with others. A little before eight o'clock in
the morning, three of the arches gave way, burying,
amongst the stones, bricks, and rubbish, a number of
the workmen. Measures were immediately taken to
relieve the unfortunate individuals; but we lament to state
that, after a tedious lad arduous task of upwards of an hour,
seven were taken out dead, having evidently been killed in-
stantaneously ; four others were got out much bruised, of
whom two were taken to the infirmary, and two to theirown
houses. Crowds of people hurried to the spot, and from the
immense number of workmen employed at the works, many
were anxious as to the safety of those who were near and
dear to them. We regret to state that most of the
sufferers were married men with families. The fol-
lowing are the names of those that are dead and iujured:
Alexander Pirie, mason (killed); William Russell, mason
(killed) ; Alexander Laing, mason (killed) ; Alexander
Gordon, mason (killed); Alexander Allan, labourer (killed);
Alexander Cameron, labourer (killed) ; George Cameron,
labourer, brother of firmer (killed); William Henderson,
mason (severely injured) ; George Cromer, mason (severely
injured) ; Alexander M'Andrew, mason (severely injured) ;
Alexander Erskine (slightly injured). As might have been
expected, the sad event has thrown a gloom over the whole
city. At present, the immediate cause of the falling of the
arches is not k now n. The building was only level with the key-
stone, and :the arches are said to have burst in the middle.
The directors have in the most handsome manr.er intimated to
the relatives of the parties their wish to pay the funeral ex-
penses, and also to granttemporaryassistance for the support
of the widows and children, amounting in the aggregate to
about fifty individuals. From a letter receie (4 In town last
night, we learn that two of the individuals who acre iojured
have since died, which makes the total number of uses lost
by this event nine.
NECESSITY OF SHELTER IN SroTL.eN D. Notwith-
standing the recent improvements of this country, in many
ways, we are really trifling with it; we are living in a land
that has been desolated, and not repairing that desolation !
Men who have heard of the misery of the clans of Scotland,
and look at the condition of their country now, and congra-
tulate the country generally on the change that has taken
place, forget that they think of the clans, when broken down
by conquest, thinned, dispersed, and almost extirpated; and
not as they originally were, a great and gallant people—
numerous, " well appointed," well supported, and even well
and paternally governed. In like manner, those who now
look at our wools, and think we are doing great things, in
coveting a few thousand acres with trees of no valuable
description, planted without care, and prospering accord-
ingly, forget that this country has at one time been covered
with pine equal to the "Norwegian pine," and with oaks
of the most majestic FiZO. The pines are yet rememlxred,
and in some places we are again recalling them; and of the
oak it may be said, " atbivue state!,"—it is strewed every-
where; in every bog, and in every lake. It is the source of
ear enormous peat bogs, and most probably of our coals.
How really trivial, therefore, are the efforts we are making
at improving this country ! We arc like persons scooping
out for themselves small apartments and gardens amid the
ruins of a once majestic edifice, instead of dreaming of
restoring the great outlines of that edifice, in order to suit-
ably occupying it again. The marks of cultivation far up on
our hills are yet seen, and they are wondered at ; but I think
this is because they are not understood. I have no daub:
that when that cultivation took place, the country was better
wooded, and, consequently, much warmer than it has since
been ; and that the cultivation has ceased, at once from the
destruction of the shelter, and of the people. To what,
then, should all these circumstances and reasonings lead,
but to the restoration of our woods, or rather of proper
shelters, upon a well considered and great aad general plan ?
—Scoltisli Journal of Agriculture.