The Express.
London, England, 1859-01-26 00:00:00

tory nbny al the poet's clothes and display °clone'
mahm of rhyme, and the poet ado more of
clarity his commander's verse than the other had to
curds' when he impaled the clothing and arms of the care-
less bid.

" Front the day of his return home till the boor of his
timely death, Damfries was like a besieged place. It was
known he was dying, and the anxiety, not of the rich and
the bused only, but of the mechanics and peasants, ex- '
moiled ell Wird Wherever two or three people stood toge-
ther, their talk was of Bum, and of him alone • they spoke
of his history—of his person—of his works—of hie
family—
of his fame, and of his untimely and approaching fate, with
• warmth and en enthusiasm which will ever endear Dum-
fries to my remembrance. All that be raid or au raying—
the opinions of the physicians (and Maxwell was a kind and
a skilful one), were eagerly caught up and reported from
street to street, and from home to house.
" His good humour was unruffled, and his wit never for-
sook him. He looked to one of his fellow volunteers with a
smile, se he stood by the bedside with hie eyes wet, and
said, John, don't let the awkward rquad fire over me. He
was aware that death was dealing with him. He asked a
lady who visited him, more in unoeritythan in =hilt what
commands she had for the other worts ;he repren with
a smile the hopes of his friends, end told them Os had
Lived long enough. As he drew near a elms, the eager
yet decorous solicitude of his fellow-townsmen increased.
He was an exci•enten, it le true—a name odious, from
many aisociations, to hU countryman—but he did his
duty meekly and kindly, and remand rather than encouraged
the dais of some of his companions to push the law with
severity; helms &redoes much beloved, and the pardon of the
Scotch for poetry mule them regird him se little lower than •
spirit inspired. It is the practice of eh, was* tae Of Dens
fries to meat in the streets during the hours of remission of
labour, and by them means I had an opportunity of wit-
Deming the general solicitude of all ranks arid of all ages.
His differences with them in some important points of
human epeccilittion and religious hope were forgotten and
forgiven; they thought only of his genius—of the delight
his compositions had diffused—and they talked of him with
the same awe as of some departing spirit, whose voice was to
gladden them no more. Ru lest moments have never been
described; he had laid his bead quietly on the pillow
awaiting dissolution, when his attendant reminded him of
his medicine and held the cup to his lip. He started sud-
denly up, drained the cup et a gulp, threw his hands before
him like a man about to swim, and sprung from head to
foot of the bed—fell with hie tans down, and expired with a
groan."

EMNBuncit.—(l3y Electric and International
Telegrspb.)—The Burns Centenary Festival took pleat in
the Corn Exchange, Rdinbtugh, last night. Mr. Duncan
Madmen, Br-Provost, yielded. The speakers were, the
Ron. Lord Nem% the Ron. Mr. Melville, the Lead Provost,
the Rev. Aluander Willem, Mr. Moran Knox, Mr. J. B.
Gough, aro. The hall wee crowded. About 3,000 gnome
wars present, and the speeches ware well melted. Great

enthusiasm prevailed.
THE CALEDONIAN SOCIETY OF LONDON.—When
the Bret note of preparation for commemorating the birth of
Robert Barn was sounded in the north it was taken by the
Caledonian Society of the metropolis with characteristic
warmth and energy, and preparations were made to do all due
honour to the memory of the poet. The largest room of the Lon-
don Tavern misdeed upon as the place of meeting, and there,
accordingly, a very numerous and respectable company of
ladies and gentlemen sat down yesterday to dinner—a con-
siderable number of permus anxious to be preterit having
been disappointed from want of accommodation. The room
was very tastefully decorated for the occasion with Sags and
insignia of various kinds. Behind the chair was a framed
likeness of Burns by bimmyth, and several very interesting
relics of the poet were exhibited by Mr. W. Chambers, of
Edinburgh, who appeared as one of a deputation from the
body of gentlemen by whom the centenary festival has been
got up in Edinburgh. The chair watt occupied by Mr. R.
Marshall, the president of the Cskdonlan Society, who pro-
peed the toast of the Diehl. A variety of other toasts fol-
lowed—each ea "British Literature," coupled with
the name of Professor Masson; "The Fine Arts;'
" The Edinburgh Deputatioe," coupled with the name
of Mr. W. Chambers, who replied, and described the
nature of some of the relics of Barns which he
had brought for the inspection of the company; " Our
Guests," replied to by Mr. Charles Knight ; The Presi-
dent," " The late President, Mr. Mecham" "The lmdiss."
" The Lad a Cakes," " The Lead we Live la." dn. Mr.
Templeton, the celebrated vocalist, who has now retired Into
private life, favoured the company with several of the •01110
of Bums, and Miss Li/Zi• Stuart gave leselgmlsesioial
&salaams. The dinner, which was served up In the usual
style of the London Tavern, embraced some favourite
Scottish dishes, among which worthy of special notice
appeared a huge haggis, sent from the neighbourhood of
Kirk Alloway, " warm reekin, rich." During diaper the
company were solaced with the sounds of the bagpipe, and
when it is men'ioned that not fewer than live pipers, blow-
ing might and main, marched at one time round the tables,
some idea of the harmony that prevailed will be conveyed to
the readers.
ST. ItIAMIN's HALT..—Here
sim the " Borne Cen-
tenary" was celebrated last night in verysimple and un-
pretending fashion. Mr. Angus Fairbairn and the two
Misses Bennett, all attired in Tartan habilimente,_ gave the
popular entertainment which is known es "A Night we
Burns," and oonsists of a short biographical account of the
poet, liberally Interspersed with his most familiar songs.
OIFORD.--A large dinner to celebrate the cente-
nary of the " Immortal Burns," took place in the Masonic
Hall, this evsaing, at half-past six, over which Mr. Al•Laren
presided.
DErrroap.—A public dinners in honour o the
centassry of Boras took place at the Admiral
Rodney Tavern, Deptford.
WooLwicii.—A public dinner in honour of the
centenary of Burns, took place last evening at the Ship
Hotel, Woolwich. The guests comprised 150 respectable in-
habitants of the district, including several non-commissioned
officers of the Royal Artillery, who were decorated with
Crimean medals. The chair was occupied by Mr. T. Ding-
wall, head master of the presbyteries schools who in pro-
posing " The memory of Robert Burma" delivered en nu-
preemies direst, which was warmly responded to. The
Royal Artillery band, by permission of the commandant, was
present, and performed several appropriate *elections.
A CLERGYMAN'S OPINION or BVENS.—The Daily
m Scotsan, of Monday, says The following remake,
which are Mt tut as those with which the Rev. Dr. W. L.
Alexander closed his lecture yesterday, will be everywhere
read with dieguet at their spirit and ooetsrapt of their shal-
lowneas la there not an idolatry of gamut among you ?
What is the homage which thousands in this city and
throughout the country are going to pay to the memory of a
men this week but something of this kind ? I aro not about
to detract from the genius of this men in what I am
going to say. If he had been a mighty prince who bad
delivered a nation from a cruel bondage, and raised
it to a high condition of liberty and civilisation—if he had
been a discoverer in science and philosophy who bad con-
ferred the benefits of wealth and social improvement upon
the world—l should consider the homage about to be paid
to him,. both foolish and wrong; but when he was a poem
who never loved a women but to betray her, and who never
made en acquaintance among either young men or women
but he injured and corrupted, I am at a low to explain the
infatuation that has fallen spas my country. England
would not do so for her Milton—Germany would not do so
for her Goethe—ltaly would not do ea for Tease or Dante;
but Scatehmen are about to do this pert B
man who was
fez beneath either of these great eons ot genies. I cannot
but regard this conduct, in every view of it, as both foolish
and wicked.'" - •

IluaNs' PoriansowL.—A London correspondent
of the &stamen calls attention to this interesting relic of
Robert Bus—hls punchbowl of Inverary marble—ha
qnsatbed to the British Masses by the late Mr. Archibald
Beetle, M.P. for Paisley. lie mestere regret that the relic
' has not been placed in a more congeals] spot than where it
now Is; for the bowl, in its moat position, scam con•
demned to oompirstive obscurity.

. THE PROCTORIAL DIFFUSE AT C.AMORIDOE.— I
The Rev. F. J. Jerosson, M.A., Fellow and Amistant I
Tutor of St. Cdtterinee College, Cambridge, and one of I
the let* Pro-Proctors referred to in our article of Monday
last, has published a Temkin of the bop, arming eeaeotliily
with our own account. He states that neither he nor hie
brother pronto!' chaired • heavier punishment than !wicke-
d,* for a limited period. " The present controversy," he
adds, "is really between the antiquated views of discipline
still to be found in our body and the growing opinion that
if our university is to stood well in the face of
the country she must foster • higher moral tone
than hitherto. There has long beta a murocer of disap-
probation—beard, let me add, nowhere more distinctly than
in the nuke of our students themselves—at the light eat •
oration in which sins of impurity ere suppned to be held
by university authorities. Throe who are on the side of moral
reform, supported, se they know themselves to be. by the
large and itiluential body of pure-minded and nprieht young
men in our collegeo, and by the good within of the fathers
and mothers and eaters of England, feel that with the open-
ing of • new academical era, the moment hie CODA for re-
deeming the character of the university as one of the greet
centre' of morel as wall as of intellectual training, By o,4's
help, the opportunity shall not be too ; and I fully believe
that at the meeting of meniterief the eraiste, summoned by
the Vim-Chancellor on the list of January foe the Mr
condom of this question throe who ere reatdos ad-
vocates of academical reform,i and who have the deepest wel-
fare of the university at heart. will not be 'allot as the
side of that strict morality which our new statutes it
I faithfully and honestly carried oat, give us the power al
sislacidniag."