The Express.
London, England, 1861-12-27 00:00:00

DEATH OP A CONTEMPORARY OF BURNS.

Walter Glover, known as the carrier between
Dumfries and Edinburgh, in the time of Buns, died cm
Sunday last, at Ferneyside, in his Native parish of Libor-
ton—an extraordinary example of longevity, being in his
101 th year, having been bon en the 18th July, 1758. Of
late there have been recorded the deaths of persona of
front seventy to footmen years who were able
to say that when children they bad men our great nor
tioual Lard ; but here wee a man who was born before the
poet himself, and lied frequent ormasim to meet and cm-
wens with him, a recollection the old man warmly treasured.
When Burns wee exam= at Dumfries, rum was extensively
imported there, and Glover wee frequently employed to
convey it to Edinburgh. The permits on them ommions
required to be signed by the poet, and, contingent ea the
arrival of the vessels, them documents were often required
either at • very late or a veryiseagri hour. Glover was wont
as to state, • proof of Bart'srity and busiame halite,
that sometimes when be used to apologies for disturbing
him at these untimely home, the poet said, " Waiter, it is
but my duty, and hesitate at any hour to all on me
to do it: Glover and his menezion with Buns
were thus alluded to at the Great Centenary Melting
in Edinburgh, thel;2sth efilmeary, 1869 chairman
(Lord Ardmiliaa) said—" I uedentand that we have now
present among us in this gnat emendilage the rely man
who raw the day which this day eidebeente—ire man slam,
whet geseratious have been swig to their paves, lives to
be present now who lived when Berne was ban. Then is •
man in this room who is now none than 100 yin of age—
Nod ebeers)—wbo wee alive whet the poet Burns was
ben, and who gloomily knew that bnanotial man. He
here in thin room—Mr. Welter Glover—who was the
carrier between Dumfries and Edinburgh in the days of
Burns, who has sem Berns, whom eye ham mat the
eye of Bursa, whose mice has met the voice of
Burns, whose ear lam heard the weeds of Burr." (Loud
&sena) Mr. Walter Glover then ascended the platform
amidst loud chews. and to the smasemeut of the audience,
recited "Tam o' Minter" from beginning to end with •
Moog voice, and with "due emphasis and discretion." Till
within the last twelvemonth this memorable old man was
in the habit of walking frequently to Edinburgh—a distance
of between three and four miles ; and his chief enjoyment
was sitting by the fireside playing his fiddle, which he did
with con.iderable skill. Within the last two years be
wrote out the poem of "Tam °Blunter " in a bold,
moody, legible hand, amariagly like the poet's hand-
writing, and this was done without the aid of spectacles.
For the last few months Time has been laying his
inexorable hand upon him, but very gently, and
be retained possession of his faculties, his memory
especially, to the very last. It is only • month ago that be
was heard to relate with peat unction sore. of his hu-
morous stories, end to make some Mewl observations on
recent and paring events. He wee a great reeler—en en-
joyment of which his failing sight nearly deprived him during
the last year; and he had the rare gift of remembering every
remarkable event he had seen, beard, or read of since 120 was
three years old. He was kindly maned and attended by his
daughter—a very worthy parson, who bas hitherto main-
tained herself, and supplemented the parochial allowance to
her father, by what she earned at outdoor labour.—
' letaan.