The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-04-26 00:00:00

MEMORY OF BURAS.

it

NATIONAL MONUMENT TO THE

Saturd sy last a Meeting of Scottish Noblemen
a•. 41 l:entlenien took !dace st the Free'', isons'
I"avr ii, (41eat Qdremstiert, for the purpose of
devising means to carry into effect the design of
► actin;; a National Monument at Edinburgh to the
memory of Iltobcrt Burns.
A few minutes p ..t one o't lock the Duke of
A 111.111, etc ha 11i.11 by a Lilmber of friend-, ruts r-
p .1 the rom, mod nrrrnrdiatrly took the Chair.
'I be CHAIRMAN said, that to fore commei,eing
I!4e busine•s of the day, he wished to express his
144.1.4 oath"l approbation and hraity concurrence in
the objects for a hich the Meetiog had been con-
veurd.—(//ear./
Mr. JOBS FORBES MIECBFEE then read a list of
tabscriptions a collected in Bombay and in this
conot sy, and a print. d document, which stated
that a subscription had beets entered into some
years ago by irmie gentlemen at Bombay, for the
purpose above mentioned ; and that a Committee
had, on application to the Lord Provost and Mis-
gistrates ut Edinburgh, obtained the grant of a
pare of grimed fur the purpose, eligibly situated
4,11 the side 4.f the Calton-hill, sod near the splendid
sir* apploach to that city. Mr. Mitchell then read
11,er a list of t'ie or gloat subscribers in India, MS
well a• the most ri cent toots in this country, Iron
h,eh it itpliedirtl that a considerable sum has been
al.. Among the subscribers' names
, li,s Roval Iltglitiess the Duke of Sussex,
sod many .(embers of both Houses of Maisa-
no ill.
Lord hhurn then addressed the Chair. He was
extteute4 happy to sir a Nesting convened for the
swims, ho a Inch the preseOt had b. en. With re-
*pact to the beet means of effectuating that pur-
pose, lie thought the first object for their conside.
iatanu Wio, the amount of the subscriptions re-
ceived. and the method% most likely to rill lige
therm. The iitti,hd scaulil he Ow 'intuit. and
stttnl-
of the pr3pused ; but both oh the-e
truuld depend iu a I.7,r•at J. free upins the flfilller,
MI it would he imptradble to fix on the idaii of the
monument until they knew how far Ihe su p-
t *Wu would esteud. Flis Lordpliii. then 111W/rill a
Reseluiimi file appeasing of the A4.14144.5s which had
)seen read, and app..isitioga Committer to (.014.'1
sinlewriptiono, &c.—(for which see thefront if ihts
l'operl—which baring hero arcomied, nls put
fiat's the Chair, and agreed to noanimouply.
Several other Resolutions were then put 41..41 car-
ried, the 1.86011111 Cr of which wis, that Commliters
were it, be appoiuied in the different part. of the
United Kingdom,. in the Cul onier. an d other d--
!tendencies of the realm, fir the purpose of Cedric-
tug snbscriptions---thist advertisements were to be
inserted in all the public Papers for the I.IOIIC pur-
pose—that a public festival for the Paine purpose
its the present was to be held 111 LOllllllll on the 5./i
of .111.4 e—and that Forbes Mitchell, Esq. was to
Le TleaPtHer.

After the Resolutions were passed—
NO. FOSSES NlittelllLL rose au.l lusted, that he
felt himself called ups., on the present occasion,
to espies' his atisious willies for the success of the
object, sod 11w pride anal satisfaction with which lie
►hould okays redect sit the bumble share which lie
lisel had in promoting this great public tribute to
the memory of Burns. The Meeting, he trusted,
would permit him to mention a circumstance which
had indeed been nutlet(' in the Address, aud which
must be considered highly complimentary to the
fame of the Putt, namely, that this measure took
its rise in the dell, lit experienced frotn his writings
by his countrymen in lodic From personal ob-
servation. l►e was euabted to state that this won-
in Unita universal ; and the li:sines of Sir
the Il ru. Nlotimstuart Elphtiestone,
owl other distinguished lA-Fauns, who were snow;
tir-t ivonioters, sufErieeitly justified the cut:li-
ilegice of gelieral assowniee Innis Ilia quarter.
every country ..re SCOIOIIIIIIII still,"
MO the 111,011111111 r 1111(1 a;11
ever coritiibute to keels elite that ar,lrut inertot ism
mid spirit which ha• di-tiogutelied our cuulitryfilell
ill every land. lie Scotland the early p etlollb 0101
frieuels of the Putt are active in its favour, while the
progress which the sulniciiptinii has
keenly mule in ill'.i.ccitintry affords the most plea..
ing ihro•lwet of comi,lt•te •uCeess ; a• th it the under-
taking may be render. el worthy the name of
•s Nape's's' Monument."
Mr. A %DREW Ronk:Loos begged leave to
remind the MeetitiA, that, before separating,
our dean, rem:wiled to he performed. lie meant,
lo express their sense of the deep debt of
grolowle due to the Gentleman by whose indent
s al the proceedings on the present subject hail
hero originated its India—and wbuse exertions had
been so ',Arnett iii raising subscriptions here. But
before making a proposition to that elfin, he hoped
lie should 1W permitted to say a few words respecting
the ii tore and elesciiption of the intended 51unu..
went. thy Writ way, that that species of memorial
would be must desirable, which, while it presented
**record of uutiuuad gratitude to deported genius,
w with at the same time serve as a repository for the
productions of living art. Prawns the Non or
stricture best calculated fur this double purpose
mould lir s sill , the interior of which might be
to exhibit works of paintitig and sculpture,
nod which might gratify the taste of thistle tittles
by basing depo.iltil within it illustrations butte of
the wrongs of Burns and of tlw present state of
the arts iie Scotland. It as. not to he feared there
might 1w a drfit•irucr of such specimens. " We
have our Wilkie said Mr. Robertson,
•• and we should not doubt hut future groierations
is ill heave their IVelkies and Allaies.—ilfeur.l—
Sconried has been always fertile in great met, mind
there is no reason to despair of her being so still."—
(//ear.)—Possibly the most eligible plan which
11:0U'd tee adopted would be that of one of those
beateillil buildings, the remnants o.f antiquity,
which 110 W exited only 111 rums, but of
11./U. !Dodds were extant. Ile nostril that whatever
tirstivi un ht ultimately be lived on, the building
e weld contione to lee a permanent ornament to
flu tr Illettlllolll6. Ell.llll/111.gli had been called the
anti it was to be hoped that at

P/111. Ite we day the Calton Iliii might lay claim
1,, tor iitle of the Acropolis of Edinburgh.—(alp.
pbriv.)-51r. Illohrrnarti then moved a tote of
to John Forbes Mitchell, Esq. abicli russ
cavils II nuanin►ou•l,.
Air. J. F. returned thanks fur the