The Sun.
London, England, 1840-08-19 00:00:00

SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.

PETER MURRAY, cattle dealer, Ennoch, Perthshire,
Aug. 21 and Sept. 11, at one, at Mitchell's Commercial Inn,
Blairgow rie.
GEORGE MARSHALL, grocer, Jedburgh, Aug. 21 and
Sept. 10. at twelve, at the Spread Eagle Inn, Jedburgh.
GEORGE SCOTLAND, merchant, Kincardine, Aug. 21
and Sept. 11, at one, at Dewar's Inn, Kincardine.
JAMES COLQUHOUN, plumber, Glasgow, Aug. 24 and
Sept. 14, at two, at the Chambers of J. Drew, Glasgow.
DUNCAN IRVINE, grocer, Edinburgh, Aug. 22 and
Sept. 14, at one, at the Chambers of Dymock aniPaterson,
Edinburgh.
ROBERT BRITTAIN 13LYTII, merchant, Edinburgh,
Aug. 26 and Sept. 16, at one, at the Old Signet Hall, Royal
Exchange, Edinburgh.

BROWN, jun., manufae'urer, Lillybank, Dundee,
Aug. 24 and Sept. 14, at two, at the Royal Hotel, Lillybank,
Dundee.

NATURAL GAS.—There is now a project on
foot for lighting Newcastle wad Jateshead—the Newcastle
and Shields Railway—the towns of North and South
Shields, Sunderland, and the Wearmouths—by means of
the natural supply of gas at Wallsend ! This gas, as all
persons in these pits are well aware, h, s long Ix en burned
at the pit•mouth ; man having wastefully refused to
profit by the boon of which nature made him the offer.
Some time ago, however, a Mr. Douglas took out a pa-
tent for the useful application of these natural supplies
of gas ; and, more recently, he obtained a lease of the co-
pious (we believe we may say inexhaustible) supply at
kValls•md. His proposal to apply this gas to public pur-
poses has for sonic months been under the consideration
of many influential and enterpiis'!ng gentlemen in New-
castle, who seem to be sanguine in their expectations of
success and profit in this singular speculation. The gas,
except that it is diluted with about ten per cent, of atmos-
phe'ic air (an evil which is not without a remedy),
is remarkably pure—much purer, we arc assured, than the
gas now consumed in Newcastle and Gateshead, being
tree from the offensive admixture which occasionally makes
tacit too familiar with one of the live senses. The facili-
ties iifforded by the railways which line the Tyne on both
its banks, for the laying down of pipes to convey the gas
to the towns at the termini, will he at once obvious to
every one ; while it will be seen with what readiness the
railways themselves may be lighted.— Gateshead Observer.

CURIOUS LOVE LETTERS BY

BURNS.

In the neighbourhood of Dumfries, on the estate of
Rockhall, some fifty years since, lived a worthy farmer,
whom our great Scottish poet, Robert Burns, was in
the habit of occasionally visiting. They had spent
many a merry evening together, enriched with those
sallies of wit and humour which stamped the
poet's conversation with even more attraction and
fascination than all the marvels of his poetry. The
progress of their intercourse was varied by an event
which must have afforded Burns no little amusement—
the farmer fell in love. The lady was of respect-
able connections ; and tho farmer, though excellent at
a song or anecdote, was unable for the task of writing
a proper declaration of his passion. In this extremity
he called in the assistance of the poet. Burns furnished
him with two drafts of a love letter, and the drafts are
certainly curiosities in their way. They are not quite
so formal and grandiloquent in tone as the famous
epistle which Tom Pipes in Peregrine Pickle procured
from the village schoolmaster, which commenced, " Di-
vine empress of my soul," and implored the favourite
fair one to " let the genial rays of her benevolence melt
the icy emanations of disdain." Burnes letters, how-
ever, are of the same character. His prose style
was always stiff and unnatural, being in this respect
the antipodes of his verse, which flowed with such
inimitable grace and simplicity. On the present occa-
sion, too, he was writing in a feigned character, with-
out the prompting of those genial impulses which made
him so thriving a wooer himself. We believe the
farmer was successful in his suit. Miss G. listened to
the passion so ardently proclaimed by proxy, and lived
to be the happy wife of the farmer. We have no
doubt that the worthy pair and the poet often laughed
over this adventufe, during the few remaining years
and evil days which darkened the close of the poet's
life. The originals of these curious letter are in the
possession of a very successful collector of curiosities,
the warm-hearted and entertaining Mr. William Smith,
perfumer, Dumfries :
" Madam,—What excuse to make for the liberty I
am going to assume in this letter, I am utterly at a
loss. If the most unfeigned respect for your accom-
plished worth—if the most ardent attachment, if
sincerity and truth—if these, on my part, will in
any degree 'weigh with you, my apology is these,
and these alone. Little as I have had the pleasure
of your acquaintance, it has been enough to convince
me what enviable happiness must be his whom you
shall honour with your particular regard, and more
than enough to convince me how unworthy I am to offer
myself a candidate for that partiality. In this kind of
trembling hope, Madam, I intend very soon doing my-
self the honour of waiting on you, persuaded that, how-
ever little Miss G. may be disposed to attend to the
suit of a lover as unworthy of her as I am, she is still
too good to despise an honest man, whose only fault is
loving her too much for his own peace. I have the
honour to be, Madam, your most devoted humble ser-
vant."

" Dear Madam,—The passion of love had need to
be productive of much delight ; as where it takes
thorough possession of the man, it almost unfits him
for anything else. The lover who is certain of as
equal return of affection is surely the happiest of men ;
but he who is a prey to the horrors of anxiety
and dreaded disappointment, is a being whose situa-
tion is by no means enviable. Of this my pre-
sent experience gives me sufficient proof. To me,
amusement seems impertinent, and business intrusion,
while you alone engross every faculty of my mind. May
I request you to drop me a line, to inform me when I
may wait on you ? For pity's sake do ; and let me have
it soon. In the meantime allow me, in all the artless
sincerity of truth to assure you, that I truly am, my
dearest madam, your ardent lover, and devoted humble
servant.'—Scotch Paper.