The Sun.
London, England, 1834-03-31 00:00:00

BURNS.

In the morning of life Burns met Lords with awe and
embarrassment ; in the afternoon of existence he encoun-
tered them with suspicion or scorn. Those who named
a Lord, or alluded to a person of rank in his company,
were instantly crushed in an epigram, or insulted by some
sarcastic sally. The conduct of the Scottish Aristocracy
had sunk to his heart, and the neglect of the Pitt Admi-
nistration was seldom away from his fancy. The more
he saw of the world, and the more be reflected, these un-
welcome thoughts pressed the more upon him. He could
not but know that the highborn and the well-connected
prospered ; that thousands less worthy than himself were
fattening on posts and pensions, and elbowing the sons of
genius out of what be reckoned their pAriniony; be bad
also been made to feel his dependance, in that insulting
m iodate from the Board of Excise, that his duty was " to
act, and not to think." It is true that his dislike might
have been expressed with mote courtesy, and his wit
might have had less ferocity, with equal keenness of point.
Yet, when be proposed to drink the health of Washington
instead of Pitt, it was less a matter of ill-breeding or re.
publican feeling, than a burst of anger: he considered the
Premier as one of his oppressors, and perhaps the want of
courtesy belonged to him who invited the poet to dinner,
and greeted him with this unwelcome toast.

In the company of ladies, Burns was quite another
being ; for
.them be calmed down his impetuous temper,
and allowed all that was winning in his nature to shine
out. He was as ti,rce as Moloch among men ; among
women be was a Belial, soft, insinuating, and eloquent ;
his eyes, which before sparkled like those of the serpent,
became meek like those of the dove : the love of contradic-
tion died within him, and he courted his way to their heartg
and their understandings at the same time. In this his
letters differ widely from his conversation ; the preseace
of beauty inspired him : when it was no longer before
him Le seemed to hunt for thoughts and hesitate for
words, and, amid much natural emotion, was affected
and cumbrous. Nothing more untrue was ever uttered
than that his female patronesses shrunk from the vehement
familiarity of his admiration; there is no proof to be
found of this : Margarit Chalmers, indeed, scrupled to
have a song published in her praise; and Miss Alexander
chose to resent by her silence the sung of the "Lass of
Ballochnayle;" hut there is no instance of ladies shrinking
from the audacity of his sd4ation. His most constant
correspondents were ladies of birth and talent. The ladies
of the north, much to their honour, sympathized with
their poet to the last; and the day after he was buried
some of the proudest dames of Dumfriesshire shed tears as
they scattered flowers over his grave. In truth, he did
not express the rapture of an enamoured peasant, as Jeffery
assures us he did, but the admiration of a man; he pre-
ferred the good breeding of nature to the iced civilities of
polished life.—Cunninghatn's Life of Burns.

FORWARDNESS OF THE SEASON.--The
country around London is fast assuming the beautiful
livery of spring. The hawthorn hedges in most situ-
ations are in full leaf, and the buds of its flower,
popularly known as May, are fully formed, and almost
ready to burst into bloom ; indeed, in a few rare in-
stances, where the bush is in a very favourable situa-
tion, it is already in blossom. An instance of this
is to be seen in a gentleman's garden at Clapham.
The bramble has been now some time in leaf, and is
to be occasionally seen in blossom. The buckthorn,
or sloe, the bloom of which precedes the
leaf, is generally covered with blossoms. The weep-.
i
trees,
n g
showwillows, a
ltrhee h a
dyo horse-Chesnut, -acite s
tneuntd,
et
rh,e
pale,elm ande
etnhelelaimvee-
s,
particularly on their lower branches. The lilacs, the
alder, the rtoo;
eee
ns
c,
haeirn andy
cherry-rose,
a rhs
eei upwse
he
eurlother a
peculiar
r and
trailed
ehrb
d distinct
u ps a ,
agr
against
pn in
es ;
full leaf, and some of the latter are even blossom-
teinhieges sicnidaletlshedeof houses having a southern or western
aspect,
.aienslel-ekfsu:nlolgwranodfuparlarilch crimson blossoms, which,
pleasingserroo hon
at contrasting n
egff
ewc with itTshdearsek
hgrleesesnemlseawveilsi,
hedges, the blue majoryacsoficommon
am whiteness.smNeeoariy-i
to be seen in blossom. The verdant fields are richly
enamelled with the daisy, and even a butter-cup is oc-
casionally vi
plantnu ti ou ni perfectfs h
neuharsreavet
to be met with. The early peas, although
somewhat checked by the recent frosty nights, are where
and there
the ground is well manured, and the situation favour-
able, full a foot high. 'ln properly cultivated gardens,
all the spring flowers and shrubs are to be seen blos-
soming nearly a month earlier than the ordinary pe-
riod. French beans and cucumbers are exhibited for
sale in Covent-garden market.