The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LO- DON, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 10, 1844

Knitting, as with a moral band,
Thy story to thy native land;
Combining thus the interest high,
Which genius lends to beauty's eye 1"
—(Cheers.) But, my Lord, the poet who conceived
these beautiful lines, has himself done more than all our
ancestors' valour to immortalise the land of his birth :
for he has united the interest of truth with the charms
of fiction, and peopled the realm not only with the sha-
dows of time, but the creations of genius. In those bril-
liant creations, as in the glassy wave, we behold mir-
rored the lights, the shadows, the forms of reality :
and yet

" So pure, so fair, the mirror gave,
As if there lay beneath the wave,
Secure from trouble, toil, and care,
A world than earthly world more fair."
—(Cheers.) Years have rolled on, but they have taken
nothing, they have added much, to the fame of those
illusttious men—
" Time but the impression deeper makes,
As streams their channels deeper wear."
The voice of ages has spoken : it has given Campbell
and Byron the highest place with Burns in lyric poetry,
and destined Scott
" To rival all but Shakespeare's name below."
(Cheers.) Their names now shine in unapproachable
splendour, far removed like the fixed stars from the
clouds. and the rivalry of a lower world. To the end of
time they will maintain their exalted station. Never
will the cultivated traveller traverse the sea of the
Archipelago, that the "Isles of Greece, the Isles of
Greece," will not recur to his recollection ; never will
he approach the shores of Loch Katrine, that the image
of Ellen Douglas will not be present to his memory ;
never will he gaze on the cliffs of Britain that he will
not thrill at the exploits of the " Mariners of England
who guard our native seas."—(Cheers) Whence has
arisen this great, this universally-acknowledged cele-
brity ? My Lord, it is hard to say whether we have
most to admire, the brilliancy of their fancy, or the
creations of their genius, the beauty of their verses, or
the magic of their language, the elevation of their
thoughts, or the pathos of their conceptions. But there
is one whose recent death we all deplore, but who has
lighted " his torch of Hope at nature's funeral pile,"
who has gained a yet higher inspiration. In Campbell,
it is the moral purposes to which he has directed his
mighty powers, which is the real secret of his success,
the lofty objects to which, he has devoted his life, which
have proved his passport to immortality. It is because
he has unceasingly contended for the best interests of
humanity, because he has ever asserted the dignity of
the human soul, because he has never forgotten that,
amidst all the distinctions of time,
"The rank is but the guinea stamp,
The man's the goud for a' that."
(Cheers.) Because he has regarded himself as the
high-priest of nature, and the world in which we inhabit
as the abode merely of human care and human joys, but
as the temple of the living God, in which praise is due,
and whose service is to be performed.—(Cheers.)
Air—" Land of the Leal." Band.
Mr. W. E. AYTOUN, Advocate, said—We are met here
to-day, not only to pay due honour to the memory of
that bard whose genius has consecrated this spot and the
scenes around it as classic ground for ever, but perhaps
for a wider purpose. I look upon this assemblage as a
great national gathering—a meeting not only of the
Highlands and the Lowlands of Scotland, but of kindly
strangers also, to testify our reverence and affection for
the living lights of fame that still are burning amongst
us, and our undying gratitude and exultation for those
that have already passed away.—(Cheers.) Thus,
though they belong to the sister countries, we have paid
due homage to the venerable name of Worsworth and
to the sparkling genius of Moore. Thus, the heart of
every one that hears me burned within him—am I not
right?—when we saw our own noble Wilson rise amidst
us, and heard him with an eloquence the most pure—
for it flowed spontaneously from his soul—speak, as per.
haps no other man could speak, of the genius of the itn-
mortakdead. Thus, too, we have heard the tribute so
touchingly paid to Campbell, who now sleeps among the
sages, and the warriors, and the poets of famous Eng-
land ; and to hula who has a happier and a holier sepul-
ture still—for he lies within the bosom of his own dear
native land—to Scott, the master-spirit of the age, for
whom we may well mourn, since we dare not hope, to
look upon his like again. I have now, in a few words,
to entreat your patience while I speak of two other
Scottish poets, whose memory is yet green amongst
us—both reared, like Robert Burns, at the lowly hearth
of the peasant—both pursuing, like him, through every
discouragement and difficulty, the pathway towards
honourable renown—and both the authors of strains
which bear the stamp of immortality. And first, let me
allude to one of them whom I knew and dearly loved—
who is there that has not heard of the Ettriek Shep-
herd ?—(Cheers.) I have seen him many a time by the
banks of his own romantic Yarrow; I have sat with him
in the calm and sunny weather by the margin of Saint
Mary's lake; I have seen his eye sparkle and his cheek
flush as he spoke out some old heroic ballad of the days
of the Douglas and the Gnome; and I have felt, as I lis-
tened to the accents of his manly voice, that whilst Scot-
land could produce amongst her children such men as
him beside me, her ancient spit it had not departed from
her, nor the star of her glory grown pale. For he was a
man indeed cast in nature's happiest mould. True-
hearted, and brave, and generous, and sincere, alive to
eve:y kindly impulse, and fresh at the core to the last,
he lived amongst his native hills the blameless lire of the
shepherd and the poet—(Cheers)—and on the day when
he was laid beneath the sod in the lonely kirk-yard of
Ettriek, there was not one dry eye amongst the hundreds
that lingered round his grave. Of the other sweet singer,
too—of Allan Cunningham the leal-hearted and kindly
Allan, I mi4ht say much, but why detain you further?
Does not his name alone recal to your recollection many
a sweet song that has stirred the bosom of the village
maiden with an emotion that a princess need not blush
to own? Proud, indeed, may be the district that can
claim within herself the birth-places of Burns and of
Cunningham; and proud may we all be—and we are
proud, from yourself, my Lord, to the humblest indivi•
dual here—that we have the opportunity of testifying
our respect to the genius that will defy the encroachment
of time; and which has stood, and will continue to stand,
a splendour and a glory around the land that we lore so
well.—(Great cheering.)
Air—" Roslin Castle." Band.
Sir D. 11. BLAIR, Bart., of Blairquhan, said—l rise to
propose a toast which I wish had fallen into abler hands.
It is a toast, however, well calculated to call forth even
more impassioned bursts of eloquence than those we
have yet heard to-day.--(Cheers.) On that account I
feel totally inadequate to do justice to its merits, but' I
trust entirely to the acclamation with which it will be
received by this immense assemblage. We all remember
the words of our immortal bard, when addressing the
great Author of Nature—
" Her 'prentice han' she tried on man,
And then she made the lasses Or

—(Great applause.) I am sure every man in this as-
sembly will join me in pledging an enthusiastic bumper
to the " Countess of Eglinton and the other ladies who
have graced this meeting with their presence."
Mr. Wilson, the vocalist, was here loudly called upon
fora song ; but an excuse was made for him that he was

suffering from severe cold. The Glee Club then sang
with much applause, " Here's a health to all Good Lasses."
Colonel MIME, of Caldwell, said—ln obedience to the
order of our Noble Chairman, I have to request a
bumper to the peasantry of Scotland. In order justly
to appreciate the claims of this most estimable class
of our fellow-citizens upon our sympathies, I rnu,t
remind you that to it pre-eminently belongs the
honour of having given—birth to the remarkable man
whose memory we are this day met to celebrate. I
must remind you that while the fact of Burns having
raised himself from the rank of a Scottish ploughman,
by the innate force of heaven-born genius, to the level
of the greatest and most original poets of any age or
country, is the noblest feature cf his history, the peasan-
try of Scotland, in their turn, may be entitled to feel
pride, even in the presence of the proudest nobles of their
land, when they remember that from them, and not
from the privileged orders of society, our greatest na-
tional genius was destined to rise—(Cheers)—and, in
fact, the most striking, and perhaps the most valuable
feature in the poetical character of Burns, is the marked
ascendancy which the spirit and habits of the peasant,
the genius of the man, as it were, continue to exercise on
• the genius of the poet even during the most brilliant
period of his subsequent career. Even amid that rich
variety of subjects, in the treatment of which his in-
stinctive refinement and delicacy of taste enabled to com-
bine, with all the higher powers of the man, the courtly
graces of the gentleman and scholar—still his happiest
effort, the master-piece of his genflq, in which his own
mind is displayed in the most agreeable light, and his in-
spirations breathes forth with the greatest brilliancy and
beauty will be found to be dictated by the associations
of his early rustic days.—(Cheers.) When I reflect,
therefore, how copious,. how graphic, how true, are his
own descriptions of the character of the Scottish pea-
santry, in all its varieties of grave, or of gay, of light, or
of shadow, I connot but feel it is a sort of presumtion
to offer in a company, who must all be so familiar with
these descriptions, any crude remark of my own on
the more interesting features of those to which they
refer. I shall, however, do my best to season the few
dry Comments which I am in some degree bound to offer
on the subject allotted to me,. by taking the poet's works
as my text-book. Were I called upon, therefore, to
name the virtues of our peasantry, which chiefly claim
our respect and admiration, I should point first to their
industry, frugality, and contentment, as those which
prominently adorn their own class of society above all
others, and also to their piety and their patriotism, as
shared, I would fain hope, equally, or at least largely,
by the mass of our fellow-citizens.—(Cheers.) Where,
then, shall we find a more spirited picture of the influ-
ence and effects of the three former qualities—above all,
of that most inestimable blessing, contentment—than in
the brilliant little poem which bears the humble title of
the " Twa Dogs," where, afterso graphically describing
the honest toils, often the severe hardships, inseparable
from the peasant's lot, he goes on to say, that yet

" They're nae sae wretched's ane wad think,
Though constantly on poortith's brink :
They's sae accustomed wi' the sight,
The view of it gi'es little fright ;
And, how it comes I ne'er kent yet,
They're maistly wonderfte .contented ;
And buirdly chiels and clever hizzies
Are bred in such a way as this is."
(Cheers.) And if any additional motive were required
to enable us to appreciate this moat excellent feature of
their character, it would be to reflect on the fatal effects
of its absence in the case of another, and, in many re-
spects, equally noble peasants—that of our sister king-
dom, in some of the fairest provinces of which we see
at this moment the demon of discontent—of too often
vague, causeless, undefined.discontent —arming the hands
of her victims with the torch of the incendiary, and
blindly directing them into those very quarters to which
they ought to look for an alleviation of their real or ima-
ginary evils.—(Cheers.) Such scenes never have been,
and, I trust and believe, never will be, enacted in Scot-
land, eo long, ht leastots the genius tali the memory of

the peasant Burns continue to be cherished among his
fellow-peasants, as they are this day.—(Cheers.) But
where are we, after all, to look for the source of this
beautiful attribute of contentment? Is it not in the still
more admirable one of their piety? It was here almost
superfluous to make any close appeal to our poet's au-
thority—to that most sublime description, so familiar to
you all, where the old peasant on the Saturday night
collects his scattered family, at the close of the long
week's labour, around his humble but happy cottage
fireside, and, after a few sweet but hard-earned hours
of social enjoyment, instils, before retiring to repose,
from, the open Word of God, into their minds these
lessons of Divine wisdom which were to guide
them during the next week, and through life,
in the paths of religion and virtue.—(Cheers.) Are
not such scenes to this day common in our cottages, still
as of old, I firmly believe, the favourite abodes of the
genuine spirit 9f simple Scottish piety.—(Cheers.)
Then as to the lait, if not the least, in the above list of
the virtues of our peasants—their patriotism. To whom,
I would ask, but to the peasantry of Scotland does our
poet so beautifully appeal as having bled with Wal-
lace ? To whom but to our peasantry did our national
hero look—and never look in vain for support in his
gallant effort to restore the fallen fortunes of his
country ; at the period when our duughty knights and
nobles (happily but for a season) had been reduced by
the intrigues or intimidation of our powerful enemy, to
crouch submissive beneath the throne of his usurpa-
tion.—(Loud cheers.) And ,fan we doubt that this
proud spirit of patriotism still burns as warm in'Their
hearts as then, if no longer by God's blessing so fear-
fully or so desperately called into action ; or that when
after, as our poet again has it—
" They lay aside their private cares
To mind the kirk and State affairs;
They'll talk of patronage and priests,
Wi' kindling fury in their breasts,
Or tell what new taxation's coming,
And ferlie at the folks in Lunnan.'
—(Cheers.) But I have already detained you too long
—if not longer than the interest of the subject—at least
than my power of doing justice to it, entitles me. I
shall therefore conclude by pronouncing a grace over our
bumper, also supplied from the stores of the poet, and in
the sentiments of which every one here present, I am
sure, will cordially sympathise—
" 0, Scotia! my dear, my native soil,
For whom my warmest wish to Heaven is sent,
Long may thy hardy sons of rustic toil,
Be blest with health, and peace, and sweet content"

—(Great cheering.)
Song by Mr Templeton, "Behind yon hills."
Sir JAMES CAMPBELL, of Giasgow, said—ln pro-
posing the toast with which I have been entrusted, I
shall content myself by simply expressing my deep
regret that, under any circumstances, I could so in-
adequately express my own sentiments and feelings of
admiration—in all the acceptation of that word—of " the
Lind of Burns."—(Applause). lam aware, however,
that I have the honour of addressing an assemblage who

can appreciate, who do appreciate, and who, by their
appearance here, and the interest so many of them have
taken in the proceedings and associations of this day,
give ample proof of their high estimation of, and attach-
ment to, " the Land of DUCIIS." lum aware also that I
have the honour to address not a few of those who have,
with the pencil or with the pen, done homage to the
classical, patriotic, landscape, and poetical claims of that
land. I feel satisfied, indeed, that there is not an indi•

vidual in this most interesting and splendid assemblage
;who does not greatly praise and admire the fertile soil
and landscape beauty of that land; whose bosom glows
not with an honest pride in the intelligence, enterprise,
and patriotism of the men of that land; and, above all,
who does not honour and admire the beauty and accom-
plishments of the ladies of that land.—(Cheers.) And
therefore is it, my Lord, that without further preface, I
would call upon this assembly to dedicate a bumper to
" The Land of Burns."—(Cheers.)
Quadrille Band—" Their groves of Sweet Myrtle." ,
Lord EGLINTON, who was received, with much ap-
plauie, said—Ulf-lies and Gentlemen except the toast
which I have had the honour and happiness of bringing
before you to-day, there is no toast which gives me
greater pleasure to see committed to my charge than the
one which I am now about to bring before your notice—
I mean, the " Provost and Magi,trates of Ayr ;" and along
with it, though not down on the card, my feelings will
not allow me to leave out the interests of Ayr.—(Loud
cheers.) On such an occasion as this, and so late in the
day, I will not occupy your time by dilating on the in-
terest which I feel in that town, or of the knowledge
which I have of the provost and of some of the magis-
trat.es. From that knowledge I feel convinced that the

interests of Ayr could not be placed in more worthy
hands.—(Cheers.) In addition to the interest which I
feel towards the magistrates of the county town, we must
also- feel gratitude for the assiAance and support they
=have given on this occasion. lam sure if it were not
for the feelings you entertain towards the town and the
magistrates, you would also drink their health for the
kind assistance they have given us in assisting to get up
this banquet.—(The toast was cordially responded to.)
Provost MILLER sail—Permit me to return my best
thanks for my colleaghys and myself, for the flattering
compliment which has just been paid to them. The
manner in which the toast was introduced" by the Noble
Lord was particularly gratifying to me ; and I am sure
it will 'be appreciated by the entire corporation.—
(Cheers.) I beg to assure the Noble Lord that the re-
cognition of the " au:d loin," at a meeting so pecu-
liarly interesting as the present, and combining so
much as it does of the raHk, talent, and worth of the

land, will be highly appreciated by the " honest men
and bonnie lasses' whom the immortal bard declared
were not to be surpassed.—(Great applause.)
The LORD JUSTICE-GENERAL rose amidst much ap-
plause. He said—Lsdies and Gentlemen, after the un-
common success which has attended every part of the
proceedings at this meeting to-day, I am confident that
I will anticipate the unanimous concurrence of this
great assembly I have now the honour to address, when
I state that there appears one additional to the main
toast, drunk with so much enthusiasm—one remains as
a debt of gratitude due by this assembly. I considor it

..most fortunate circutn-Ztance attending this meeting,
that we have been presided over by the Noble Lord in
the chair.—(Great applause.) lam sure that the most
enthusiastic admirer of Berns must be gratified in think-
ing that the proceedings of this day have been conducted
by my Noble Friend in so admirable a manner.—(Loud
cheers.) Every person must be satisfied that it was
impossible the proceedings of this day could have been
commenced in a happier strain.—(Great applause.)
Without further comment, I beg leave to propose that we
drink the health and success of the worthy Chairman.—
(The toast waa received with loud and prolonged cheers,
and waving of hats and handkerchiefs.)
Lord EGLINTON, in reply, said—My Lord Justice, and
Ladies and Gentlemen, I assure you I feel most deeply
grateful to you fur the honour you have paid me, as I
always ought to be, when my health is proposed and
drunk at a meeting of Scotchmen.—(Cheers.) But I
assure you I never felt more deeply grateful or more
highly sensible of that honour, than I do at the present
moment, when my health is proposed by such_ a man as
the Lord Justice-General, and when it has been received
—and I am proud to say enthusiastically received—by an
assemblage met for such a purpose as to do honour to the
memory of our greatest poet; but, gentlemen, I will not,
at this late hour of the day, and in a temple, as it were,
dedicated to the Muses—l will not occupy your time by
raturning thanks for drinking the health of one who has
no merit —(Loud cries of " No, no," and applause.)
But before we part, there is a toast which claims our

especial consideration, and which I have no doobt those

who. have left will regret having missed, and in regard
to which those who have remained will rejoice that they
harp not been so hasty in leaving. When I say that the
toast is " The health of Professor Wilson"—(Great ap-
plause)—you will, I am sure, agree with me in thinking
that not only is it a toast which we ought to drink, but
that, if it had not been for the modesty of Professor,
it ought to have been proposed at a much earlier part of
the evening.—(Cheers.) On such an occasion as this,

when we have net, frOin all parts of Scotland, to do ho-
nour to the memory of the greatest genius Scotland ever
knew, it surely is not only proper, but our bounden duty,
to drink the health of the greatest genius which Scot-
land possesses now.—(Great cheering.) The memories
of others have been drank to-night, and have been re-
ceived with that deep feeling which Scotchman feel to-
wards the memory of genius, but the toast which I am
now proposing is one which has the additional merit,
that the subject of it is alive and hearty—
(Great applause)—and able to continue, as you have
heard to-day, in the line with which he has hitherto so
much delighted his countrymen.—(Cheers.) In the
presence of Professor Wilson I cannot dilate, as I could
wish to do, on the character of that gentleman. I will
only ask you to drink with me his health in a way that
will show that you can pay honour to genius alive, as
you can do honour to departed worth.—(Great applause
—the company rising and waving their hats and. hand-
kerchiefs.)

The Professor, although called upon. did not respond,
but left the meeting. This brought the proceedings to
a close.

The field continued crowded for a considerable time.
By three o'clock, however, it was well cleared—the
various bodies who formed the procession having gone
away singly, one after another, while parties were scat-
tered in all directions, viewing the scenes and objects
connected with the poetry of Burns. Alloway Kirk-
yard was thronged the whole of the day. The weather
kept well, notwithstanding the threatening appearance
of the clouds in the morning. Only a slight shower
wls experienced, and the sun burst out cheeringly in the
afternoon. It began, however, to rain about five o'clock,
by which period few of the out-door company remained.

SLATE QUARRIES.—Tn these times, when it is so
difficult to find safe employment for capital, there
stands out conspicuously in our own columns, two
slate quarries, of immense extent and capability, with
a present and prospective view that is most encou-
raging. When the great leading banks in the me-
trOpolis give reluctantly one per cent., it is not a little
refreshing to direct public attention to solid secu-
rities, where capital and industry are -alone required
to insure twenty per cent. upon their outlay. The
public have been so often duped by lending their
money and their names to speculations minus any
solid basis, that it may not be so easy to provoke one
in the present case, where everything is as secure as
the Bank dividends. A. spirited individual, possessing
a brain farm, would soon form' a company with a few
leading and enterprising merchants at the head ;
this would be accomplished in one week, and the
shares would very speedily be at a considerable pre-
mium. IVe refer our readers to the announcement,
which enters more fully into their merits.
Previous to the year 1443, there were no bakers'
shops is London ; before that date the inhabitants of
Stratford were bakers for the whole city, and they sold
their bread every day; except Sundays and great festi-
vals, which was brought in carts; and they were ordered
to stand—three in .Chespside, two in Cornhill, and one
ja Graccicharch-street,.—ChelmVord -