Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1841-04-28
From Littells Museum.
JAMES HOGG,
Ne ErrRIcK sHFrnEnn.
.,sweet poet Ollho woods! a lone adIeu.,


eSweet poet Of the woods! a long adieu."
This extraordinary character, whose loss
will leave peculiar blank in the literature Of
the present day, which no living writer can
supply, had been for some time seriously indis-
posed by a severe attack ofbilious fever, which
was converted into jaundce, succeeded by a
paralytic stroke, that deprived him of tho pow
er ofspeech, and terminated in his death on
Saturday, the 2lst Of November, 1885. al his
residence al AltrIye Lake, on the Yarrow. Fo,
the following memoir of him we are Indebted
to the columns of "The Eddlngbinrgh Evening
Post"
With the sole exception Of Burns, Mr.. Hogg
stands forth as our greatest Scottish poet: and
when we consider the early struggles of the
man, his obscure birth and want Of education.
and look at the triumphant manner in which. bv
the mere force of his natural abilities, he over.
come them all, and placed himself in the first
rank OF modern poets, we cannot sufficiently
do honor, where so much is due.
Two separate biographers of the shepherd,
by him. eft have already appeared: one attach
edto th,' Mountain bari;" the other adhibited
to the "Altrive Tales:" and we must not pass
over the weI-written sketch. OF his life and lit
erary progress by DIR. Minor ofMusslesborough
which appeared IN the Edinburgh Iitersry
Gazette, in 1929. To these we are indebted
for some portion Of the following sketch; but
we trust enough will be found of new and in
terestug matter to justify us in LAYING this
short Geographic memoir of the life and III.
erary career Of MIR. lIogg before our rea-
Aers.
=. Mr.. Hogg was born on the 2jth Of January,
A112. HIS education reached no father than
being able to overcome the class that read
IN the Bible, and ''deiilmg several sheets of
paper IN vain attempts to form letter." in all
he thinks che might gave been about half a
year at school," a scene of uninterrupted la
Dor and have priyation marked his boyhood;
and, at ,the age of fourteen, having CLEANED
from his scanty earnings the enormous sum of
fve shIllings the bard in embryo laid it out in
the purchase Of fiddle, on which he kept saw
ing away every night in the cow-housc, to his
own infinite delight, and the annoyance Of ev-
cry one around him. The life of Wallace, and
Ramsay's Gentle Shepherd, were among the
first volumes that fell into his hands; and
strange to say. he was disappointed that they
were not written in prose, as in attempting to
follow out the line, he often lost the sense alto
gether.
Attic age of eighteen he made his first at
tempts in verse; aud if they were of Indifferent
merit, ("bitterly bad, " as he calls them,) they
were at all events voIuminous and varied; as
they consisted OF eclogues, epistles, comedies,
pasiorals, et hoe genus OHlle. On a visit to
Edinburgh to attend the sheep. market, he
ventured on a volume, which, as might have
been expected from the author being entirely
unknown, and the matter rather common
place, was consigned to an early oblivion. The
attention of Sir Walter Scott, then MIR. Scott,
about this time having been drawn TO the DO
eucal talent Of Mr.. Hogg, by his advice he was
urged on to the publication OF volume ofbal-
lads, which shortly after was ushered into the
literary world under the title Of the "Moun-
tain Bard" These compositions emanatino
from rough untutorcd mind, bore, notwith
standing, many secret indications ofthat high
Poetica Imagination so peculiarly the Gift of
the author OF "kilmeny;" the ballad of "Sir
David Gr1me, and ono or two others, stand |
ing forth as beautiful pieces Decomposition, and
among, perhaps, the happiest Efforts of the
shepherds music.
Ills Essay on Sheep" which pained the
Highland Society premium, coupled with the |
success otthe "Alountan Bard" produced such |
fund as tempted him to embark in some wild |
agricultural scheme, which ~ course failed: /
and he then determined on settling I'm Edn |
burgh and following out the uncertain calling
OF literary adventurer. He was scarcely we /
warmed m hls new mode of life before he Got
some insight into tue precarous trade in which
he had now enlisted. His first volume was
the "Forcst Minstrel" from this. a work ofno
great merit, no pecuniary return was received.
AT this bleak and cherries period, however.
when friends were few, and hope had almost
iorsaken him; when poverty was pressing hard
on one hand, and on the other the chill of dis
appointed hopes was embitterng the pros
poets OF the future; il is pleasant to recur to
the well-umed benevoence Of his friends
Messrs. Gneve and Scott, who, with kindness
almost paternal, supplied all his wants; and, to
the honour OF the poet, he was not allowed the
merits OF his kind patrons to pass without bes-
towing on them the need ofkind aud grateful
remembrance.
The Forest Minstrel having failed in the
object of primary importance to its author (at
this moment some pecunary return,) MIR. Hong /
with his poor and scanty knowledge of men |
and manners as they then existed, and having |
bat barely dipped into contemporary literature |
Determined on starting a weekly periodical |
which he christenl led "The Spy" 1.-THE paqes
OF which we're to be wholly devoted, bathing |
a few attempts at criticism, to moral ESSAYS,
and the refined elegancies Of polite literature.
How Mr.. Hogg who at this time "lSnew no
more OF human manners than a child" aud
"had read next TO none" was fitted fer his task
the reader may judge, and of course anticipate
the consignment of his work TO the ",omb
of all the Capulets" long before the expira-
ton of the first year from its birth.
AT this time, the darkest period of his
life, when his literary speculatons, from which
he anticipated livelihood, had all failed; har-
assed and disappointed, poor, and compare
lively fnendless--that hour when mediocrity
sinks, and the genius overcomes--the expec-
tatlons Of his few steady admirers were destin-
ed TO be fully realised in the production of the
"Queen's Wake; a work which, overlooking
lew detects ofstyle, is one of the finest poet
ical attempts in the language. From the cold
shade of neglect that had settled around him.
he thus, by one bold effort, extrcated himself
and emerged into the full sunshine of popular
Ity and iawe. The different sales that inter-
sect the poem evince his complete mastery
over the muse; whether stirring up the reader
with the wild and hurried measure of @YounO
Kennedy" singing to him of the exploits Of
the FAIRY Queen and her attendant spirits, with
silver bells at each horses name: in the fine
ballad Of sold David" descending to the queer
aud ludIcroUs in the switch OF Fife" or in his
unequalled poem of "Kilmeny" transporting
HIM TO another and a loveler world, enriching
the descriptions with an imagery almost SUPER
natural, and presenting to his gaze landscapes
OF beauty so surprising, that each, with all
ITS tame realities, fades and grows dim before
the sunshine Of that heavenly dream. Alto
gether, this remarkable production, emanatiag
from source so unexpected, produced at