Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-09-01
Ruins BlRTu PLACE H. ,,Ilo

HN''Nh ~ VI WI blNuilAT y Viz
New York Evening Post. himself a poet. 1t
describes humble scenes which have been
cons.Cratedt TO tame by the genius OF q peasant;
On Monday we made AN excursion 10 the
birth place of Burns. The railway between
Glasgow and AYR took Us through Paislic,
worthy oi note, as having produced an emil
ucut U~ynithulogist. Alexander Wilson: ard
close To- the banks of Castle Sample Loeb, full
ct Swans. a beautiful sheet ot water, sleeping
antJng green fields which shelve gently To its
edge. We passed by Irvine where Burns
learned the ort of dressing flax, and traversing
q sandy track. close To the sea, wete set down
AZ Ayr. near the new bridge. You rccollect
Burns dialogue between the "aull brig at
Ayr and the new ~ which the former predic-
ted that vain a. her rival might be of her new
and fresh appearance, the time would shortly
come when she would bc a. much dilapidatcd
"a herself. The prediction il fulfill IT.: the
bridge has begun 10 give way, and workmcn
are busy.in repairing It's arches.
We ollOwed a pleasant road, sometimes
aSrecably shaded Ivy trees, to Alloway. As
we went out oi Ayr we heard Il great ham
m"ring and clicking of Chisscls, and looking to
the right we saw wOrkmeu building another of
the free churches. with considerable elaborate
ness oil architecture, in the early Norman
style. The day was very fine. the sun bright,
amt the sky above us perfectly clear: but a. is
generally the case in thus country with an east
wind. the atmosphere was thick with a kind of
dry haze which exclude distant objects from
sight. The sea Was to our right, but we could
not discern where il ended and the horizon
began, and the mountains of the island of
Ardn and the lone and lofty rock of Ailsa
Crag, looked at first like faint shadows in the
thick air, aud were soon altogether indistin-
unl@lDhlp. W., rama nj lanDth IN tha l,tla
old painted kirk of Alloway, in the midst OF a
bury my ground, ~rooiless, but with gable ends
standing, andits interior occupied with tombs.
a solid upright marble slab. before the church
marks the place where William Burns, the
father ot the poet, lies buried. a little dis.
ta1Sr beyond flows the Doom under the old
bridge crossed by Tam 0Shantcr on the night
OF his adventure with tue witches.
1his little stream well deserves the title
OF bonnie, which Burns has given toit. Its
clear but dark current, flows rapidly between
banks, often shaded with ashes. alders and
other trees, and sometimes overhung by pre-
cipiccs of reddish colorcd rock. Alittle be-
low the ridge il fills into the sea, but the tide
comes not up To embittcr it's waters. From
the west bank oi the stream the land rises to
hills OF considerable height, with a healthy
summit. and wooded scopes called Brown
Carrick Hill. Two high ellis near il impend
over the sea, which are commonly called the
Heads of Ayr, and not far from these stand a
fragment oi AN ancient castle. | have some
times wondered that born as Burns was in the
neighborhood of the sea; which | was told
Is often swelled into prodigious waves by the
stroug west winds which beat on this coast,
he should yet have taken little if any of his
poetic imagery from the ocean, either in its
wilder or Its gcntler moods. But his occupa-
tons were among the fields, and his thoughts
Were oil those who dwelt among them, and
ms imagination never wandered where his
feelings wen not.
The monument erected To Burns. near the
bridge, Is an ostentatious thing, with a gilt
tripod ON It's summit. | was only Interested
To see some OF the relics of Burns which it
contains, among which is the Bible given by
him TO his Highland Mary. Aroadleads from
the monument along the stream among the
trees TO a mill, at a little distance above the
bridge, where the water passes under stcep
rocks, ana | followed it. The wild rose and
the woodbine were i'll full bloom i'm the he'd
ges. and these To me were a better memorial
OF Burns than anything which the chisel could
execute. "A barefoot laSSie came down the
grassy bank among the trees, with a pail, and
alter washing her leetin the swift cuuent. filled
the pail and bore it again over the bank.
we saw many %visiters, sauntering about the
bridge or entering the monument; many of
them seemed TO be country people, young men
with their sisters and sweethcarts and others
IN white cravats with a certain sickness of
appearance l took to be of the profession of
divinity At the inn beside the Doom. a
young woman with a face and head SO round
as to form almost a perfect globe, gave us an
excellent dish OF strawberries and cream. and
we set oil for the house in which Burns was
born.
1t is a clay built cottage of the humblcst
class and now serves, with tile addition of two
new rooms of a better architecture. for an ale
house. Mrs. Heastings, the landlady, showed
us the register, in which we remarked that a
very great number of the ~visiters had taken
tie pains To write themselves down as shoe
makers. Major Burns, one of the sons of the
poet, lately visited the place with his two
daughters and a'younger brother. and they too
had inscribed their names in the book.
We returned To AYR by a different road from
that by which we went 10 Alloway. The
hay-makers were at work in the field. and the
vegetation was every where in its highest lux
urlance. You may smile at the idea. but /
aihrm that a potatoe field in Great Britain al
tins season, IS a prettier sight than a vineyard
IN Italy In this climate, the plant throws
out an abundance of blossoms, pink and white.
and just now the potatoe fields are as fine as
81 nldllN HOWef HdfUcIS.
We crossed the old bridge of Ayr, which is
yet III good preservation, though carriages are
not allowed TO pass over it. Looking up the
stream, we saw solitary slopes and groves on
It's left bank, and ! iancicd that | had in my eve
the scquestered spot Oh the banks of the Ayr
where Burns and his Highland Mary had the
meeting which he describes i'm his letters. anC
parted 10 meet no more.
COPPERS.--lt is very common TO sneer-a
these coins, but there is no doubt that they an
"i very great COM enicnce, especially in cite
and M towns. The st. Louis Gazette has III,
following. and We Ito not know that a more ap
proprlate thing can b. said ON the subject:
CoPPER CENTs.-Bring EN- along The
are announcement to carry sometimes, but the,
are a great convenience at other times. fl
our present circumstances, with no coin con