Litchfield enquirer., 1852-11-25
The Home of Robert Burns.

The Home of Robert Burns.
 Grace Greenwood, the sprigh.ly corres>
 I,ondent of the NATIONAL ERA, writes of
 her visit to the Home of Burns:
 "The cottage in which Burns was born,
 and which his father built, was originally
 what is here called ''clay bigsing," con.
 sisting only of two small apartments on the
 ground floor, u kitchen and sittlng-Foom.-
 The kitchin has recess for bed, and
 here the poet first opened his bewildered
 baby ey es on most ungeniel world. This roona, it is supposed, was the scene ct "Fhe
 Cutter's Saturday Night" was some-
 what disappointed to find this cottage stand : ing on the road, and that it had been built on to, and whiiewashed out of all character and venerabIeness. It is now occupied us
 an ale>house, which beseemelh it little as
 the scene of the beautiful religious poem
 above named. A few rods from the door stands the ..auld haunted kirk" through
 one of whose windows luckfess Tom o. Shanler took his daring observation of Old Nick and the witches, ssas they appeared
 when enjoying themselves" This is pie
 turesuue, roofess, rsttlerless ediiice, iu a l good state of preservation. In the pleas- ant old church yard reSfa thA faaiAA' et $A's i post, beneath the tombstone erected and | inscribed bv one whose days should have Lbeen "long in the land" according to the
 promise, for Burns truly honoTed hls falher
 and his mother. ..... :.. ,7.ss.,... !.
 From the kisk we went to the monument
 which stands on the summit of the easteSn bank of the Doon, and near to the ''auld Ebrig," on the ..keyslone'' of which poor
 Tom O'Shante. was delivered from his
 weird pursuexs, and his gray mare, "Meg sie," met with a E,ss irreparable. This monument, of which the prints give you a
 very good idea, is of graceful proportions Eanj a graceful style of architecture. The
 grounds about it., thongh small in extent are admirably kept, shaded with fine shrub bery. and made more beautiful by hosts ot
 rare and lovely flowers. There seemed to
 me something peculiarly and tonchingly fit. ting in thus surrounding an edifce, sacred
 to the genius of Burns, with the leafy haunts of birds he loved, in whose songs
 alone would his tuneful memory live. and
 with the sweetness and brightness of flOw-
 CTS, from whose glowing hearts he would have dpawndeep meanings of love and pure
 breathing of passions, or on whose trail
 fragr leaves he would have read holy
 Sabbath truths, lessons of lnodesfy ant meeLness, and te eachings of the wondrOn'
 workings of Him who planted the daisy ol
 the lonely hillside, and the poet of wear!
 worli-the one to delight the eyes, th' { other to charm and cheer the souls of In creatures.
 . Within the monument. we saw the mos touching relic of Burns. the bible which h' , gave to ..Highland Mary" at their solemn
 betrothal. It is in two volumes. On tht Ay-leaf of the first. in the handwriting C.
 the poet, is the text. And ye shall mol
 swear by my name falsely am the Lord
 Tn inc second , s.Thou shalt not fOresweai
 thvscIf. but shalt perform unto the Lord , thine oaths.' In both volumes is ihe name of Burus. with his Mason's lnarks and ir one is a lock of Mary's own beautiful gold eu hair soft, glossy curl, which, in tha last tender par.ing, may have been smooth ed down by the caressing. hand, may ha" waved in the breath, or lain against th breast of the poet-lOver.
 On our way back to Ayr, we called 10 se { the sister and nisces of Bnrns-Mrs. Begg
 and her daughters--whO we had been as , sured were most kindly accessible to visil . ors. This visit was altogether the mos interesting and gratifying event of the day Mrs. Beggs lives in simple but charmini
 lilie rose> embowered cottage. about mil' rrom her birthplace, where all who seeI her with 8 respectful inteEest receive
 courteous and cordial attention. Mrs Beggs is now about eighty years of age but looks scarcely above sixty, and show , more than the remains Ofremarkable beau ty. Her smile could hardly have beer sweeter, or her eyes finer at twenty. lle sight. hearing and memory seem unlm paired her manners arc graceful, modes and lady-like, and she converses with rar' inteIl; gence and animation, speaking witt a slight, sweet Scoliish accent. Her ike , ness to Nesmith's portrait of her brother
 is sery marked-her eyes are peculiarly like the idea we have of his, both by pic lures and description large. dark, instrou' and changing. Those eyes shone With he~ brightness as told of her love tor the memory Of her beloved brother, Our sym , pathy iu Lis sOl lrows, and our honor for hi' free and manly spiIit--when told her tha the New World as tlle Old, bowed to lhe mastery of his genius, and were swayed tt
 smiles or tears by the wondrous witchery
 of his song. But when IspOke my admi ration of inc monument, and said, "Wha
 joy it would have been 10 him, could la have foresesn such noble recognitions Q his greatness :" she smiled mOnrhtnly, ana