The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-12-29
The Home os Burns.

-HOW' - H'H"'.
The Home Of Burns.
GRACE GREENWOOD, the sprightly
correspondent of the National Era, thus
writes of her visit to the Home of Burns:
The cottage in which Burns was
born, aud which his father built, was
originally what is here called a "clay
bigging," consisting only Of two small
apartments on the ground foor-a
kitchen and sitting-room.-Thc kitch-
cn has recess for bed, and here the
poet first opened his bewildercd baby
eyes on most ungcnial world. This
room, it is supposed, was the scene of
"Thc Cottcr's Saturday Night" l
Was somewhat disappointed to find this
cottage standing on the road, and that
it had been built on to, and whitewash-
ed out of all character and venerable
ness. 1t is now occupied as an ale
house, which bcscometh it little as the
scene Of the beautiful religious poem
above named. \ few rods from the
door stands the Z" auld haunted kirk, p"
through one Of whose windows luckless
Tam O'Shantcr took his daring obser-
vaton Of Old Nick and the witches,
:" as they appeared when enjoying
themselves" This is picturesque.
roohess, raftcrhss tdiice. in a good
state of preservation. In the pleas
ant old church-yard rests the father
of the poet, beneath the tombstone
erected and inscribed by one whose
days should have been ''lorg in the
land," according to the nraojseS -,,ss,r
his mother.
From the kirk we went to the monu-
mcnt, which stands on the summit of
the eastern bank of the Doom, and near
to the " auld brig" on the "kcy stone
Of which, poor Tom O'Shantcr was
delivered from his weird pursuers, and
his gray mare "AIaggic" met with a
loss irreparablc. This monument, Of
which the prints give you a very good
idea, is of graceful proportions, and a
graceful style of architecture. The
grounds about it, though small in cx-
tent, are admirably kept, and made
more beautiful by hosts of rare and
lovely flowers. There seemed to me
something peculiarly and touchingly
fitting in thus surrounding an cdifce.
sacred to the genius of Burns, with the
leafy haunts of the birds he loved, in
whose songs alone would his tuneful
memory live, and with the sweetncs:
and brightness of flowers, from whose
glowing hearts he would have drawn
deep meanings of love and pnre breath
ings of passion, Or on whose frail, frag-
rant leaves he would have read hol,
Sabbath truths, lessons Of nodesty and
meekness. and teachings Of the wond
rous workings of Him who planted tho
daisy Oh the lonely hill side, and thC
poet in a weary world-thc one to de
light the eyes, the other to charm anC
cheer the souls, of his creatures.
Within the moment, we saw tha
touching relic of Burns, the Bible
which he gave to " Highland Mary
at their solemn betrothal. 1t is il
two volumes. On the fly leaf Of tho
first, in the hand writing of the poet
is the text, " And yc shall not swear
by my name falsely | am the ord
In the second, " thou shalt not for
swear thy self, but shalt perform unto
the Lord thine oaths." In both vol
umes is the name of Burns, with Iii
Mason's mark, and in one is a lock o
Mary's own beautiful golden hair;
scft, glossy curl, which, in that las
tender parting, may have been smooth
cd down by the caressing hand, may
have waved in the breath or lain L
gainst the breast Of the poet lover.
On our way back to Ayr, we calle'
to see the sister and nieces Of Burns
Mrs. Bcggs and her daushters-wh
we had been assured were kindly ac
cessible to visitors. The visit Was al
together the most interesting and grat
flying event of the day. Mrs. Begg
lives in a simple but charming It'll
rose-embowercd cottage about a mil
from her birthplace, where all VIII
seek her with a respectful interest re
ceive a courteous and cordial welcome
Mrs. Beggs is now about eighty year
of are but looks scarcely above sixty
and shows more than the remains Q
remarkable beauty. Her smile coul
hardly have been sweeter, or her eye
finer at twenty. Her sight, hearln
and memory seem unimpaircd; he
manners are graceful, modest, and ID
dy like, and she conyerses with rar
intelligence and animation, slcakin
with a slight, sweet Scottish accen
Her likeness to Nesmith's portrait {
her brother is very markcd-her eye
are peculiarly like the idea VIC hay
of his, both by pictures and descril
tion-largc, dark, lustrous, and chan
ing. Those eyes shone with ne
brightness as | told her Of our love
| the memory of her beloved brothe