The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-12-30
DEATH OF THE SISTER OF ROBERT BURNS.

The youngest sister Of Robert Burns, the poet
aud the ssle surviving child of the family circle
OF which he was The elder brother, died ct her
cottage, near Ayr, Scotland, 90 the Stb Inst. We
extract the foloaing particulars of her life from
we'll written obituary notice in the Ayr obssr-
yer:-
laabells Burns, or as she was more familiarly
known, Mrs. Eesg was born at Mount Oiiphant,
near Ayr, on the 29th Of June, I'LL, and had she
lived Till her next birth day. would have completed
her eighty eighth year. Al her husbands death,
Mrs Begg was left with family of nine children,
the eldest OF them being only eighteen. Except
an allowance Of SO per annum for three years,
from Mr We're, she had no other meaus of support;
but, with the iIdetatigable spirit of Burns. she
set herself to exc out her scanty income by teach
ing a school at kirkmoorhil, a small village near
Lesmshagow, where she continued for three years.
Her eldest soB, who had received q superior edu.
cation, aud had been intended for the medical
profession, was unable to follow out his original
views, owing to the slender resources his mother
had ut her disposal, and waa obliged to content
himself with the situation Of parish schoolmas-
Ter. younger son also occupied n similar post
FOR some years Mrs Begg maintained herself by
Teaching and such sewing as she aud her daugh.
ters could obtain in the neigh borhood of Traueut
In those days the name and fame of Burns made
comparatively little noise. Few even of his admi-
rers knew their relationship to the bard at all and
those who did know it had probably to make the
discovery Tor themselves least the fact was never
ootruded upon public notice. One gentleman in
Edinbnrg who had dealt with the family for
twenty years, never knew of the Relationship
TIL they came to live In this neig hborhood, al
though he was an enthusiast about all relating
TO the Scottish poet. At last, however. inter
est was made with the government, and a pen
sion Of SO was obtained for Mrs. Begg through
the late Mr. Ferguson, of Rsith, NJ r After.
wards. In 1872, by the kind exertions Of MIR. Ro-
bert Chambers, SUN of f400 was raised by ppb
lie subscription, part of which was sunk in an an.
nuity for Mrs Regg, and which dies With her, fl6o
being reserved for the two daughters The proceeds
Of Chambers Life of the Poet" which amounted
to E2O0 also fell to the daughters aud the late Sir
r. Peel, when in power, granted them a pension OF
fl0 each: so that in coming to reside in the neigh
borhood Of Ayr, the united sums Of mother and
daughters made up about 973 of annuity. Mrs Begp
Is Subscribed as bearing considerable resemblance
to her gifted brother. She retained her faculties
to the last; so much so, that on the Tuesday be-
fore her death, having had some seed sent her by
Mr.. Currie, sculptor, in letter from Melrose, ga
thered from the Broom of the Cowden Knowles, -
she remarked to one of her daughters that she
used to sing that song to her own father than
seventy years ago and On being asked by her
daughter to repeat 1t then, she gave it with all
the glee and spirit she was wont to throw into her
vocal snatches.