Daily national Democrat., 1860-10-30
One of Burns's Wayward Loves.

The following is an extract from the
proof sheets of a forthcoming work by Rich
ard Henry Stoddard, entitled "Loves and
Heroines of the Poets" The readers of
Burns will remember his poem, beginning
"Clarinda, Mistress of My Soulp 1t was
addressed to her, and here is note of her :;
His triumphant career in Edinburgh-a
career without parallel in the history of
poets-l shall pass over and come to his
next love atiair-the curious episode of Clar-
india. Her name was Agnes M'Lehose, and
she was the wife of Mr.. james MLehose, q
gentleman of a rowing disposition, who had
us good as abandoned her and his children
to seek his fortune in the West Indies -
Burns met her for the first time at tea par
ty, at the house Of mutual friend, in the
beginning of December, 1887. They were
so much pleased with each other-she with
his genius, and he with her voluptuous beau
ty, that second party was proposed, to
come off at her own house on the ensuing
Saturday evening. Burns accepted the pro-
posal with avidity. having acquired on the
sudden mighty relish for tea, but the night
before the drinking was to have taken place,
lie was over set by drunken coachman, and
carried to his lodgings with bruised knee.
lie wrote Mrs. M'Lehose letter, stating the
circumstances, and expressing his regret, and
paid her some high flown compliments which
tickled her amazingly. She answered in
the same strain, and enclosed him a poem
which she had written. They kept up a
brisk fire of small notes, charged with friend
ship and fattery. The fifth discharge of
Burns brought down the colors Of his "sweet
enemy" but he CALAMITY destroyed his own,
and they hoisted new set, and continued
their loving encounter masked as Sylvander
and Clarinda. They met a second time
shortly after the new year, and exchanged
condolences, Clarinda giving Sylvander his
tory of her past life and troubles and re-
cieving his own in return. 1t is not SO easy
to see what they proposed to themselves as
the end of all this meeting and letter wri-
ting; it could not have been marriage, for
the husband of Mrs. M'Lehose was living,
while Jean had new claim upon Burns ;
neither does it seem to have been that looser
tie, which society sometimes forgives in po
ets-at least acquit Clarinda of all guilty
intentions. She was young and unfortunate
the abandoned wife of a man she could
not love-a creature Of sentiment and sensi-
bility-the ardent admirer of Burns, whose
fiery temperament she sympathized with !;
in short, passionate and imprudent woman
She set her cap at Burns, as the saying is,
without thinking of the consequences, and
he encouraged her. rake that he was; al
ways the slave of the moment, he gave him :
self up to the passion she inspired, with an
energy that startled her. She was for es-
TEEN and'friendship-a platonic attachment
his tropical temperament demanded warm
er return. The correspondence that had
passed between them was printed when the
grave had closed over both, and precious
batch of nonsense it was it is impossible to
read it without smile. Burns must have
laughed to himself when he penned para
graph like this: "You have heart formed
-gorously formed-for all the most refined
luxuries Of love; why was that heart ever
wrung? Oh, Clarinda shall we not meet in
state, some yet unknown state of being,
where the lavish hand of plenty shall minis
ter TO the highest wish of benevolence, and
where the chill north wind of prudence shall
never blow over the fowery field of enjoy
ment ?" He fooled her to the top of her
bent Their intimacy lasted till he departed
from Edinburgh, when it may be said to
have terminated, though several letters pass
ed between them afterwards.