Produced by Charles Franks Debra Storr and PG Distributed ProofreadersBURNSS LETTERSTHE LETTERS OF ROBERT BURNSSELECTED AND ARRANGEDWITH AN INTRODUCTIONBY J LOGIE ROBERTSON MA_You shall write whatever comes firstwhat you see what you readwhat you hear what you admire what you dislike trifles bagatellesnonsense or to fill up a corner een put down a laugh at fulllength_Burns_My life reminded me of a ruined temple what strength what proportionin some parts what unsightly gaps what prostrate ruin inothers_BurnsGENERAL CORRESPONDENCETo Ellison or Alison Begbie To Ellison BegbieTo Ellison BegbieTo Ellison BegbieTo Ellison BegbieTo his FatherTo Sir John Whitefoord Bart of BallochmyleTo Mr John Murdoch schoolmaster Staples Inn Buildings LondonTo his Cousin Mr James Burness writer MontroseTo Mr James Burness writer MontroseTo Mr James Burness writer MontroseTo Thomas Orr Park KirkoswaldTo Miss Margaret KennedyTo Miss AyrshireTo Mr John Richmond law clerk EdinburghTo Mr James Smith shopkeeper MauchlineTo Mr Robert Muir wine merchant KilmarnockTo Mr John Ballantine banker AyrTo Mr MWhinnie writer AyrTo John Arnot Esquire of DalquatswoodTo Mr David Brice shoemaker GlasgowTo Mr John Richmond EdinburghTo Mr John RichmondTo Mr John KennedyTo his Cousin Mr James Burness writer MontroseTo Mrs Stewart of StairTo Mr Robert Aikin writer AyrTo Dr Mackenzie Mauchline inclosing him verses on dining with LordDaerTo Mrs Dunlop of DunlopTo Miss AlexanderIn the Name of the Nine _Amen_To James Dalrymple Esquire OrangefieldTo Sir John WhitefoordTo Mr Gavin Hamilton MauchlineTo Mr John Ballantine banker at one time Provost of AyrTo Mr Robert MuirTo Mr William Chambers writer AyrTo the Earl of EglintonTo Mr John BallantineTo Mrs DunlopTo Dr MooreTo the Rev G Lawrie Newmilns near KilmarnockTo the Earl of BuchanTo Mr James Candlish student in physic Glasgow CollegeTo Mr Peter Stuart Editor of The Star LondonTo Mrs DunlopTo Mrs DunlopTo Dr MooreTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr William Nicol classical master High School EdinburghTo Mr William NicolTo Mr Robert AinslieTo Mr James Smith Linlithgow formerly of MauchlineTo Mr John RichmondTo Mr Robert AinslieTo Dr MooreTo Mr Archibald LawrieTo Mr Robert Muir KilmarnockTo Mr Gavin HamiltonTo Mr Walker Blair of AtholeTo his Brother Mr Gilbert Burns MossgielTo Mr Patrick Miller DalswintonTo Rev John SkinnerTo Miss Margaret Chalmers HarviestonTo Mrs Dunlop of Dunlop House StewartonTo Mr James Hoy Gordon CastleTo the Earl of GlencairnTo Miss ChalmersTo Miss ChalmersTo Miss ChalmersTo Mr Richard Brown IrvineTo Mrs DunlopTo Mrs DunlopTo the Rev John SkinnerTo Mrs Rose of KilravockTo Richard Brown GreenockTo Mr William CruikshankTo Mr Robert AinslieTo Mr Richard BrownTo Mr Robert MuirTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr William Nicol perhapsTo Miss ChalmersTHE CLARINDA LETTERSGENERAL CORRESPONDENCE RESUMEDTo Mr Gavin HamiltonTo Mr William Dunbar WS EdinburghTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr James Smith Avon Printfield LinlithgowTo Professor Dugald StewartTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr Samuel Brown KirkoswaldTo Mr James Johnson engraver EdinburghTo Mr Robert AinslieTo Mrs DunlopTo Mrs Dunlop at Mr Dunlops HaddingtonTo Mr Robert AinslieTo Mr Robert AinslieTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr Peter Hill bookseller EdinburghTo Mrs DunlopTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr Beugo engraver EdinburghTo Mr Robert Graham of FintryTo his Wife at MauchlineTo Miss Chalmers EdinburghTo Mr Morison wright MauchlineTo Mrs Dunlop of DunlopTo Mr Peter HillTo the Editor of the StarTo Mrs Dunlop at Moreham MainsTo Dr BlacklockTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr John TennantTo Mrs DunlopTo Dr Moore LondonTo Mr Robert AinslieTo Professor Dugald StewartTo Mr Robert Cleghorn Saughton MillsTo Bishop Geddes EdinburghTo Mr James BurnessTo Mrs DunlopTo Mrs MLehose formerly ClarindaTo Dr MooreTo his Brother Mr William BurnsTo Mr Hill bookseller EdinburghTo Mrs MMurdo DrumlanrigTo Mr CunninghamTo Mr Richard BrownTo Mr Robert AinslieTo Mrs DunlopTo Miss Helen Maria WilliamsTo Mr Robert Graham of FintryTo David Sillar merchant IrvineTo Mr John Logan of Knock ShinriockTo Mr Peter Stuart editor LondonTo his Brother William Burns saddler NewcastleonTyneTo Mrs DunlopTo Captain Riddel Friars CarseTo Mr Robert Ainslie WSTo Mr Richard Brown PortGlasgowTo Mr R Graham of FintryTo Mrs DunlopTo Lady Winifred M ConstableTo Mr Charles K Sharpe of HoddamTo his Brother Gilbert Burns MossgielTo Mr William Dunbar WSTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr Peter Hill bookseller EdinburghTo Mr W NicolTo Mr Cunningham writer EdinburghTo Mr Hill bookseller EdinburghTo Mrs DunlopTo Dr John Moore LondonTo Mr Murdoch teacher of French LondonTo Mr CunninghamTo Mr Crauford Tait WS EdinburghTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr William Dunbar WSTo Mr Peter HillTo Dr MooreTo Mrs DunlopTo the Rev Arch AlisonTo the Rev G HairdTo Mr Cunningharn writer EdinburghTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr CunninghamTo Mr Thomas SloanTo Mr AinslieTo Miss DaviesTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr William Smellie printerTo Mr William NicolTo Mr Francis Grose FSATo Mrs DunlopTo Mr CunninghamTo Mrs DunlopTo Mrs DunlopTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr R Graham FintryTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr Robert Graham of FintryTo Mr Alex Cunningham WS EdinbiughTo Mr CunninghamTo Miss Benson York afterwards Mrs Basil MontaguTo Mr John Francis Erskine of MarTo Miss MMurdo DrumlanrigTo John MMurdo Esq DrumlanrigTo Mrs RiddelTo Mrs RiddelTo Mrs RiddelTo Mrs RiddelTo Mr CunninghamTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr James JohnsonTo Mr Peter Hill Jun of DalswintonTo Mrs RiddelTo Mrs DunlopTo Mrs Dunlop in LondonTo the Hon The Provost etc of DamfriesTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr James JohnsonTo Mr CunninghamTo Mr Gilbert BurnsTo Mrs BurnsTo Mrs DunlopTo Mr James Burness writer MontroseTo his Fatherinlaw James Armour mason MauchlineTHE THOMSON LETTERSBURNSS LETTERSIt is not perhaps generally known that the prose of Burns exceeds inquantity his verse The world remembers him as a poet and forgets oroverlooks his letters His place among the poets has never beendeniedit is in the first rank nor is he lowest though littleremembered among letterwriters His letters gave Jeffrey a higheropinion of him as a man than did his poetry though on both alike thecritic saw the seal and impress of genius Dugald Stewart thought hisletters objects of wonder scarcely less than his poetry And Robertsoncomparing his prose with his verse thought the former the moreextraordinary of the two In the popular view of his genius there ishowever no denying the fact that his poetry has eclipsed his proseHis prose consists mostly of letters but it also includes a noblefragment of autobiography three journals of observations made atMossgiel Edinburgh and Ellisland respectively two itineraries theone of his border tour the other of his tour in the Highlands andhistorical notes to