Year: 1860

! ton of those favors. L apds bred to the ptcugh
and am Independent. | come to oclsm the
common Scottish name, with you, my Ii


ustrious countrymen; and to tell the world
| glory in the title" This was the way
his simple rustic spoke to the MOBILES of
the land; he boldly looked them full in the
eve, as their equal in manhood, acknowl-
edging no superior on Gois footstool =
Let us see how he appears elsewhere, while
the work is going TO press, Burns Is the
lion If the season. And the history of no
man with whom we are acquainted, fur


nishes such conclusive proof Of superiority
over all his time, "a does this visit of our
bard to this far famed seat of genius and
learning. And it will not be questioned
that the galaxy which there shone, WAS
equal in splendor to that Of any period of
his history. There were the men at the
forefront of the nation, in all the higher
walks of life; alike celebrated for wit as for
learning, and of whom the whole ia
ton stood in rsverenual awe. Vol
one would think that our great Draw
nv, awkward pIoughma had no business
there. He however thought differently.
for with one single bound he steps right
from the plough tail to the very head OF
genius of that time, and fairly dazzed and
out-shone them all by the matchless pow
ers of his conversation, and the dignity and
grandeur of his bearing. In conversation
be was irresistible, melting to tears with
his pstho., and filling the souls of his
hearers with unknown raptures Of delight
as he described the simple beauty OF some
of the rustic scenes of his early life, while
in an instant he would change to the hu
morous, convulsing every body with laugh
ter as he touched up on the comic. In
TACT one of the great men of that day said,
" hat great as were the gifts of Burns as
a poet, he thougt his conversational pow
ers out rivalled them. For said he: have
met most eminent men Of my day, but
never met one that could compare with
him in conversational powers. Where he
went his conversation was the center OF
attraction.


Whether with Dukes, ,Duchesse's. Lords
or squires, professional critics, lawyers or
doctors, he was first among them all. The
beautiful and accomplished Duchess Of
Gordon has recorded that she never. met q
ran who so completely carried her off her
feet. as Robert Burns, and one of the west
country maids said that one hour in the
dark with Burns was worth a whole life
time with ANYBODY else We are strongly
tempted to enlarge here, but space forbids
Perhaps the most astonishing thing in this
hour Of his life, is that he maintained his
equilibrium and was perfect master of him
self Only think of it. Here WAS man
who had been brought up at one Of the
lowest grades of employment, whose an
nual salary had never exceeded seven
pounds, (S35) whose association had been
with people mostly like himself; who in
the waning of a single moon soars to the
front rank of polished society, and amid all
the court paid to him remains undazzed
by its glare paying coartno to living man,
himself He WAS bold and ont spoken
among them, as one circumstance will
show. On one occasion when large
company of the hterati of the metropolis
were present, the conversation turned on
a poem which Burns expressed great ad
mration of. hasty critic excepted to
the warm praise bestowed on the piece.
"What i. the matter with it e. asked the
poet. son | dislike the general char
acter of the whole" Just particularize
some part of it to which you object" said
Burns. The Rev. gent. for he was
Rev) floundered about, feeling uneasy
under the poets eve, for some moments,
but could not quote single line. Burns.
with great vehemence. said, 81 now see,
sir, that it is possible for a critic to pre-.
tend to Judge of poetry by square and rule.
and be nothing but Id fool after all :"
and turned upon his heel and addressed
himself to some one else. He asked no
favors of anv mortal man, and held in ut
ter contempt fawning or fatterv. He says
that he was i'll qualified to daub the heels
Of greatness with the impudence of solici
tation. and trembled nearl as much at
the thought of the cold promise AS the
cold denial" And he rebnked to scorn at
once presumption and arrogance, whenev-
er and wherever he met them. He had
great command of his own powers in COM
pany, and was fully conscious of his own
strength to cope with any with mind
ths. grasped subject In an instant, a fan
cy as variable as autumn leaves. an imagi
nation as bold as the flight of the eagle, q
pathos that cannot be described, and fer
vor az deep as the sea These inward
qualities were united to fine manly frame
of large proportions, a noble head adorned
with luxurant flow of fine glossy black
hair, that hung carelesslg over a thought
full. massive brow, under which sat two
such large black eyes, the like of which
had not been seen before


1t is agreed By all the men OF that day,
that the expression of those ewes was ire
.istible; melting with tenderness, or con
suming with fire. Sir Walter Scott
said, that he had been in company with
most of the great men of his generation,
and such another pair Of eyes says he,
Il never saw in human head" And the
same great man said he remembered with
with great pride having received single
look Of thankfuness from those lustrous
orbs. His nature was generous, and his
great heart loved all crea ed things. With
such wonderful endowmsnts, i: 10 not to
be wondered at, if his society was much
courted. and that while in Eienburgh he