Year: 1859

luesuiy hlght; iull attendance OF the Club and a
large number of invited guests being present The
company first assembled in the spacious parlors of
the hotel, and at quarter past eight o'clock, pro-
ceeded to the gentlemen's dining room, where a
sumptuous entertainment awaited them Three
tables amply furnished, occupied the full length
OF the large room. The President, Mr.. James
Stirratt Esq, sat at the head of the table, at the
south end of the room, and near him were seated
Hon. John P. Kennedy S. Teakle Wallis ESQ.
Samuel Cairns, Esq, Secretary of the Club and
other wel[known citizens, Vice Presidents VIM.
McClymont and M. j. Drummond, occupied the
foot OF the tables. On the walls the American
flag and the Union Jack of the United Kingdoms
were tastefuy blended, anG evergreens and vases
OF flowers rich with fragrance, and beautiful as
summers fairest and freshest gifts, decorated differ
rent parts of the room. Mr. Charles w. Stobie
furnished the flowers and assisted in their arrange
ment. The decoration of the room was under the
Immediate superintendance of the host of the
Maltby House. A fine steel engraving of the poet
hung against the flags on the south wall.
When the company had been engagedfor some time
partaking of the dinner the "Haggis" was placed
on the table. The president rose and said 'iit was
generally the custom to say grace before the meal
but 1t was the custom of the Burns Club to have it
about the middle of the supper" He introduced
Mr.. James Shearer, who repeated Burns poem of





lntonation and accent. Much applause followed
"Haggis."


After full justice had been done to the yiands. the
cloth was removed, and James Stirratt, ESQ,
President of the Club, rose and delivered the fol-
lowing address:


Gentemen-I is gratifying see so many here to night
to celebrate the hundreth birthday of the Peasant Rard
OF Scotland and we assured it is only here but in
most of the large cities and towns wherever English
language is spoken wherever civilization has snraad bar
the walls parh
name known on the lists of fame is receiving greater
amount of honor and of homage this present day than
the name OF Robert Burns But when look around this
festive table, and many here are far better
must be brief


Gentlemen, have enjoyed the good things that
pertain to the body-we proceed to enjoy the feast
reason and the flow of sou Do not mistake the how of
sou for the "dowing bow which we sing Of as belong
ing to those ancient days when people 'took drop and
Jolly mortals ii led their glasses" But observe
not SO modernized or rather so young defy and
despise all venerable customs Indeed lest we should be
mistaken for the moral reormers of the present day
will tonight try whether cannot make the flowing
bowl and the flow of soul flow innocenty together
am sorry to see vacancy at festive board to-
night Death has been here since last we met-Death
with its jingle of ngling bones-Death with its merci-
less cythe has been here and hewn down gathered
into the harvest of the grave of our most beloved
countymen and friends the original founders of
this Club who has presided its board for
many years, mean Col Alexander Smith He has been
called to that place from whence traveller eer returns
He lived respected and died regretted honest man the
nobest work Of God Let this mention of his name at





his memory


Gentlemen was forgetting thank you for this, the
third time, eecting your President do not pro
pose TO SPEAK my sense of your favor hofe actions
may justify in some measure your choice The occa-
sion is greater than any hitherto 1t the hundredth
anniversary of the poet Burns 1t is the Burns Cente
nary If possible, let add hundred fold to our en-
thusasm--et us rejoice this night a hundred-et
us take our Patron Poet for pattern this night and
right merry let and sentiment pass round this fs
tive table; and why should not when sitting in
shadow Of Burns genius and lighted up with the memo
res OF hundred years. 1t appears to me- when take
part in this annual gathering of Club that am per-
forming service most delightful No ever trod the
moors of Scotland that loved his country more or
more highly exalted her the scale of universal genius
than Robert Burns tide of Scottish preindce las he
calls his deep and generous feengs had been poured
along his veins, and he felt that it would boil there till
the food gates shut in eternal rest II seemed to him
that he could do little for his country and vet gladly
would he have done ALL One small province stood open
to h1m-that was Scottish song, and how devotedy
entered on it, and abored till he died. His feelings
from youth to age were centered


"a wish Il mind its power)-


A wish that to my latest hour


Shall strongly heave my breast;


That l, for poor auld Scotland's sake


Some useful plan or beuk could make


Or sing song, at least.


The rough burr-thstle, spreading wide


Among the bearded bear,


turn'd the weeder-clips aside,


And spar'd the symbol dear"


1t is on his songs that Burns influence, author,
Wl ultimately be found to depend His songs are al
ready part of the mother tongue-not Scotland only
but also of Britain and of the millions that in all ends
OF the earth speak the language of Brons In hut and
hall it is the same; when the heart unfods itself in
JOY the voice Of joy or woe is the voice
deeply thoughts and feeling of SO many men
as this solitary and altogether private individual with
means apparently the humblest. We might take as an
instance of the power of Burns poetry his "Coers Sat
urday Night Few stanZas have done more to make
questionable nay deestabe the hitherto boasted vice of
of men than the following. In fact the who is the
author of such scattering sentiment a
peal is friend of the whole human family especial
ly friend of her whom than Burns adored-
Woman.


SIS there in human form that bears heart


A wretch q lost IN lovaa md


That can with studied, sly, ensnaring art,


Betray sweet Jennys unsuspecting youh9


Curse on his perjur'd artsi assembling smooth
Are honor, virtue conscience, all exiPd?


Is there no pity, relenting ruth,


rants to the parents fondling their child p
Then paints the ruind maid and their distraction wild?
He was the Poet of the esde He the soul of every
society care not how stupid circle may be- it is
to be lighted into laugh at Kates advice to Tam o.
Shanter:


80 Tam hads' thou but been so wise


An ia en thy ain wife Kates advice


She tauld thee well thou skelum;


Ablethering, clustering, drunken blellum;


That frae November till October,


Ae market-day thou ma sober;


That ilka melder wi the Miller


Thou sat as long thou had ser;


That ev'ry naig cad shoe on,
- The smith and thee got roaring fou on ~
His poetry never forsook him In the stills of the plough
he composed his poem of the Mousie:


But Mouse thou art no thy lane,


In proving foresight may be van


The best laid schemes o. mice and men,


Gang aft a-gey,


And lea'e us naught but grief and pain,



And in the Kirk he could celebrate the march of
Louise over lady's bonnet:


20 wad some power the giftie gle US


To see ourselves others see us


1t wad frae monte a blunder free us


An foolish notion;


what airs in dress an gait wad lea'e u.s.


And ev'n devotion ~
And 1t is said that crossing moor in thunder storm
he composed Scots wha hae wi Wallace bled" A war
song never surpassed in any language and which to do
justice, must be sung with throat of the whirwnd
Take him all in ALL Burns was amongst the greatest and
gifted or livad ba
ing when compared with what he could have done had
fate decreed him more easy circumstances, and
worldly nature But the world has little in part with
such men as Burnsike the eagle he touched the earth
only out of necessity to himself ea he was
away on his wing to the regions of the burning SUM- He
vea ama he creations OF his fancy and Heaven came
down to him in his dreams. Put all the good
tons need not be ashamed of but glory in pima
cling on their mountain tops True Burns died poor hut
SUCH has been the fate of Madame De Stael says
that all people have prosecuted in way other
killed their best and greatest Bacon Calico
languished in Priesy dungeons Tasso pined in cell of
mad house Camoens died begging the streets of Lis
bon; and Burns-what better could he expect than
Princes of his Order? But he had Jared some
them Dumfreis dug for him grave and he buried
and him, whom living people passed by, they honored
with monumental gories when he dead. True,
burns near the close of his life forced to follow
business that did not suit his lofty mind and genius
no wonder it did not suit him. But what saith the most
powerful of his defenders.
Wil courser of the work softly in the harness of
day horses his hoofs of fire and his path through
the heavens bringing light to ALL" But


''Farewell high chief of Scottish song!


That couldst alternately impart


Wisdom and rapture in thy page,


And brand each vice with satire strong;


Whose lines are notices of the heart


Whose truths electrify the sage.


FAREWELL and meier may envy dare


To wiring one baneful poison drop


From the crush'd laurels of thy bust,


But while the lark sings sweet in air,


Still may the grateful pilgrim stop


To bless the spot that holds thy DUST
Mr.. Sterrett was frequently interrupted in the
delivery OF his address by bursts of applause. In
few moments he again rose, and announced that
the regular toasts of the evening would be read.
lst. THE MEMORY OF ROBERT BURNS.
Hon. John P. Kennedy responded to this toast in
the following manner:
To this toast Hon. John P Kennedy responded as fol-
lows
Mr.. PRESIDENT, AND GENTLEMEN OF THE BURNS CLUB:
The gentlemen who have had the management of this
festival have requested that should respond to the toast
which has just been read very cheerully do So but
not without msgvings that will fall short of doing
quent address of the gentleman who has just taken his
seat feel still more inability to meet the require
ments of the OCCASION and wish that the
conhded to aber hands than mine 1t would have been
worthly entrusted gentleman who has lust taken
his seat.


poet only do justice to those powers and accom-
pshments which give to Robert Burns Immortality
am poet have demonstrated this different
stages OF my life, and can say that attempted
to write that did amount in the end to mis-
cradle doggere grabbed lines of prose run mad As
it impossible for me to make song fear that the
present occasion will infict you sermon


The fame of Robert Burns is confined land
tude 1t worldwide in its character and songs of
the Ayrshire peasant poet the property
humanity. Wherever the English language IS spoken
his tender verse is repeated. 1t is sung under