Robert BurnsLimited World Federation

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1988 The digital conversion of this Burns Chronicle was sponsored by Ravenscraig Burns Club, Motherwell, to mark the 10th Anniversary of our Club beginning. The digital conversion service was provided by DDSR Document Scanning by permission of the Robert Burns World Federation Limited to whom all Copyright title belongs.

www.DDSR.com BURNS CHRONICLE

BURNS CHRONICLE AND CLUB DIRECTORY , Instituted 1891

WHOLE NUMBER 97

A Contents

James Connor, M.B., Ch.B. 4 From the Editor 6 Book Reviews 7 Obituaries 24 The Celebration of the Bicentenary of the Kilmarnock Edition EnezLogan 25 Joe Corrie's Robert Burns 27 Mrs Win Price Anne Brown 27 James Hogg - the Two Monuments D. Wilson Ogilvie 28 The Burns Heritage Trail Isa Jones 32 A Relic Hunter Hoaxed 35 Dumfries Octocentenary Celebrations D.R. H. Crichton 36 New Song Album 38 John Lewars James L. Hempstead 39 Rags and Mags R.Peel 45 The Ronalds of the Bennals Heather B. Ronald 48 I Kenned Rab Burns Brawlies Bill Sutherland 51 Halloween A. K. Robertson 61 The Immortal Memory of Robert Burns Robert D. Ogilvie 65 Burns Lore of Dumfries and Galloway 67 The Rosebud David W. Purdie 68 A New Letter of Robert Burns David Groves 70 The Sincerest Form of Flattery 70 Airdrie Burns Club J.K. 71 Poetic Justice John M. Robertson 73 Faeries David Scott Skipper 79 Stepping into Burns's Shoes 83 Our Man in Japan 86 Long Lost Secret of Haggis Rod Sykes 86 Scotland's Burns Tradition Comes to Hertfordshire Dudley Sizeland 87 The McVitie's Price for Scottish Writer of the Year 89 Poetry 90 Statement of Accounts 94 Office Bearers of the Burns Federation 98 List of Districts 101 Reports of the 1986 Conference 107 Alphabetical List of Clubs 117 2 Numerical List of Clubs 121 Actually, the talc isn't so much lost as ::THE ·LOST TALE · misplaced. Because everyone thinks Cutty OF CUTTY. SARK .. Sark is the ship moored on the Thames at spying on her. And she pursued him and his Greenwich. grey mare with such spirit that they came But before that, it was the name of the within a hair of death. rather wooden-faced young lady shown here. Their one salvation lay in crossing a Her career as a witch was described by running stream-something no witch can do. Robert Burns in his epic poem "Tam Yet Cutty Sark still managed to o'Shantcr." Destroying crops. slaughtering pull off the horse's tail at the last instant. The famous tea clipper launched on the Clyde in 1869 was named after the witch, in hopes of emulating her awesome

And also from the legend came the ritual of placing a mare's tail of rope in the figurehead's outstretched hand, after an especially fast passage. You may wonder why we chose to

scantily-clad young witch. But that way we can be blazing within the, hallowed sure our customers want walls, he came forward, he saw, us for one thing only. and he was conquered by love. (Or 1 was it lust? Clue: he dubbed her Cutty Sark, the old Scots phrase for the short CUTTY SARK shirt she was almost wearing.) THE REAL MCCOY. Cutty Sark discovered Tam o'Shantcr

3

James Connor, M.B.,Ch.B.

Jim Connor was born in Motherwell on 2nd July, 1918, and educated at Glencairn Public and Dalziel High schools in that town. He joined the Boys' Brigade in 1929 and eventually became an officer. In 1937 his family moved to Glasgow and the following year Jim enrolled at Anderson College of Medicine. He graduated from Glasgow University in 1943 and in the same year married Bunty. Their sons Allan and Jim junior were born in 1946 and 1952 respectively. Three years in general practice in Bridgeton were followed by a two year stint as a medical officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps. On demob, Captain Connor returned to general practice in Glasgow, in the Anderston district of the city. Twenty years later, however, the Connor family emigrated to Canada and settled in London, Ontario. Although he had been reared in a family that revered their Burns as much as the Bible, it was not until moving to Canada that Jim became involved with the Burns movement as such. Like so many other exiled Scots, however, he found the companionship of kindred spirits linked by their devotion to the Bard very congenial. Within two years of moving to Canada, therefore, he had joined the London (Ontario) Burns Clubs. Since then he has held various offices in that club, including the presidency from 1974 onwards. Somehow he has found time out of an extremely busy and demanding medical practice to work tirelessly to promote the Burns movement throughout North America. An accomplished speaker, he is much in demand for the Immortal Memory. A born organiser and absolutely dedicated worker, Jim was the moving force behind the idea of holding the Burns conference outwith Britain for the first time. To most people, on both sides of the Atlantic, the notion of holding the Conference in Canada seemed plain daft arid quite unworkable. It says much for the genius and persistence of Dr Jim that the notion was not only accepted, but became an accomplished fact. Thus it was that in 1979 he became Chairman of the 92nd Annual Burns Conference, held that summer on the campus of London University. He was deeply involved in the organisation and hosting of several other conferences ofBurnsians in North America, and out of this came the decision in 1980 to form the North American Association of Federated Burnsians, of which he was President in 1982-84. In 1982-83 he was Chairman of the three-day Scottish Kavalkade, a multi-cultural event sponsored by the London (Ontario) Folk Arts Council. In 1982 he was appointed Canadian representative to the Burns Federation and in his capacity as a member of the Executive he has travelled widely, not only all over Canada and the United States, but back and forth across the Atlantic. In 1984 he was elected Junior Vice President of the Burns Federation and became President for 1986-87. His quiet, affable manner conceals a very profound and far-ranging knowledge of Burns and his works. Few people alive today possess such an intimate knowledge ofBurns's songs and poetry, backed up by an extensive private collection of Burns literature.

Dr Connor, surrounded by some of his Burns mementoes. 5 overshadow everything else - Bums From the Editor Nicht included. Considering that Bums had quite a bit to say about the 'buckskins' and their successful bid for independence, There is a story, probably quite and even composed a fine ode in apocryphal, of a passenger, newly celebration of General Washington's arrived on a Jumbo at Sydney's birthday, he had remarkably little to Tullamarine Airport, being asked by say about Australia and its grim an Immigration officer: 'Any previous beginnings. But whatever his feelings convictions'? and making the riposte, on the matter, he kept them to himself 'Oh! I didn't realise that that was still in view of the manner in which he a requirement for entry to Australia'. came perilously close to a firsthand Corny jokes about convicts die hard, experience of the rigours of the law. even though it is estimated that only a Bums made no secret of his sym­ ninth of Australia's population of pathies with the French Revolution sixteen million can boast the blood of and not only alienated many of his transported felons in their veins. patrons but ran the risk of losing his I am reminded of this because, as I Excise appointment on that score. pen these lines, there are great celeb­ In particular he espoused the senti­ rations in Plymouth to mark the ments expressed by the Societies of bicentenary of the sailing of the First the Friends of the People which began Fleet, the motley armada of convict to demand universal suffrage and transports, Royal Navy vessels and annual parliaments. A convention of supply ships which left Britain on 13th delegates from these societies met in May 1787 bound for the strange Edinburgh in December 1792, but this southern land surveyed by Captain panicked the Government, alarmed Cook almost twenty years earlier. The by the violent tum of the Revolution Joss of the American colonies meant in France, and poor Thomas Muir that Britain had nowhere to dump her ended up in the dock on a charge of convicts. The alternative to hanging sedition. Muir's trial before the people even for quite trivial offences notorious Lord Braxfield and his was incarceration in the prison ships subsequent sentence to fourteen moored in the Thames - 'the Wool­ years' transportation remain black wich hulks' Bums mentions in 'From blots on Scottish justice to this day. Esopus to Maria' - but then someone Thomas Palmer, William Skirving and had the bright idea of shipping off all Joseph Gerald were also convicted in these undesirables to the other side of the treason trials of 1793-4 and given the world. No other colony - far less harsh sentences that brought them to the mighty nation that Australia is Botany Bay. That reference to Wool­ today - ever had such a bizarre wich hulks was followed by the lines: beginning. Though there, his heresies in The First Fleet was eight months at Church and State sea, and the conditions endured by the Might well award him Muir and convicts, both men and women, on Palmer's fate: that terrible voyage can scarcely be Bums must have been acutely imagined.· The arrival of the first aware of what was going on. Thomas Australians at Botany Bay in January Muir had actually passed through 1788 will shortly be commemorated, Dumfries and Galloway, shortly in New South Wales at least, with a before he was arrested, in August 6 razzamatazz and ballyhoo that will 1793, at Portpatrick where he was trying to get a boat to escape to that we are in the throes of a Ireland. 'Scots wha Hae' was com­ revolution ourselves. For some time pleted and sent to Thomson about the now we have been concerned by rising time the sedition trial was taking place costs and diminishing sales, and it was in Edinburgh. Muir, Palmer and their felt necessary to separate the Club associates sailed as convicts from Reports and the more ephemeral Woolwich on 14th February 1794 - items from the Club Directory and about the time Bums was composing articles of more permanent reference his tasteless libel of Maria Riddell, the value. To this end, The Burnsian was 'Monody on a Lady famed for her launched at the end of 1986 as a Caprice'. This sad story had no happy quarterly tabloid newspaper while the ending, although Muir was rescued Chronicle now appears in its new from the penal colony on llth Febru­ guise. With this edition we say ary 1796 by an American vessel, farewell to Messrs William Hodge. allegedly on the direct orders of none who have printed the Chronicle for other than George Washington him­ the past sixty years. To them we self, Bums's hero. Muir did not live extend our thanks for a good job well long to enjoy his freedom, for he died done over more than two thirds of the in 1798. Palmer survived till 1802 but Chronicle's existence. In order to Gerald died in the same year as rationalise our publishing operations, Bums. One can barely think of the the production of both The Burnsian terrible conditions the convicts and the Chronicle is being undertaken endured, where the penalty for smil­ by Scottish and Universal Newspapers ing on the chain-gang was a hundred Ltd, and I wish to express my inde­ lashes. And all for the political free­ btedness to our Publicity Officer, doms which we take so much for Peter Westwood, in his capacity as an granted nowadays. executive of SUN, for seeing our two It is against this harsh background periodicals through the press. that Bums's attitudes in the last years of his life must be seen and under­ stood. All things considered, it is amazing that he overstepped the mark JAMES A. MACKAY as much or as often as he did. 11 Newall Terrace Readers of this Chronicle will note Dumfries, DGl lLN Book Reviews \ Bahookies, bawhieds a~d bevvies I THE PATTER: A GUIDE TO CURRENT GLASGOW USAGE, by Michael

Munro 1 84 pages. Glasgow District Libraries, £3.50.

Last year, when I reviewed The Concise Scots Dictionary, I mentioned Stanley Baxter's hilarious send-up of TV language programmes, Parliamo Glasgow. Little did I realise at the time that a book was about to appear that would place Glaswegian fairly and squarely on the dialect map. The Patter - or perhaps it should have been Ra Pa'ur-was conceived as a defining guide to the language of the big, bad, beautjful city of Glasgow, the contemporary urban Scots dialect of 7 the city, as heard on its streets and in its homes, often these days on radio and television, but less often seen written down, in newspapers, books and magazines. Hitherto Glaswegian has tended to be the butt of humour, and Stanley Baxter was by no means the first comedian to poke fun at it. The Glasgow music halls had a long tradition of seeing the funny side of the city's argot. Michael Munro has a serious intention in producing this book, of recording the language and standardising the spelling of some of the more arcane expressions, but even he cannot escape from the humour which is an essential ingredient. He often has his tongue in his cheek in providing apt definitions or explanations, as in 'A nicely cheeky word for backside' (bahookie) or 'something excellent, anything from a member of the opposite sex to a sunny day' (belter). The most entertaining aspect of the book, however, is provided by the numerous examples of these words and expressions. Thus bawheid! - 'common as a d1srespecttul torm ot address' -is examplified by 'Hey bawheid ! C'mere till Ah laugh at ye!' And you can just hear the yuppie mother in 'Don't say "pieces", Justin, it's "Sangwidges".' While this extremely funny book will no doubt evoke a great deal of nostalgia, especially for those of us who now live far from the Second City, there were- to me at any rate-some surprising omissions. I searched in vain for any mention of the Sterrheid Lavvy, but perhaps these tenement facilities, like the tenements themselves, are a thing of the past. And, among the section headed Phrases and Sayings, I miss my old favourite 'C'moan, ge' aff!' that oddly contradictory but so evocative expression, beloved of the Glesca clippies. But this is a guide to current usage, and the clippies, like the 'caurs' they used to conduct, are a thing of the past.

Imagery and imagism

STUDIES IN SCOTTISH LITERATURE, volume XXI, edited by G. Ross Roy. 382 pages. Department of English, University of South Carolina, SC, USA. Reviewing volumeXX last year I mentioned that Studies in Scottish Literature had embraced the new technology and was computer set. Unfortunately a bug in the software produced some bizarre results that were not noticed until after publication. Whenever ellipses (i.e. the pattern of dots ... to indicate a word or words omitted) split at the end of a line, the computer deleted the following line. Mercifully this only occurred in three places, but it has entailed the present volume kicking off with a lengthy piece of Errata. I have every sympathy with Professor Roy, having also learned the hard way that computers and micro-processors sometimes behave in maddening and disconcerting ways. My daisy-wheel printer used to behave erratically whenever the doorbell rang, and recently I read of a comedian whose stock of jokes was erased from the computer disk due to a fault in his wife's microwave cooker! Teething troubles apart, the latest volume of Studies in Scottish Literature is, like its immediate predecessor, nicer and easier to read than the earlier volumes, and doubtless more economical in production as well. The contents are as varied as ever, and the standard of scholarship has been maintained at the same exacting level. For the medievalists there is Craig McDonald's study of John Ireland's Meroure B of Wyssdome, with particular reference to the influence of Geoffrey Chaucer, while Josephine A. Roberts discusses the artistry of Alexander Craig's Sonnets, published in 1606. William Drummond ofHawthornden, long dimissed as a first-class translator but a second-class poet, is now the subject of a major re-appraisal. As an indication of his originality David W. Atkinson examines the religious voices in his poetry, 'serving as a revealing barometer of the Scottish religious temperament during the first half of the eighteenth century.' A writer of more recent times who is also receiving well-merited attention these days is James Hogg, triggered off by the comemmoration, in 1985, of the 150th anniversary of his death. Three articles in this volume are devoted to aspects of Hogg's writings. In 'A name which may serve your turn', Philip Rogers analyses Robert Wringhim's alter ego, Gil-Martin and especially the origins and derivation of the name. Douglas Mack speculates on Hogg's second thoughts on The Three Perils ofMan, whereas David Groves compares The Three Perils of Woman with the Ion of Euripides. Three studies of Sir Walter Scott are presented: Louise Z. Smith discusses dialetic, rhetoric and anthropology in Waverley, while W. J. Overton assesses the importance of Scott in the development of the English short story, as exemplified in The Two Drovers, and Graham Tulloch looks at the powerful imagery of the natural world in The Highland Widow. Bruce Redford examines that condition which psychologists label thanatophobia -the fear of death which was the central obsession of Boswell's life and was a recurring theme of his journal, his Life ofI ohnson, his essays and much of his correspondence. Death exercised a morbid fascination for Boswell who could not tear himself away from David Hume's deathbed ,just as he made a point of attending every public execution at Ty burn. He justified this ghoulish exercise 'as I there behold the various effects of the near approach of death, according to the various tempers of the unhappy sufferers, and by studying them I learn to quiet and fortify my own mind', although all too often the recollection of what he had witnessed earlier in the day would induce depression and sleepless nights. Richard C. Cole outlines the history of the Yale Boswell project. More than forty years ago Frederick Pottle began his monumental biography of Boswell's early career, although it was not published till 1966. Boswell's later years were covered in Frank Brady's biography published in 1984. The Pottle-Brady biography represents a distillation from 6,000 documents at Yale University, descriptions of which will shortly be published by McGraw-Hill in a three volume catalogue. This catalogue should complement two other works from the same publisher-David Buchanan's fascinating Treasure ofAuchinleck (1974) and Pottle's utterly different but no less riveting account, Pride and Negligence, The History of the Boswell Papers (1982). 'Doctoring the Doctor' is the title of a lengthy paper by Patricia and William Hardesty and David Mann on the manner in which Robert Louis Stevenson altered the character of Dr Livesey, the second narrator in Treasure Island, at the same time shedding interesting light on the publishing history of this yarn which first appeared in serial form in Young Folks and was more or less written as it went along, but was subsequently modified by Stevenson before it was published in book form. The working methods ofRLS are also scrutinised by Kenneth Gelder in a paper dealing with his revisions to the short storyentitled The Merry Men: three distinct versions of the story were produced over a period of five and a half years. The first draft has not survived, but the published versions, in the Cornhill Magazine (1882) and The Merry Men and Other Tales (1887), have been analysed and their differences compared in detail. J. T. D. Hall has published a penetrating study of Hugh MacDiarmid as author and publisher, with particular reference to his early years. MacDiarmid's 9 schoolmasters at Broughton were aware of his immense talent and his headmaster prophesied great things for the future ifit was not spoiled by his own tempestuous nature. As Hall says 'This reckless nature is the key to the early part of MacDiarmid's career as author and publisher, for it produced a never ending stream of writings and fuelled the fighting spirit in the man, whenever setbacks of one sort and another befell him. Hard work and success are counterbalanced by rejection and failure, but are always handled on the poet's own terms.' Of especial interest is the account ofMacDiarmid's experiences with the small Edinburgh firm of T. N. Foulis who published the two volumes of modem Scottish poetry Northern Numbers (1920-1 ), followed by the brave but shortlived Scottish Chapbook, the 'monthly magazine of Scottish Arts and Letters' which MacDiarmid edited between August 1922 and January 1924. Undeterred by this failure MacDiarmid pressed ahead with The Scottish Nation, a weekly that was conceived as a literary and artistic review but was also intended to foster Scottish nationalism, but it lost money from the start and was abandoned at the end of 1923. It was revived, as a monthly, under the name of The Northern Review in May 1924 but it too petered out the following September. An attempt to interest Blackwood in a Scottish arts quarterly came to nothing. After that, MacDiarmid abandoned anthologies and periodicals to concentrate on his career as an author of volumes of poetry. Roderick Watson contributes a lengthy and extremely comprehensive survey of Scottish poetry published in the years 1982-4, undoubtedly one of the most valuable features of this volume. Collections by Edwin Morgan and Derick Thomson are the major landmarks of this period, but recent poems by Andrew Greig, Alastair Fowler, Robin Fulton, Aonghas MacNeacail, Kathleen Jamie, Alan Bold, Hamilton Finlay, George Mackay Brown, William Mcllvanney, Tom Leonard, Duncan Glen, Robin Bell and others are discussed in some detail. Modem Scottish poetry is particular rich in images: I like Watson's term 'Instamatic' borrowed from a well-known camera firm to describe 'the unforced watchfulness which characterises the poet's relationship with the world'. Rather disappointingly in what has been Bums's Bicentennial, the national bard is the subject of only one paper in this collection, and then only indirectly. Edwina Burness (a collateral descendant perhaps?) discusses the influence of Burns and Fergusson on the war poetry of Robert Service, with particular reference to 'The Haggis of Private McPhee' from The Rhymes ofa Red-Cross Man, in which the influence of 'Tam o Shanter' is clearly evident. Under the heading 'Notes and Documents', however, Ross Roy has contributed an article entitled 'Get Bums By Heart', concerning a recently discovered letter by the Virginian scientist and oceanographer, Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-73). Written in 1847, it gives advice to a young midshipman in the US Navy, Hamilton Lieber, regarding appropriate reading material, including the poetry of Burns. Maury advises Lieber to get hold ofa copy of Burns and memorise the 'Epistle to a Young Friend'. He goes on to say, however, that the 'Epistle' is the only Burns poem he would recommend to Lieber at that time, for, 'though it is the fashion to praise Bums up to the skies there is in my judgement a wide difference between Burns the poet and Burns the man, for in the character of the latter I find very little to admire or commend.' Ross Roy appends a complete transcript of the letter, dated 30th May 1850 from the National Observatory in Washington. Ross Roy has also contributed an intriguing account ofBurns's second (Edinburgh) Edition, drawing attention to an unpublished letter of 13th February 1o 1788 from Henry Mackenzie to the poet, whereon the latter has jotted down some cryptic figures that Professor Roy interprets as the numbers of the edition printed: the initial 'skin king' printing of 1500, the 1000 additional names which came in on the subscription lists, the 500 copies subscribed for by Creech and 250 perhaps representing the number of copies sent to London. This interesting letter, which is in Ross Roy's possession, is to be published shortly in an edition ofMackenzie's literary correspondence, edited by Horst Drescher. Not the least useful part of this volume is the 80 pages devoted to book reviews, including a review of Carol McGuirk's Burns and the Sentimental Era and Donald Low's version of The Kilmarnock Poems. A new critique of Burns ROBERT BURNS, by Donald A. Low. 133 pages. Scottish Academic Press. The Scottish Academic Press are to be congratulated for launching their Scottish Writers Series, under the general editorship of Dr David Daiches. Titles so far deal with the lives and work of Scott, MacDiarmid, Galt, Henryson, Fergusson, Lewis Grassie Gibbon, Alexander Montgomerie and now, Robert Burns. The author of this paperback needs no introduction, for he has published a number of studies of the poetry of Burns, and edited two volumes of criticism on aspects of the poet's life and work, as well as producing the latest edition of the Kilmarnock Poems, which was reviewed in the Chronicle last year. We are all well aware ofBurns's unique reputation both as the national poet of Scotland and as the centre of a remarkable world-wide movement, yet even now, in Scottish schools, his work does not receive the attention it merits. This scholarly yet eminently readable study of Burns should go a long way towards stimulating interest not only in secondary schools but among laymen. In this lively text Donald Low sets Burns in the context of his life and times, and the scope and nature of his achievements as a poet, mender of old ballads and song-writer are clearly presented. A succinct biography of Burns is followed by chapters which discuss his motives in writing poetry and the methods by which he attained and polished his art, the models which influenced and inspired him and the improvements which he wrought on older poetic forms. There is a particularly illuminating chapter entitled simply 'Satire' that not only quotes extensively from Burns's rich repertoire in this vein, but adds comments and descriptions by Burns's contemporaries-including Maria Riddell who, more than most perhaps, had experienced the rougher and vengeful side of the poet's talent in this genre. 'Two Tales' deals at great length with 'Death and Dr Hornbook' and Burns's undoubted epic masterpiece 'Tam o Shanter'. Although these great poems were five years apart in their composition they were linked by the ten-line poem entitled 'On Tam the Chapman' (C. W. p. 100) which follows immediately after 'Dr Hornbook' and which reads like a first sketch of the comic situation which was fully developed in that poem. The chapman's name and his sociable garrulous nature both recur in 'Tam o Shanter', and although these points, and the mention of 'chapman billies' in the opening line of the later poem, may be dismissed as no more than mere coincidence, Dr Low argues convincingly for a close link between the two. The penultimate chapter is particularly welcome, for it redresses the balance between the old-established view of Burns primarily as a poet, and the more widely held notion these days of Burns as a pioneer song-collector and folklorist, and the immense debt we owe him for rescuing the rich but. decaying.and 11 fragmented legacy of Scottish song from utter oblivion. The final chapter, entitled 'Reputation' runs to less than two pages and could probably merit a book devoted entirely to that subject. It is interesting, however, to recapitulate the reception accorded to Burns at the time of the first appearance of his poems, and contrast this with the view generally held today.

Bicentenary tribute to Burns SCOTTISH LITERARYJOURNAL (Volume 13, Number I)-BURNS KILMARNOCK NUMBER (May, I986), edited by Kenneth Buthlay. 80 pages. Association for Scottish Literary Studies, Department ofScottish Literature, University of Glasgow, 6 University Gardens, Glasgow. This interesting special issue of the Scottish Literary Journal came to hand too late for review in last year's Chronicle. Separate numbers are not, so far as I am aware, available, but the annual subscription to the Association is£12. Membership provides, in addition to the Journal and its supplements, copies of Scottish Language and an edited work of Scottish literature which in 1986 was James Hogg's Selected Poems, edited by David Groves. Apart from letters to the editor, the special Kilmarnock Number contains articles by six leading authorities on Burns. Christopher MacLachlan contributes 'Points of View in Some Poems of Burns', while Michael R. G. Spiller discusses the use of pronouns in 'Tam o' Shanter'. Allan H. MacLaine concentrates on burlesque as a satiric method in the poems and songs of Burns, whereas Thomas Crawford discusses Burns and Tolstoy and Alan D. Jackson the influence of Burns on D. H. Lawrence 'more than any other writer, who brings Burns as a creative influence into the twentieth century.' The most important paper in this collection, however, is that contributed by Donald Low entitled 'Burns's Epistle to a Tiviotdale Farmer's Wife'. Thanks to a recent purchase by the National Library of Scotland, it is now possible to print from manuscript for the first time and to date accurately the important verse epistle which Burns sent in 1787 in reply to a poem by Elizabeth Scott. The title is that which Burns actually superscribed on the epistle, with an endorsement on the back of it'Answer to a Tiviotdale Farmer's Wife's Epistle'. Variations from previously printed text are given, with comments, as well as the complete manuscript.

Clishmaclaver and Crambo-clink OCTOBER SUNSET, by William Graham. 79 pages. Alloway Publishing Ltd, £2.95. The author of this selection of verses and stories in Scots and English is no stranger to the Burns movement. William Graham, a native ofWishaw now domiciled in Alloway, has given us The Scots Word Book as well as a previous collection of his poetic works entitled That Ye Inherit. In his Foreword he says 'I make no excuse for repeating the sentiments expressed in the foreword to my first book. Unless the poet addresses himself directly and intimately to his fellows as enjoying and suffering human beings, in as simple and lucid language as possible, he cannot expect to find general acceptance for his work.' Of the 62 pieces printed in this volume all but three are poems. The three short prose items- 12 'Stepmither', 'The Tree', and 'Neddy' -are commended as splendid examples of the terseness and economy of Scots-so much more expressive in every way than English. The poetic offerings are a very mixed bunch. Many of the more serious poems have previously appeared in The Scotsman, The Scots Magazine, Life and Work, Chapman, Lines Review and the Burns Chronicle, but the heartiest chuckles will be provoked by some of the new pieces. I must confess a relish for Willie Graham's sly, rabelaisian humour evinced in such pieces as 'The Auld Wifes' Bus Trip' and 'The Derval Piper', both of which owe something in their rollicking metre to 'Tam o' Shanter'. Not surprisingly, Burns permeates much of Graham's poetry and this selection contains such memorable pieces as 'At a Burns Supper-Men Only' and 'Burns Statue, Ayr'. Many will recognise ruefully the sentiments expressed in 'Burns-lover's Wife's Lament': Him and his Burns!- Ther's whyles I feel, Though Rab Burns was a proper deil, Jean Armour fared by-ornar weill Compare wi me: She had yae man to gie her hell, But! hae twae! The verse-epistle is alive and well, as exemplified by the lines commencing 'Fair fortune fa'ye, honest Allan!' addressed to none other than our very own Allan Stoddart in his capacity as curator of the Tam o' Shanter Museum, for popularising and selling Graham's books. It is said that a man may gain immortality in three ways-by fathering a son, by planting a tree or by writing a book; but surely to have yourself poetically apostrophised is a fourth. A comprehensive glossary is included at the end-which is just as well, for Willie Graham positively revels in Scots and uses many expressions that do not feature in Burns's works, or are of more recent coinage.

Burns from the Celtic angle ROBERT BURNS, by Ian Grimble.128pages. Hamlyn, £8.95 As an author myself, I have often looked on the productions of Paul Hamlyn with envy and admiration, tinged with frustration. Hamlyn enjoys a well-deserved reputation for giving the public beautiful books, full of colour, at an affordable price. He is, above all, the impresario of the all-colour book who has brought pleasure to countless thousands, if not millions, and revolutionised the rather staid British publishing industry. I say envy, because I have never been fortunate to be asked to write a book for Hamlyn and frustration because all too often I have looked at one of these pretty books and felt that I could have produced a much better text. This, I am afraid, is no exception. This is a very handsome book from the visual standpoint, its large pages being lavishly illustrated. Fierce national pride-so often the curse of the Scots­ makes me look askance at a book that was printed in Portugal, written by someone from Hong Kong 'of Scottish colonial ancestry', and published in England by a publisher of Central European origins-but these points should be dismissed as irrelevant. Instead, we should perhaps take comfort from the fact that Burns was selected for the attention of such a cosmopolitan combination of writer, printer and publisher. According to the fly-leaf, other books in the same series include 13 titles by Martin Fido on Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Kipling and Shakespeare and books by Brian Wilks on Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. This has more than a hint of a literary factory about it, but not having seen these other books, I can only judge the present work on its own merits. Undoubtedly the best feature of this book is its pictures. In its 128 pages there are 124 illustrations, many in full colour, and of these no fewer than 21 occupy full pages, with many others taking up half a page or more. Quite a few of the pictures are new to me and it is clear that a considerable effort has been expended on obtaining them. Dr Grimble's text, on the other hand, is idiosyncratic to say the least. It is unfortunately marred by an astonishingly high proportion of errors-of spelling, of fact, of commission and omission. Place names, in particular, seem to have been treated rather cavalierly-e. g. Cowel for Cowal, Cattaline for Catterline, and Clochanhill (twice) for Clochnahill, in the first few pages alone. Perversely, the surname of the poet's father is spelled throughout as Burness, though long-established convention spells it as Burnes; while the Rev. George Lawrie is thrice rendered as Laurie-at least there is some consistency in these mistakes. Loudoun is correctly spelled twice in the text, but mis-spelled in the index (which in other respects leaves a great deal to be desired). The portraitist Alexander Nasmyth is mentioned on five pages-but on four of them (and in the index) he is rendered as Naysmith! Errors of this kind betoken either an unfamiliarity with the subject or indecent haste in composition, or both. A similarly casual approach to the facts is also manifest throughout. Thus Biggar, rather than Covington five miles away, gets the credit of entertaining the poet so hospitably on his journey to Edinburgh in November, 1787. 'Lord Craig, a Court of Session judge' is described as Clarinda's 'uncle'; here Dr Grimble has fallen into that pitfall dreaded by all authors, of repeating the howlers perpetrated by others-in this case Maurice Lindsay (The Burns Encyclopaedia, 3rd edition, p. 260). William Craig was her cousin-german, and actually Advocate-Depute and Sheriff-Depute of Ayrshire at the time of the affair, and was not raised to the bench till 1792 nor promoted to the Court of Justiciary till 1795. Again, we are told that Burns had only three weeks' training in Excise duties at Tarbolton, despite the generally accepted period of six weeks. Sometimes fact and opinion become inextricably entwined, but both may be unsound. Thus we learn that Holy Willie's Prayer was first published in 1789 when in fact it was never printed in the poet's lifetime at all. Grimble describes it as 'perhaps the most consummate satire ever composed in the English language: and it is composed in the English language, with only minimal concessions to local pronunciation.' That is surely stretching a point beyond the bounds of credulity. No one in his right mind would claim such immortal lines to be in anything but Lallans: Your brunstane Devilship, I see Has got him there before ye! But haud your nine-tail cat a wee, Till ance you've heard my story. And many, many more gems of the vernacular throughout. Incidentally, Dr Grimble refers to Lowland Scots as 'Doric speech' and speaks of 'the Doric heritage'. Curiously enough, this word is conspicuous by its absence from The Concise Scots Dictionary, while my standard English dictionary defines it as 'a broad rustic dialect of English, especially a Scots one'. It can hardly be regarded 14 as the fit and proper word to denote the Lowland vernacular, but one can almost imagine it to be the rather patronising expression used by Oxford-educated Anglo-Scots to dismiss something about which they know rather little. Among the more glaring statements, however, we find that 'much scrupulous scholarship has been devoted to an analysis of these songs in J ohnson's Musical Museum, few of which he ever claimed as his own compositions.' Obviously Dr Grimble has not read Burns's letter of26th October, 1788 to Mrs Dunlop of Dunlop wherein he states 'My pieces ... are signed with one or other of the letters, R.B. or X.' In a further letter the following month he expands this, identifying the contributions of Dr Blacklock and Tytler, and adding 'Z, I have given to the world as old verses to their respective tunes; but, in fact, of a good many of them, little more than the Chorus is ancient ... 'No 'scrupulous scholarship', beyond a perusal of the Dunlop correspondence, would be needed to identify all ofBurns's contributions. There are many other blunders and bloomers in this curious work. If! have seemed rather curmudgeonly in dwelling upon them at this length, it is in order to place into perspective some of the more astonishing pronouncements made by Dr Grimble. As early as page 20, for example, we learn that 'In his determination to be a tenant farmer like his fathers before him, William Burness killed Scotland's greatest poet in his prime.' Despite the fact that there was a twelve-year gap between the deaths of William and Robert, this is a scurrilous over-simplification. Later we find such emotive phrases as 'his father who had condemned his sons to this appalling servitude', or 'the final months of drudgery' at Mount Oliphant and worst of all 'the final act of cruelty of the dying man still appals' - a reference to Burnes on his death bed reflecting that there was one of his children about whom he had misgivings (as well he might!). And the final word on William: 'it was he who gave life to Robert Burns and who took it away from him'. Dr Grimble is, however, scarcely more sympathetic to Robert Burns himself whom he sees essentially as a 'leveller' who thought little about pulling strings to oust Leonard Smith for his own advancement in the Excise. But it is in his comments about Burns as a misogynist 'to whom women were a necessity in the byre and the bed', that Dr Grimble, will I fear, give the greatest offence. Inevitably William Burnes gets much of the blame for repressing his son's sexuality so that, even in later years, Burns could never love a woman, although he was for ever falling in love. This, in itself, is contradicted in the outrageous statement that Burns could write 'about love all the better because he had never experienced the actual emotion of being in love.' All this is strange stuff indeed. But there is another recurring theme in this curious book which will mystify and irritate many readers. This is sad in a way, as Dr Grimble does have a point. although this was hardly the time or place in which to make it. Burns has so completely overshadowed and eclipsed other Scottish poets, both before and since his time, that they have been neglected by all but a very narrow academic core. If this is true of the makars and poets of more recent times writing in Lallans or English, how much more true is it of poets who wrote in Gaelic? Bards of the calibre of Duncan Ban Macintyre, Alexander Macdonald, Dugald Buchanan and, above all, Rob Donn Mackay are virtually unknown except to readers of Gairm and listeners to Radio nan Eilean. Dr Grimble, whose doctorate was granted for a thesis on Gaelic society in the north of Scotland, from which he produced his book The World ofRob Donn (1979), understandably has a bee in his bunnet about Robert Mackay, born some 45 years before his Lowland namesake. We first meet Rob Donn on page 10 and from then onwards hardly a page goes 15 by without some comparison between Burns and Mackay, accompanied by quotations from the latter which sadly lose a great deal in the translation. The impression is conveyed of Burns being an alter ego, a doppelganger of Rob Donn. Rob Donn 'was so similar to Robert Burns in his attitudes and utterances that they seem to have been created in the same mould, as indeed they were ... it is most singular that the spirit of an age could produce two singers who shared no common language and yet who sang so nearly in the same voice. This phenomenon hints at mysterious forces, underlying the more obvious ones, which delivered Robert Burns to the world'. No portrait of Rob Donn exists, yet Dr Grimble hints that he and Burns bore an uncanny physical resemblance to each other. One salient difference between them, however, was that Rob Donn, we are told, knew what it was to love a woman faithfully and this imbues his love poems with greater meaning. It is a shame that twaddle such as this has been written, for Rob Donn does deserve a wider audience. Perhaps Dr Grimble can prevail upon his publisher to add a biography of the great Gaelic poet to the present series of coffee-table books.

Kenspeckle Bodies WHO'S WHO IN SCOTLAND. 527 pages. Carrick Publishing, 28 Miller Road, Ayr, KA72AY,£20. Almost half a century has elapsed since the last work of contemporary Scottish biography in the full sense. A more modest biographical dictionary of Scottish writers was released a few years ago, but this is the first attempt to document the great, the good and the important in Scotland since 1938, and it is not clear why the (London) publisher of that work never followed it up with a second edition, though the intervention of the Second World War and the postwar austerity period may have been contributory factors. This new work, compiled from scratch, is a most creditable successor. It contains about 5 ,OOO entries-about one in a thousand of the entire population - and documents people from all walks oflife, including politics and public service, law, medicine, science, religion and education, business and finance, the arts and sport. The sole criterion for inclusion is residence in Scotland, which means that famous Scots who now live furth of Scotland are excluded, though by the same token, it deals with non-Scots now domiciled north of the Border. Inevitably in a pioneering work of this kind there are omissions, but these may be due merely to would-be biographees failing to return their questionnaires on time, if at all. I confess to a mental block about form-filling of any sort, and the exercise becomes even harder in cases such as this which call for a certain amount of creative writing (which is not necessarily the same as composing fiction, I hasten to add). The entries are alphabetical, from Mollie Pearson Abbott, CBE all the way through to Syed Aftabuz Zaman, consultant surgeon in the Gilbert Bain Hospital, Lerwick no less. This volume has the merit of including people who have attained some importance for their own worth and not (as in the case of some other biographical dictionaries) because they have reached a certain level in the Civil Service or a university professorship. A certain hefty tome I could mention is cluttered with worthy nonentities of that sort, but excludes most of the people we actually hear or read about. Biographical reference works are very useful for giving folk's correct names and 16 addresses-there is nothing more insulting than misspelling the thing people prize most, their name, so this volume should prove useful in avoiding such gaffes. Beyond that, however, I often wonder what purposes these books serve. To be sure, they pander to the self-esteem ofbiographees who, after all, compose their own entries. Thank God Barbara Cartland does not live in Scotland: as she insists in reciting the title of every one of her romances, her entry in Who's Who is prolix to say the least. Our Scottish authors show admirable reticence on this source. Probably the main value of this work will be appreciated in decades, ifnot centuries, to come-a useful historical record of those who mattered in the mid-1980s. Apart from these worthy reasons, this volume is highly entertaining to inquisitive people like myself, especially if you read the entries not so much from the viewpoint of what people say about themselves as why they say it. This is most revealing in the section near the end of each entry dealing with 'Recreations'. If Carrick Publishing have all this data on computer they could probably tell us what proportion of the 5,000 give gardening and golf-a very high proportion, I suspect, from a random sampling. Fishing and photography rank high, as do walking and reading. Writers tend to be more imaginative. William Andrew, the Glasgow playwright lists cats and J. K. Annand the poet includes book-binding, but there's a procurator fiscal who confesses to astronomy and a plastic surgeon who admits to budgie-breeding. My all-time favourite, however, must be Ian Barr, Chairman of the Scottish Postal Board and thus ultimately the man responsible for the safe delivery of our letters and parcels. His recreations are 'composing serial music, writing esoteric poetry, reading epistemology and practising solipsism'. Aw owre the land ye'll hear the wails, "There's somethin no richt wi oor Mails!" It's eneuch tae mak an Orthodox Jew sick -But the Chairman's aye composinserial music. Thae posties maun get afitheir arcels, We' refair teed aft wi mislaid Parcels. Aboot this we can get hysteric- But the Chairman writes poems esoteric. At postal Counters hae ye seen the queues? If they getony waur, they'll hae to install loos. For this ye needna expeck an apology- The Chairman's readin epistemology. As for Savings- whit a guddle! The Debits and Credits are aw in a muddle. But there's nae point in makin criticism - The Chairman's awa practisin solipsism!

. Duality and split personality DOUBLES, by Professor Karl Miller. 468 pages. Oxford Paperbacks, £6.95. When this remarkable book was published as a hard-back in 1985 it was widely acclaimed. Alan Massie, in The Listener, wrote that Professor Miller had brought off a notable double-a play on the title of the book-'he has written an academic bbok which deserves popular success'. Karl Miller is the Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London and editor of 17

B I the London Review of Books, so it is to be expected that this work which deals with the imagining of two or more selves in one should be packed with examples drawn from mythology to Martin Amis. Academic book certainly, but the general reader should not be put off by that description, as it is written in a witty and engaging style that will entertain as it edifies. From the Preface onwards the reader is borne along in an easy, anecdotal style. The opening paragraph of the Preface alone is worth quoting, as it sets the tone of the entire volume: An aunt of mine lived, at the end of her days, in an old people's home, where the shoe pinched and she used to run away. She would then fall down, and be captured and brought back. I once stood reasoning with her. She whirled around dizzily before me, a little bird-like dervish, not altogether in touch with her whereabouts, or her visitor. 'If you keep running away, you'll fall on your nose again.' 'I recognise it', she replied. 'But I'll do it. I'll be running away for the rest of my life. I'm two people rolled up into one.' This picture of the octogenarian in her second childhood, the orphaning of the old, living in the past, rolling up and running away, will be painfully familiar to anyone who has witnessed the progress of dementia in a close relative. But Professor Miller goes on to say that her land was Scotland, where the sentiments quoted had often, and are still often, heard. Her words belong to, and describe, the cult.ural heritage which he calls in this book by the name of duality. The duality of man was a strongly held conviction of the Romantic era that straddled the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The double and its many different aspects and manifestations-the doppelgiinger, the alter ego or second self-are to be found in not only the novels and short stories of the period, but also in autobiographical essays. The opening chapter, entitled 'Flying Scotsman', discusses James Hogg's Confessions ofal ustified Sinner, the story of Robert Wringhim who wishes to be a saint but whose delusions of grandeur are turned, with the advent of a diabolical double, into the actions of a common criminal-a protean work by a divided author, comments Miller who describes Hogg as a flying Scotsman who shows a clean pair of heels, but also has his feet on the ground. The 1820s were a decade in which autobiography and autobiographical fiction produced numerous examples of the orphan and double syndrome, the split personality induced chemically, as in De Quincey's Confessions ofan English Opium Eater, or aspects of the double-life, such as Scott describes in Redgauntlet. The sad story of poor Wringhim may well have been inspired by two books, allegedly the testaments of penitent sinners on the eve of their execution. The Confession ofNicol Muschet ofBoghall was republished in 1818, while the picaresque Life of David Haggart appeared in Edinburgh three years later. Haggart's defence counsel was Henry Cockburn who commented that the Life was a pack oflies. Haggart's skull was later examined by phrenologists who observed that it exhibited a 'great deficiency of conscientiousness'; nowadays he would probably have been diagnosed as schizophrenic-a split personality. Cockburn, who in later life often recalled the severity and frequency of the floggings he received at the hands of Willie Nicol, was on the fringe of that aspect of the Burns cult, those who were not quite co-eval with the Bard but old enough to claim a personal connection. James Hogg himself, the Ettrick Shepherd, had a career which parallels that of Burns in many of its aspects. Hogg's experiences, especially when he came to Edinburgh, 'were enough to make anyone a connoisseur of duality and division' says Professor Miller, but the same comment 18 could apply just as well to Burns himself, manifest in Bums the vernacular poet who wrote such polished letters in English. John Wilson, an early champion of Bums, is better known by his nom de plume of Christopher North; he appears in the pages of this book very briefly but he himself was a classic example of the dual personality. In a chapter entitled 'Queer Fellows', Professor Miller discusses Robert Louis Stevenson, himself a strangely divided man, whose Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (inspired by the split personality of Deacon Brodie) was immensely influential on the revival of duality in literature in the closing years of the nineteenth century. Stevenson, whose reputation these days rests mainly on such ripping yarns as Kidnapped and Treasure Island, ended his days as a drop-out in the South Pacific-admittedly living very comfortably off his royalties-and as 'Tusitala' (the story-teller) became the popular hero of the Samoans in their fight for justice against the rival colonial powers, Germany and the United States. Even more intriguing, however, is the case of fellow-Scot William Sharp who not only adopted a nom de plume, but a change of sex and wrote ethereal poetry under the name of Fiona MacLeod. His nephew, who was at one time my boss, used to explain this disarmingly with 'He was bisexual, of course'. This is an extremely wide-ranging book, which brings the preoccupation with duality right down to the case of John Stonehouse, who informed the House of Commons in 1975 that 'a parallel personality took over, separate and apart from the original man', and Mark Chapman who assassinated John Lennon. In this bizarre instance hero-worship went so far that Chapman actually believed that he was Lennon and that Lennon was an imposter. Although it is a mite disappointing that the opportunity to examine such a multi-faceted personality as Bums himself was not taken in this book, I was intrigued to learn that at the execution of the notorious body-snatcher, Burke was given a handkerchief, which he spread beneath his knee on the scaffold. It carried a portrait of Burns, and some of his many lines about misfortune.

Speaker's aid AS BURNS SAID ... A collection of Quotations from the Writings ofScotland's Greatest Poet, ROBERT BURNS, compiled by Arnold O'Hara. 72 pages. Alloway Publishing Ltd, £2.95. Bums himself was a great one for quotations which he liked to have ready for every occasion. To Clarinda he confessed 'They give one's ideas so pat, and save one the trouble of finding expression adequate to one's feelings'. This collection of over400 quotations from the pen of Bums has been selected and classified under . 53 subject headings, which will enable the reader to find that appropriate quotation to illuminate article, thesis, essay or 'Immortal Memory'. The quotations in this collection are drawn exclusively from Bums's poetry and a very useful feature is the cross references to the full text of the poems in The Complete Works. The absence ofany quotations from the Letters of Bums, however, is a sad commentary on how little the poet's prose writings have been known to the general public until now-a matter which we hope to rectify with the publication of The Complete Letters later this year. Perhaps we may then look forward to a sequel, of equal volume, in view of the fact that Bums's correspondence positively bristles with lines that are both memorable and eminently quotable. The subjects range alphabetically from Advice and Art to Wit, Woman and Youth', so there should be ample material to suit every taste and occasion. 19 Pocket companion QUOTATIONS FROM THE POEMS AND SONGS OF ROBERT BURNS, A PERSONAL SELECTION, by Robert Bennett. 42 pages. The Saltire Society, £2. It is an amazing coincidence that two volumes of quotations from the poetical works of Burns should have appeared more or less simultaneously. As the sub-title of this little book implies, this selection was made by Robert Bennett, a life-long admirer of the Bard who derived considerablecomfort from his lines particularly in the last months of this life during a long and painful illness borne with great fortitude. There is thus an element of pathos and tragic irony in the selection, not the least being the quotation from 'O, Were I on Pamassus Hill' which accompanies the dedication to his wife Phyllis. John Inglis, a close friend of the late Robert Bennett, has contributed a thoughtful foreword. The quotations are arranged by subjects-58 classifications in all, from Addresses and Advice to Woman and Worth. Thus the selection differs quite fundamentally from that in Arnold O' Hara's compilation and ardent Bumsians seeking the apt quotation will find both volumes extremely handy. Although published by the Sal tire Society, it should be noted that proceeds from the sale of this posthumous work go to the Ayrshire Hospice Appeal.

Ither fowks' flooers ON FIRST HEARING, produced by the Robert Bruce Burns Club, Clackmannan. 64pages. This anthology of verse in Scots and by Scots was compiled as a selection of pieces which had been recited by members of the Robert Bruce Burns Club at several of its small, informal gatherings over the past two years. These pieces were selected originally because they could be understood and appreciated on first hearing, and because they made a strong emotional impact. They are humorous or wistful, gentle or cruel, and they make some comment on characters and feelings recognisable in our own experience. The poems included in the anthology have been grouped thematically, under the headings of Spite, Harne, Sorrow, Pride, Fear, Wisdom and Longing. Some 25 Scottish poets, from Marion Angus to Douglas Young, have contributed to the 57 poems and no fewer than nine works by Bums are included, from 'Sic a Wife as Willie's Wife' and 'Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation' to 'What Can a Young Lassie do wi an Auld Man'. The volume concludes with a glossary and short biographical notes on the poets. Margaret Coggans has provided the illustrations for the cover and interspersed throughout the book.

To see oursels as Anglos see us THE SCOTS, by Iain Finlayson. 272 pages. Constable, £12.95. There have been many histories and studies of Scotland and the Scots: this book is neither a history nor a scientific anthropological study. Rather it is a collection of essays which stand alone yet merge subtly into one another. The recurring 20 theme which gives the whole some cohesion is the exploration of the national myths, their origins, development and perpetuation and the ongoing battle between nationalists and Nationalists, between the camp of sentimental patriotism and the legions of proud nationhood, between the music hall image promoted by Sir Harry Lauder and the poetic, political vision provoked by Hugh MacDiarmid. The Scots conjure up many different images, not least to the Scots themselves. A consideration of the Scots and things Scottish tends to be subjective at the best of times, and Iain Finlayson cheerfully admits that he has produced 'a partial, opinionated portrait by a Scot of his fellow-countrymen as they have presented themselves.' He then goes on to expose his qualifications: 'I write as a single, male, middle-class, middle-aged, Lowland Presbyterian Scot who has spent most of the past sixteen years in exile in England.' Undoubtedly, had any of these criteria been different, this book would have been very different too. It is probably of particular value because the author has lived furth of Scotland for most of his adult life and therefore has a different perspective than, say, a Scot who has not moved more than twenty miles from his birthplace. A Catholic of Hiberno-Glaswegian stock, or a Gaelic-speaking Lewisman would see his fellow countrymen in a totally different light. It is a brave man, indeed, who nails his colours to the mast as forcefully as Mr Finlayson, and there is hardly a page in this book which does not provoke a sense of outrage or disagreement, in some readers much of the time, or many readers some of the time. It is that sort of book. The Scots are passionately and unshakeably proud of their Scottishness. To be labelled British - or worse, 'North British' - is an insult to their national pride, as is the suggestion that they should moderate their accent. Recently the Dutch issued stamps honouring the EEC and inscribed the names of the member countries, including 'Engeland'. The protests from Scotland were loud and long but the Dutch refused to withdraw the offending stamps, arguing that 'Engeland' to them meant the whole island of Great Britain-but then you would expect that of a nation which casually uses the name of one province (Holland) to signify the whole of the Netherlands. In the same way, the English are supremely indifferent to the niceties of terminology, and thems!!lves speak of England when they mean Britain. Stanley Baxter refuses to appear in any theatre south of Manchester so as not to have to translate his Glasgow idioms for the benefit of the southerner; but this surely signifies the affinity of the Lowland Scots to the northern English. Come to think of it, someone could probably write just as trenchant a book analysing and identifying the character and characteristics of the Yorkshireman. Billy Connolly, who has toned down his broad Glaswegian accent, is accused by his fellow countrymen of having 'gone soft' and of selling his birthright. On leaving Scotland, Iain Finlayson's great-aunt advised him 'speak only to policemen, and, if possible, exclusively to Scottish policemen.' This form of xenophobia, born of a latent inferiority complex which often surfaces in an aggressive sense of being superior, explains the 'Here's tae us, wha's like us?' attitudes of many Scots. The Scots are obsessed with their history. They love to wallow in the glories and bewail the catastrophes of the past while dealing with a difficult present and a problematical future, and this indulgence has meant that the Scots have come to believe wholeheartedly in their myths 'like Alice gazing through the looking-glass and taking the reflection for reality'. It goes almost without saying that the interpretation of the past is a subject that animates the Scot like no other, and it is a brave man who will state publicly his own version. Provocative-but also extremely entertaining, a book that can be picked up 21 and dipped into at any point. Successive chapters survey Scotland as a whole, a small country noted for its pride, poverty and prejudice, a country of two nations and innumerable dialects, the Highlands versus the Lowlands, the sentimentalised romantic Scotland 'stern and wild', the Scot on the make, the Scot abroad, the clan system and clannishness, the Age of Enlightenment, Red Clydeside, nationalism, Calvinism, the clash of culture, sardonic wit and pawky humour, the passionate Scot and the puritanical Scot. Robert Burns flits across these pages, quoted here, apostrophized there; but it is the chapter entitled 'The Thistle looks at a drunk man: bard and booze' which inevitably examines the lyrical qualities of poetry and strong drink and the lyricism which intoxicants induce, as exemplified in the annual feast to celebrate the national poet. Most of the chapter, however, is devoted to an entertaining and fascinating account of the drinking habits of the Scots over the centuries. Oddly enough, one topic virtually neglected in this otherwise very comprehensive and far-ranging book is the role played by Scottish publishers. William Collins rates a couple of mentions, but purely in his role as a philanthropist and social reformer; and of Mr Finlayson's own publisher, Constable, there is no mention at all, despite the formidable part played by Archibald Constable (1774-1827), one-time proprietor of The Scots Magazine and the Encyclopaedia Britannica, though probably best remembered nowadays for his spectacular bankruptcy in 1826 which almost - destroyed Sir Walter Scott. It should be noted that Constable made a remarkable come-back and had started business afresh shortly before his untimely death. Sad to relate, Constable is now one of those former Scottish publishers without a base in Scotland, which probably tells us something about the Scots and their interest­ or otherwise-in books.

Things of this passing world AMOMENTWHITE ... BylohnCairney. 40A4-sizedpages. George Outram& Co. Ltd., Glasgow, £5.95. This is intended as a rather belated celebration of The Glasgow Herald, whose bicentenary occurred in 1983, three years before Burns himself got into 'guid black prent'. This handsome booklet, which comes in a matching envelope suitable for transmission by post, was the brainchild of Roy McCallum, the Creative Director of a Scottish advertising agency who approached Arnold Kemp, Editor of the Herald, with the idea of marking the 200th anniversary ofBurns's poems in a novel manner. Selections of the poet's works have been used to illustrate excerpts from the Herald over the past two centuries-or is it the other way round? It would have been nice to quote a review of the Kilmarnock Poems from 'Scotland's Newspaper', but alas, the slim volume which shook the literary world appears to have been overlooked at the time. To be fair, the Herald has amply made up for this in more recent years, giving as wide a coverage to Burns and Burns-related topics as any paper you care to mention. John Cairney, who has added the thespian dimension to Burns over the past 22 years, selected the poems and added a commentary, and the result is most pleasing to the eye. Tastefully printed on a rich tawny paper, lavishly illustrated with poems printed in brown and commentary in black, it is a handsome piece of typography. 22 As an example of its style, the lines of 'Will ye go to the Indies, My Mary' are printed opposite a facsimile ofan advertisement from the Herald of January 1806 for the ships Elizabeth and]ane, lying between Greenock and Jamaica. It is a pity that no advertisement of a couple of decades earlier had been used; it would have been nice to see an advertisement for Captain Cathcart of the Bell, with whom Burns was booked to sail at the end of September 1786, or Captain Smith of the Nancy, with whom he had originally planned to depart these shores. News stories about a runaway pig, the state of agriculture in Linlithgow, the General Assembly in 1834 and Irish drunkenness are juxtaposed with 'The Auld Farmer's New-Year-morning Salutation to his Auld Mare', 'My Father was a Farmer', 'Holy Willie's Prayer' and 'Scotch Drink' respectively, and this pattern continues throughout the book, with the poem and commentary on it facing the appropriate cutting from the newspaper and comment on the background to it. The stories are arranged in chronological sequence. A story about Sarah Bernhardt, the celebrated actress, is matched by Burns's Prologue for Mrs Sutherland on her Benefit Night, with the shrewd speculations that Burns might have become an important playwright had he lived. Burns's lines on the Dumfries Volunteers are linked to Britain's declaration of war on Germany in August 1914, while 'Epistle to a Young Friend' is linked to an article of 1944 highlighting the rise in juvenile crime. The closing story-a 'human interest' piece about a young bride and groom overcoming red tape to get wed-is matched by 'A Red, Red Rose' and allows John Cairney to explore the Bard's amorous propensities. It is this last which, I am afraid, may leave a rather sour taste in the mouth of many of the poet's devotees. To see in cold print the comment that Jean Armour 'could sing like a bird and breed like a doe-rabbit' is little short of outrageous. Burns himself expressed it much more delicately in his letter to James Johnson from Mauchline on 25th May 1788: 'I am so enamoured with a certain girl's prolific twin-bearing merit, that I have given her a legal title to the best blood in my body; and so farewell Rakery ! ' John Cairney takes 'such a parcel of rogues in a nation' to illustrate Burns's cynical disregard for politicians of whatever colour or opinion and repeats the story (what, I wonder, is its exact provenance?) that Burns was asked to stand for Parliament but refused out of hand. If he felt that the Scottish capital was an artificial environment, what would he have made of the capital of England? Cairney speculates on the verbal fireworks there might have been in the House of Commons had Burns crossed swords with the redoubtable Edmund Burke, the greatest orator of his day. But Burns was surely half a century ahead of his political time. It was not until after the passage of the Reform Act of 1832 that a town as important as Greenock got its own MP, though the first incumbent, Robert Wallace, was not slow in making his mark. Cairney has deftly related Burns's poetry to the life and times of Scots down to the present day, vividly illustrating the old maxim that a great poet must be not of his own time alone, but for all time. It is the ongoing relevance of Burns and his works to the human condition here and everywhere right down to the present day that explains so much of his continuing appeal. Burnsians will, of course, recognise the quotation in the title of this book, from 'Tam O' Shanter'. News stories, like pleasures, are momentary, transient and ephemeral-and yet there is a peculiar fascination in old newspapers as one reads the matters of the moment of long ago and finds how little human problems really change over the centuries. 23 kindly man, George was for many Obituaries years my predecessor as Convener of the Monuments Committee and was Federation President in 1967. The Ayrshire Association was well served by him as President, Secretary and Past President Treasurer. A man of spirit, almost messianic in his enthusiasm for Bums George Vallance and hale and hearty company, he hid . well his long term infirmity. Those, all A sang, a verse strikes memory's too few, alas, who visited him in chord, an incident of lang-syne Ballochmyle, where he lay for many becomes as of yester e'en. months, could not but be impressed by his courage and saddened that that "Grey recumbent tombs of the lucid active spirit was no longer able dead in desert places to wander freely among the Muirs of Standing stones on the vacant Ayrshire's uplands. wine-red moor George, who died on 6th March, Hills of sheep, howes of the silent was predeceased by his wife, Annie, vanished races and we send our sympathy to his sons And winds austere and pure" William and Matthew, and their fami~ lies. Stevenson, not his beloved Burns, but clear now, in mind's eye, George Samuel K. Gaw. Vallance. Here, on the haunted heathery Edward Evans waste above his native Muirkirk, I stand with George, as animated with Ed Evans, a true Canadian and a pride he points out the graves and devoted Burnsian died at the age of 85 scenes of the massacre of the Cove­ on May 16th, 1986. he was born in the· nanters. Spring Creek District, then the North­ There, heart heavy, he indicates the west Territories in 1900 and moved to industrial desert where he, among the Winnipeg in 1905 and attended "silent vanished race", once .schools there until joining C.P. Rail in labou~ed, a secure but difficult living, 1916. He retired in 1966 after more and his mood lightened as he indicates than fifty years in Express work. a burn-eroded spot which once He served several terms as secretary resounded with cheers and roars from of The Winnipeg Burns Club and; the opposing workers at their football. undertook the revision and drafting of; Home for George and his wife the Club's Constitution. He was a Annie, became Lugar where their tw~ member of "The Assiniboine" Lodge sons were reared. His job as Trans­ No. 114 A. F. & A. M. GRM: port Manager with the National Coal Winnipeg and was a member of the' Board may have aided him to become Manitoba Historical Society. He has' intimate with places associated with contributed articles to the Burns the Bard for, in my opinion, on the Chronicle. The Club Executive and subject he had no peer. This talent he membership will sadly miss the pre­ took to the Scottish Tourist Board's sence of this distinguished and hon­ Burns Heritage Trail Committee at its ourable man. A friend to all and a true inauguration. Burnsian if ever there was one. 24 A single minded, pugnacious, but J.J. Jackson. William Hall , minister of the Old The Celebration High Kirk and with Provost Tom Ferguson, Chief Executive Richard of the Jenner and secretary Miss Helen Bicentenary of Downie from Kilmarnock and Lou­ doun District Council. They were the Kilmarnock extremely interested in the coming event and their co-operation was very Edition much appreciated. By Enez Logan A programme was planned and 200 copies were printed and paid for by Some years ago it was decided by the district council which also met the both the then Minister of the Old cost of the public address systems, High Kirk and members of the Burns roped off the gravestones, arranged Clubs in Kilmarnock that on 31st July seating for the platform party, booked 1986 - the 200th anniversary of the the Kilmarnock and Loudoun Pipe publication of the Kilmarnock Edi­ Band and the Galston Silver Band, tion, some kind of ceremony should and paid for a video-recording to be take place. The Kirkyard seemed the made of the entire proceedings. A obvious venue, as it contains the grave copy of this video has been lodged at of John Wilson, printer of the Poems. the Dick Institute and can be bor­ During the preceding year a sub­ rowed from the Record Library. committee, comprising members of Everything depended on the the Ayrshire Association of Burns weather, although contingency plans Clubs, was formed. It consisted of had been prepared in case the comme­ Enez Logan , convener, Harry Bull, moration had to be transferred to the president of the Ayrshire Association , interior of the Kirk. Our prayers were Peggy Thomson, president of Kilmar­ answered , however, and Thursday nock No. 0 Burns Club, Jean Macmil­ 31st July turned out a nice day after a lan , president of Kilmarnock Cronies Burns Club and Sam Hannah, pre­ Federmion Vice- President Enez Logan sident of Kilmarnock Howff Burns opens th e Celebration in the Old High Club. We also met Kirkyard. with the Rev. .,,,,, .

25 hand to arrange the posting of the souvenir envelopes. By late afternoon the weather had cleared. It was dry - but like ourselves - 'bright and breezy'. We met outside the church gates in Aitken Street at 7 p.m. Invitations had been extended to all Burns clubs, all Masonic Lodges (John Wilson had been a member of Lodge St. John), all councillors in Kilmarnock and Lou­ doun District, the ministers of the Kilmarnock churches, and the general public. An article in the previous week's Kilmarnock Standard invited all interested to attend and I had been down to the studio of West Sound Radio in Ayr and had been inter­ John Wilson 's tombstone. viewed by Kenny Campbell. This gey dreich start. Tea and sandwiches came over the air on the Monday were provided for those attending before the event and stirred up an during the morning. Mr McGregor, interest among the Kilmarnock an elder from Old High, was extre­ public. mely helpful during the day. We also Just after 7 p.m. we marched had Peter Westwood , Publicity behind Kilmarnock Pipe Band down Officer of the Burns Federation, on Portland Street, round the one-way Th e Old High Kirk, Kilmarnock . system and up Soulis Street, into the

26 Kirkyard - just like it was in 'The Holy Fair': Joe Corrie's Then in we go to see the show, On ev'ry side they're gath'rin; Robert Burns Some carryin' dails, some chairs Dramatic Highlight to the Bicentenary an' stools, Celebrations- An' some are busy blethrin' .... The first speaker was Provost Fer­ During the week from Tuesday to guson who welcomed everyone. Next Saturday, 3rd-7th June 1986 the Scot­ Harry Bull, president of the Ayrshire· tish Theatre Company brought their Association of Burns Clubs, highly successful Mayfest production addressed the company with words of of Robert Burns by Joe Corrie to the welcome and also paid tribute to Johll' Palace Theatre in Kilmarnock. This Wilson. I gave a history of the Old was the curtain-raiser, both literally High Kirk and John Wilson. Wilson and metaphorically, for the celebra­ Ogilvie, President of the Burns Feder­ tions marking the bicentenary of the ation, commented that Robert Burns publication of Bum's poems. was the most popular literary figure Robert Burns was ably directed by that the world had ever known. He David Hayman and had a strong was followed by Sam Gaw, convener. Scottish cast of seventeen, headed by of the Memorials Committee of the Alexander Morton in the title role. Burns Federation, and the Rev. Wil­ Paul Young, Tom Watson, Roy Han­ liam Hall, minister of the Kirk. lon, Finlay Welsh, Eileen Nicholas, The company sang the paraphrase and Patricia Ross featured among of the First Psalm (Burns Version). some of Scotland's best young actors Then followed a wreath-laying cere­ in this production. mony at the grave, by representatives Joe Corrie's play was set in rural of the Burns clubs, as well as by Ayrshire in 1786 and dealt with the Provost Ferguson and Brother John early part of the poet's life, the Weir. Psalm 90 to the tune of 'Kilmar­ publication of the Kilmarnock Edi­ nock' was followed by the Benedic­ tion, the tragic death of Highland tion. Songs of Burns were sung by Mary and the dawn of the bard's John Goodwin and Sheila Carswell, fame. followed by a reading by Sam Gaw. Hayman's exuberant, ingenious, A comprehensive vote of thanks production paid tribute to the scale of was given by Harry Bull; then a slow Bum's uncompromising spirit and thei air from a lone piper and the singing accuracy of his pen. The audience; of 'Auld Lang Syne' brought the each evening was captivated by a evening to a close. Tea was afterwards vigorous, joyous and very effective served in the church hall. We were piece of popular theatre. indebted to the girls of K Company of the Ranger Guides who served tea and washed up as well as handing out Mrs Win Price programmes earlier in the evening. In The Orange and District Scottish recognition of all her hard work in Association and Burns Club (919) was making the necessary arrangements formed in 1944, and has been going for the event, Helen Downie received without interruption ever since. a large basket of flowers. William Similar clubs around us have come Anderson, Secretary of the Burns and gone. Most have folded for lack of Federation, gave a vote of thanks musicians who can play for the Scot­ after the tea. tish. dancing. W,,e bave a monthly 27 She plays for the love of playing, and the love of the Scottish music. Her very small remuneration could in no way repay her for her constancy. It is difficult to see how we could do without her. For without music we would have no social evenings and that, I'm sure, would lead to no Association. Mrs Price (nee McKenzie) was born in Nairn but has lived in Australia since she was three years old. In 1944 her father Jock McKenzie was instru­ mental in starting a pipe band in Orange, and was its foundation Pipe Major. The Band is still active today, and they honour Jock McKenzie by wear­ ing the McKenzie tartan. There does not seem to be any suitable way that our Association can Mrs Win Price. show its appreciation to Mrs Price except to give her Life Membership which she accepted years ago. Ball and social and dance, a Tartan Perhaps this article (if printed) will Supper each year, and our Burns let Mrs Price know that we recognise keep coming back for more. members and acknowledge her very great con­ Association Presidents, Sec­ Whilst tribution to our Association and how come and gone retaries etc. may have much loved , respected and appre­ 43 years, we have been most over the ciated she truly is. fortunate to have had Mrs Win Price Our Win is indeed the one 'Wha Musical Director, and pianist as our Keeps us a' thigither' . since our Association's conception. She has been our one constant figure. ANNE BROWN (Sec.) James Hogg - the Two Monuments By D. Wilson Ogilvie St Mary's Loch On Thursday, 28th June 1860-with a morning of heavy, driving rain not dissimilar to many mornings in the summer of 1985 - this imposing statue of Ja mes Hogg was suitably unveiled. Though the weather cleared up somewhat after the main ceremony, many spectators would have been soaked. The sculptor, Andrew Currie, from Darnick near Melrose, had already acquired a considerable reputation in the South of Scotland with his Mungo Park statue in Selkirk, and a number of Covenanting statues, including a major one of 'Old Mortality', one of which is still in the grounds of Dumfries Museum. The site chosen had already been mentioned, much earlier, by Christopher North and was on the ground of Chapel hope kindly granted free by John Scott of Rodono. 28 Of Denholm sandstone from the Hawick area , the monument stands 81/2 feet high-on a very substantial square pedestal-depicting Hogg seated and wearing his plaid. Over an oak root falls blades of bracken, while ivy twines round its base. By his side is his dog Hector while his right hand grasps a stout staff. On the scroll in his left hand is carved the final line of the 'Queen's Wake', on which much of his fame then rested. Again, appropriately, the top of the pedestal depicts oaks leaves and acorns with rams' heads projecting from each corner. i::he front of the pedestal, beneath a harp and wreath, bears the simple inscription- JAMES HOGG THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD Born 1770 Died 1835 East and west panels bearfurther verses from the 'Queen's Wake'. The crowd which descended on the site that morning was estimated at 3 ,OOO and represented a complete cross-section of the community and beyond, ranging from shepherds and mill-workers to local gentry and the Edinburgh literati. A small platform, with a canvas awning had been erected near the statue; a large marquee was somewhat nearerTibby Shiel's cottage, and a number of tents, apparently for the shepherds, were scattered over the green. Many spectators sought shelter on or under their various horse-drawn vehicles. Because of the rain, Tibby was kindness itself, allowing numerous ladies to take over her humble abode to keep dry and generally to 'tosh up' for the ceremony to come. The press reports also mention the numerous shepherds with their 'multitudinous dogs'. _ Despite the weather, spirits were extremely high, with doucer older folks seeking to subdue some of the younger element! Just over20 years later, when the Burns Statue in Dumfries was unveiled by the Earl of Rosebery, such a noisy festival atmosphere prevailed that the speakers were virtually unheard. This was not the case in 1860! Immediately before the ceremony, Piper Donald Bain, of Alma fame, piped a procession oflocal shepherds, carrying 'banners and devices' to the site. Then at 12.30 p.m. the committee and principal guests mounted the platform, with Mr Sinclair (the Albany Herald) in his colourful 'costume of office' welcoming the crowd and explaining that the necessary £400 for the project had been raised from the 'admirers ofHogg's genius'. Sculptor Currie performed the actual unveiling while the parish minister invoked a blessing and chief guest, Mr Henry Glassford Bell, Sheriff-Substitute for Lanarkshire, delivered the oration to inaugurate the monument. A minor poet himself, Sheriff Bell had been a personal friend of Hogg, North, Lockhart and other major literary figures, and had founded the Edinburgh Literary Journal. He was a most suitable speaker for the occasion and presumably had been involved in the fund-raising part of the venture. I Naturally his stress was on Hogg the poet and song-writer. They were honouring, he said, 'a shepherd and a poet', a sentiment which was loudly applauded. Hogg was a 'true Scottish poet', not the equal of Burns, but 'ranking in second place'. Next he referred to the fact that even after 25 years many hearers would still remember the Ettrick Shepherd in 'his social cheer', 'his summer angling and his winter curling'. Then he was praised for his many fine songs, and praise was also heaped on the Buccleuch family- none of whom appear to have been present-for their kindness and generosity to the poet. Two interesting comments were that Hogg's 29 only sortie over the border was his 1831 London visit, and that his birth was on 25thJanuary. 'We remember', said the speaker, 'how his grey eye sparkled as he sang'. Mention was also made of his fiddle, of his prose tales, and of how he handled the supernatural. His magnificent novel, however, was not mentioned and the crowd appears to have reacted most appreciatively to parts of 'Kilmeny', to 'Come all ye jolly shepherds' (naturally!) and the 'Skylark'. In a highly emotional climax, Glassford Bell stated 'by moonlight all your own fairies will weave and dance round its pedestal'. With rain still falling, and the oration probably having lasted 30 minutes, it was treated to sustained applause, 'prolonged for several minutes'. The guests, around 200, were then invited to repair to the marquee for lunch and further speeches while the remainder of the crowd ate picnic lunches, with the landowner, John Scott, providing food for the marching shepherds. As well as this act of generosity, he gifted the very fine meal for the guests, with a local press report referring to wine 'ad lib'! A special bumper was drunk to the Ettrick Shepherd and apologies were read out, one from Colonel Burns, son of Robert Burns. The Sheriff chaired the gathering with the Hon. William Napier acting as croupier in the best traditions of the times. After a relatively brief toast to the 'Memory of the Ettrick Shepherd' from the chair, Mr James Ballantine read an original poem on the same theme. It was not, unfortunately, of the highest standard with one couplet reading:- 'While towers the rock, while rolls the river, Sculptor and Bard shall live for ever.' As was customary at such events, numerous lesser toasts were proposed-and replied to-while musical items were also included, with the proceedings finally coming to a close with great bonhomie. By now conditions were a little drier so spirits would have been high on the green also! By another week there was some little criticism of the monument. One South West newspaper editor stated that 'the monument disappoints us'. Another called it a 'pretty enough little thing', but suggested it was too small considering the scale and grandeur of its location. By inference it ought to have been in some town square. These views, however, do not appear to have been widespread, and Tibby Shiels possibly had the last word. She was satisfied with it and felt it was 'his clay-cauld image'. A slightly disturbing reference to the statue is found in Mrs Garden's Memorials ofher Father, where she refers to the monument as 'well designed and tastefully executed'. In 24 years, however, the weather had taken its toll and she refers to it as being 'uncompleted'. Added to that, it had suffered from 'the defacing fingers of rude manufacturing mortals from Galashiels and Selkirk'! Apart from some flaking of the pedestal, it seemed in fairly good condition in October 1984. Ettrickhall Almost sixty years after Hogg's death it was felt in some quarters that a suitable monument ought to be built in the Ettrick valley. For this reason it was decided at the annual general meeting of the Edinburgh Border Counties' Association in January 1897 that such a structure should mark the site of the 'auld clay biggin' in which the poet had been born and which even by then had disappeared. so It was not totally forgotten, however, as an insignificant piece of masonry- probably the jamb of the kitchen fireplace- had been built into the wall at the roadside, and bore the initials 'J. H.' scratched on it. The meeting unanimously instructed its council to take immediate steps to fulfil its wishes. Once permission was received from the Ettrickhall proprietor, Richard Haldane, Esq., and tenant Mr Thomas Nicol, for the erection of a suitable memorial, subscription lists were produced in the following year, aimed at a sum of 'about £200'. This object, said the Association secretary, 'will commend itself to all loyal Borderers and admirers of the "Shepherd Poet'". We are told that 'all classes of the community' made contributions, with Hogg's youngest daughter, Mrs Garden of Aberdeen, and his solicitor grandson from New Zealand each contributing five guineas. The required amount was quickly collected and by late spring 1898 the memorial took shape, with the simple monumental part executed in the yard of Marshall's ofHawick, in red Corsehill freestone from the Annan district ofDumfriesshire, a county in which Hogg spent some of his life, and of which his wife was a native. The base is nearly five feet high, finished with thumb moulding, the corners of which are stopt with acanthus leaves. On this rises a massive obelisk, about 2Y2 feet square at the bottom, while the lower base carries the inscription in bronze:- 'Erected on the site ofthe cottage in which James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, was born 1770. Died 1835. The Edinburgh Border Counties Association'. Sculptor Robert Stenhouse, Hawick, carved four large ribbons with laurel wreaths on the obelisk, and predictably four rams' heads appear one at each corner. The 'jamb' was incorporated into the back of the monument, while the dyke alignment was altered to allow for a curved stone bench to provide an appropriate backing. The further background is trees, through which the present much grander Ettrickhall can be seen. To incorporate a likeness of the poet, an impressive little bronze medallion was inserted on the south face of the structure. This was created by Mr Hubert Paton. On Thursday, 28th July 1898, the memorial to Hogg and his birthplace was suitably unveiled. The ceremonials were less pronounced than at St Mary's Loch, and the crowd of over 2 ,OOO was a little smaller; but as reports do not mention the weather, it was obviously a more pleasant day. The date was selected to coincide with the Association's annual outing, but attracted many locals as well as visitors from nearby Border towns who travelled 'in brakes or by cycle'. Since the Edinburgh party was rather late in arriving, the ceremony was delayed and curtailed, with the crowd assembling near a platform erected in front of the memorial. The distinguished guests, fully the equal of the earlier unveiling ceremony at St Mary's Loch, included the local M.P., the Ettrick Shepherd's son-in-law from Aberdeen - his wife was unfortunately too unwell to come - Alex Anderson ('Surfaceman') and coincidentally a Mrs Fleming, a sister of Rudyard Kipling. Presiding over the occasion was Lord Napier and Ettrick, a great admirer of Hogg, and a man of great consequence having retired from an illustrious diplomatic career. He had acted as Governor of Madras and Ambassador to both Russia and Prussia. He was reputedly particularly interested in the plight of cotters and crofters. After opening devotions, led by the parish minister, Lord Napier and Ettrick addressed the crowd. He made nostalgic reference to the Borders and the great men the area had produced, before giving a very well-balanced assessment of Hogg. Most of his poetry 'had ceased to live' but the 'finest flowers of his genius' 31 I I like 'Bonny Kilmeny' and the 'Witch of Fife' stood beside the 'happiest productions' of Burns and Scott. Significantly His Lordship quoted literary critic Andrew Lang as calling the 'Confessions of a Fanatic' a work of 'high literary value'. Though his poetry and songs rarely approached the high calibre ofBurns's works, he was also a prose writer, unlike Ramsay, Fergusson or Burns. The speaker then unveiled the memorial 'amid loud cheers', remarking that he was one of the very few on the platform who could remember Hogg. A group of Ettrick school pupils then sang 'When the kye comes hame' and a message was read from Mrs Garden (Mary Gray Hogg) and her husband enlarged upon it, paying tribute to the Ettrick Shepherd's wife. Next, after certain apologies were intimated, a letter from an official of Lodge Canongate Kil winning No. 2 was read stating that both Burns and Hogg had been members and poet-laureates of the lodge, Hogg having been initiated into Freemasonry at Cleikum Inn during May 1835. The Association secretary spoke of the object and work of his organisation, as did the Rev. R. Borland (parish minister of Yarrow) who had pressed for the memorial's erection: He spoke at some length of the many Border literary figures from Thomas the Rhymer to Sir Walter Scott, and the influence of their environment upon them. Three hearty cheers were given to both Lord Napier and the architect of the project, and a large party of guests repaired to a marquee in a nearby field for a luncheon. Lord Napier chaired the gathering with the County's Convener and Selkirk's Provost acting as croupiers. 'The Immortal Memory of the Ettrick Shepherd' was the fourth and principal toast-followed by a further seven! It was entrusted to the Rev. W. S. Crockett ofTweedsmuir. Hogg, he said, was one of a group of Border immortals whom the Association had sought to honour. In Border literature, he was second only to Scott while in the 'wider domain of Scottish song, he ranks next to Burns'. The shepherd was praised for his great ability despite the paucity of formal education, and the best of his poems and songs were lauded with 'Kilmeny' called 'one of the most inimitable productions of all literature'. His prose works went unmentioned, but in closing the speaker referred to Hogg as 'one of the great triumverate of Scottish poets­ Burns, Scott and Hogg'. By October 1984, the monument appeared to be in excellent condition. A certain amount of moss adhering to it was the only thing that was mildly untoward. The Burns Heritage Trail This is a Tale of a Trail-my name is Isa Jones and I am a member, and a Past President of Allanton Jolly Beggars Burns Club. As I sit and write about this, it is a cold foggy day in - believe it or not-April, and a far cry from the long hot summerof1984 when I, together with my Welsh husband, walked 'in the steps of the Bard'. My family were vastly amused by the whole idea-and offered to ride shotgun! But when I related my experiences on my return, all agreed that the venture had been, not only well worth while, but a very heart warming experience. . The Heritage Trail is an official one, developed by the Scottish Tourist Board in co-operation with the Burns Federation. 32 The cottage at Alloway is, of course, the beginning-and there i~ stands, restored as closely as possible to its original state. Wandering through the cottage I couldn't help wondering how Agnes Burnes could have borne and reared her children in such cramped conditions. Still, I had the feeling that there was more happiness and contentment in this little house than in any palace and, as we all know, the Cotter's Saturday Night bears this out- The Parents, partial, eye their hopeful years Anticipation forward points the view, The mother, wi' her needle and her shears Gars auld claes look a'maist as we/I's new, The Father, mixes a', wi' admonition due. While lost in a reverie of things past, I was swiftly brought back to the present when a luxury coach pulled up outside the cottage and disgorged a bevy of American ladies-I knew they hailed from Texas for each lady wore on her bosom a large yellow rose! They were 'doing SCATLAND' in a day! Quite unashamedly I listened to their conversation and this is what I heard- " Gee, Betty, that old Kirkyard sure is a weird old place-I guess that's where Robert 'Boins' wrote MacBeth! No, no, Sadie" (replied her friend)- and I thought ah! here we have a Burns Purist-"He wrote that in the Highlands." What could we do but visit that weird old place- Alloway's Auld haunted Kirk Where ghaists an' houlets nightly cry As we know it was already a ruin in Burns' childhood days, and he had heard tales of horror and fear which afterwards inspired him to write the magnificent narrative poem Tam o'Shanter. As we moved from the Kirkyard to the Auld Brig o' Doon it was easy to imagine the exploits of Tam who, in the manner of all foolish men, ignored his good wife's advice- Ah, Gentle dames, it gars me greet To think how mony cooncils sweet How mony lengthy, sage advices The husband - frae the wife, despises. After-even just thinking about all that excitement, we were happy to sit down beside the beautiful Burns Monument, where lovely gardens provide a restful setting. The Burns family moved from Alloway to Mount Oliphant Farm and this was the next point in our tour. The fertile soil of Ayrshire today bears no resemblance to the condition of the ground in 1766. It was here that Robert first started to write-or as his biographers say "committed the sin of rhyme" when he wrote of young Nelly Kilpatrick- 0' ortce I loved a bonnie lass an' ay I love her still an' whilst the virtue warms my heart I'll love my handsome Nell. After a hard day's farming at Mount Oliphant, Robert would find his way in the evening to Kirkoswald. We found our way there too-through the quiet streets of Dalrymple where the young Robert Burns had some schooling under the tuition of Hugh Rodger. We took the bridge over the river Doon from Kyle into Carrick where his mother's folks had lived. This road must have had a strong effect on the poet's imagination for it was here that his mother gathered all the folk songs that she sang to her family and this must have sparked off the urge for him to write, 33 c collect and publish over five hundred songs-songs still sung today wherever Scots are gathered together. Robert tarried at Kirkoswald with Peggy Thomson­ but, at home, in Mount Oliphant things were bad for many reasons-so we followed the trail to Lochlea Farm. Here it was that our Poet was more prolific in his output and this included the plaintive 'Mary Morison' -written in fact for Alison Begbie, but even Burns would be working hard to find a ryhme for Begbie. When Robert's father died in 1784, the poet and his brother Gilbert, together with their mother and all the family, moved to Mossgiel. So we made our way along the road towards Mauchline. Mossgiel is situated at the top of a hill, and the field beside the road is the one where Robert turned up with his plough, the little mouse which inspired his ode to the- Wee sleekit, cowran, tim'rous Beastie with the classic and oft-quoted ending Still, thou art blest compared wi' me The present only toucheth thee, But oh, I backward cast my e' e On prospects dreer An' forward, tho' canna see I doubt and fear. In Mauchline too, can be seen the Churchyard where many of his family and friends are buried. Among them, Daddie Auld the minister with whom the poet did not exactly see eye to eye-he was too busy looking up from the stool of penitence! Here too, the grave of Kirk Elder Willie Fisher-Holy Willie who is immortalised in one of the greatest satirical poems ever written, Holy Willie's Prayer. Of course there was more trouble for Rabbie in Mauchline when young Elizabeth Paton comforted him after his father's death-COMpassion turned to P Assion -and she bore him a daughter which, being true to himself, he fully acknowledged- 'Tho' she came a wee unsought for'. About this time, he fell in love with Jean Armour and suffered all the ups and downs of that particular romance. Robert was bitterly disappointed when Jean was banished to Paisley-and sought comfort in the only two ways he knew, his poetry and Mary Campbell. We walked along the banks of the Afton Water thinking about the poet and poor frail Highland Mary and, as always-his words spoke to us How pleasant thy banks, and green valleys below Wliere wild, in the woodlands the primroses grow There oft, as mild ev'ning weeps over the lea The sweet scented birk shades my Mary and me. However; Jean and Rab got together again but he couldn't settle until he had tasted the joys of Edinburgh. We didn't follow him to Edinburgh because we were concerned with the Ayrshire Trail-so let's bring Robert back and settle him down with his Jean and his family. Now, we go to Ellisland Farm, built by Burns himselffor his bride. It lies beside the river Nith six miles north of Dumfries-everything at last seemed to point to the good life-but the old old story was repeated yet again, farming a dismal failure and Robert was glad to take what he could get for the farm and accept a post as Exciseman. The family again moved, this time to a fine sandstone house in the Mill Venne! 34 in the town of Dumfries. Another life was opened up for Burns and he entertained his many friends at home and at the Globe.Inn -where incidentally we had an excellent lunch, and an excellent afternoon's fellowship with fellow Burnsians. In the following years, the family lived in relative comfort until Robert's health, always precarious, broke down. How proud we were that hot summer to walk in the Steps of the Bard-we left our names in the Visitors' Books for those who follow to see-but the most important thing is that we have been left with an abiding love of Burns and the Burns country. We have come to realise that Burns, though he was a nationalist was not a bigot. Though he was an internationalist, he was not an eccentric. He was a Believer, but never a Prude-He was a Prophet, a Poet and a Prince among men. A Relic Hunter Hoaxed from the Dumfries Courier of 4th September, 1832. Some time ago, an Englishman gentleman, in passing through Dumfries, made a hurried visit to Burns' Mausoleum, as most strangers do, even when they have but a few minutes to spare. After inspecting everything, and snatching a vegetable relic from the plants in the shrubbery, he rewarded our friend, the beadle, for his trouble, bade him good day, and descended the steps leading to the cemetery. Between whiles, he cast a lingering look behind, and expressed as often, his admiration of the most remarkable churchyard in Britain; and before departing finally, handed his snuff-box to the sexton, and invited him to take a pinch. The invitation was accepted, and immediately honest George was asked if he knew of what material the box was made. 'Deed no, Sir, there's nae mony o them noo, I cana even guess, though it's maybe a Cumnock ane after aa.' 'Made at Cumnock!' said the other, with considerable pomposity, 'Nothing of the sort; the boxes you speak of are mere baubles in comparison to mine. That's a relic, the like of which you never saw before, will never see again, and which I would not part with for a whole gross ofbits of painted planetree. 'Aweel,' rejoined George, 'you may be very right, for I've often heard o things bein made out o the Crookstainde Yew an the Buss a boon Traquair, forbye the rafters o Allowa Kirk.' Stranger: 'There, friend, you're wrong again; and to be plain with you, that box was made out of the wood of Burns's coffin.' 'O, Burns's coffin!' said.the astonished sexton, 'Begging your pardon, Sir, that's as big a lee as ever was tell't, though am no saying you made it. I was present the hale time the grave was opened, and though some said the coffin was made o oak, it turned out juist to be common fir-and sae rotten, that the only fresh bit in't was a crumb no muckle bigger than my forefinger, which Mr Grierson, ane o our elders, took awa and got made into a cross, which Mrs Grierson whiles wears round her neck.' • 'Pooh!' said the other, 'I see how the land lies;' you winked at a little pilfering and don't like, as your countrymen say, to tell tales out of school.' 'No.' answered George firmly, 'the matter didna depend on me; the gentlemen of the Committee attended to everything-watched like a cat watching a mouse -an am willing to tak my oath to the truth o what I tell you, as can be dune by many respectable people, leevin in the town.' The stranger was so dumbfounded in turn, and after a brief pause went his way muttering 'I paid five guineas for that article, and you see how I have been hoaxed and bilked into the bargain. May a murrain light on the dishonest scoundrel; if ever I catch him, I'll cudgel him to ~toms.' 35 red roses, was strategically placed Dumfries behind 'Bonnie Jean's' Pew. Incidentally, whilst referring to Oetoeentenary Churches, I am sorry to say that the Lorebum United Free Church of Celebrations Scotland, about which Irving Miller's scholarly article made interesting (Continued and Concluded) reading in last year's Chronicle, with particular reference to the Bard's by D. R. H. Crichton frequent attendance at Worship in the original building, is soon to close its doors. 'Maggie by the banks o' Nith As I say, a real pot-pourri of events A dame wi' pride enough' took place between February and December in Dumfries to mark the In the last issue of the Chronicle, Grant of the Royal Charter 800 years David Smith wrote an account of the ago. And, as I have already alluded, Bums Supper organised by the South­ Robert Bums and his life in the town ern Scottish Counties Association to was featured prominently. The local mark the local Bumsian contribution fraternity (both sexes) saw to that. to the Dumfries Octocentenary Celeb­ The very fact that our own Wilson rations. That Supper, held on St Ogilvie was President of the Federa­ Valentine's Day, 1986, was the first tion for the major part of the time was major item, following the inaugural a particular bonus. His presence, nay, church service in St Michael's Parish active participation in most of the Church, in a myriad of events which events, testifies not only to a lively took place in the 'Queen of the South' interest in the town's affairs but also in the succeeding ten months. The to a supportive family and a robust 'Year' was brought to a close fittingly (Buchan) costitution. in a Valedictory Church Service again in St Michael's, presided over by Rev. Celebrity Concert John Pagan, on the same day (7th Each federated Club in Dumfries December) as there was televised to was asked to submit and manage one the nation a Special 'Songs of Praise' particular project. Some managed Service to mark the Octocentenary. more than one. The Ladies Club was Introduced by Cliff Michelmore, this responsible for the Jean Armour programme came from Crichton wreath-laying ceremony on 26th Royal Hospital Church, during which March, followed the same day by a Noel Dinwiddie and his assistant, Celebrity Concert given by Jean Red­ Mary Grierson, were seen being path in Dumfries Academy. As those interviewed in Noel's office/shop who heard her at the Stirling Confer­ (which was to be left not overly tidy ence can testify, Jean Redpath is not for the occasion!), followed by Imme­ only the true professional singer of diate Federation Past President, Wil­ Scots traditional songs, often to the son Ogilvie, appropriately in St original less well known tunes, she is Michael's. St Michael's Kirk had itself the 'down to earth' Fife lass who can been the venue for a Special Festival uniquely capture the complete atten­ of Flowers in September, depicting tion of a large audience with her the History of Dumfries in floral form, couthy comments. An evening of and the Robert Bums Display con­ sheer magic. 36 taining, naturally, an abundance of The Dumfries Bums Howff Club, not to be outdone by any club the Octocentenary Heritage Trail Leaflet, warld o'er when it comes to hard featured in the Scots Magazine by work, weighed in with two events. Tom Weir, the naturalist. The leaflet The first was a repeat of their 'Tam 0' was the product of some painstaking Shanter" reciting competition, the work by one man. Since the wording is final of which was held in June in the couched in terms simple enough to be Globe Inn. The team of judges understood by primary school­ comprised a high-powered triumvirate children, it could only have been ('three merry boys') - Wilson Ogil­ writted by a primary school-teacher - vie, Federation Past President, Tom Wilson Ogilvie once·again. He and a Mcilwraith, -and David Shankland, coterie of his school kids plus the bon viveur and apres diner raconteur Radio Solway producer, got a real extraordinaire (only he will excuse my 'drookin" gaun roon' the toon on the French). The winner of a most suc­ wet day of its 'flotation' in March. cessful competition masterfully Also 'roon' the toon' was the roving masterminded by Howff P. P. Jim camera of Border Television from Scott, was Arthur Williams of Mussel­ Carlisle, which featured Dumfries, burgh (just to show that whatever Robert Burns, aye and Wilson Ogilvie Dumfries may be, it isn't parochial). again, in a programme for Octocen­ The second Howff effort, the one tenary named predictably for Sasse­ which carried the Celebrations to a nach producers 'The King's Good suitably rousing finale, was a Concert Town'. This was broadcast in July. in the Academy by the Strings of The Guid Nychburris Festival in Scotland, under the baton of John June is normally the highlight of the Mason, in which, as at the Irvine Town's summer festivities. In 1986, Conference, the Bard's works took we had the added attraction of the pride of place. re-enactment of the historic Grant of The Hole in the Wa' Club's contri­ the Charter. In the evening, the bution took place (surprise, surprise) Charity procession of decorated floats in the Hole in the Wa' Inn, just along proceeded over roughly the same the High Street from the Globe. This ground under a sky of true Doon­ was a well organised Ceilidh in July, hamer blue, perfect for the Ladies which followed the customary annual Club members decked out on one wreath laying ceremony at the Brow lorry as the heroines of Burns Well, to mark the 190th anniversary of (marvellous what costume and the Poet's death. A truly packed make-up can do). The high summer house savoured food and entertain­ sunshine was rather less appropriate ment of the highest order. Among for the Howff Club's 'Tam O' many artistes who played, sang and Shanter'/Alloway Kirk set, which danced the night away was Max took pride of place on another float Houliston, permitted, I may say, to with its unkind remarks on a "tombs­ play his own accordion in his own tone" about a local butcher's mince public house. Especially welcome was pies (it said nothing about his haggis). a mini-bus contingent from the wri­ The writer's Dundonian grandson, ter's native Ayrshire, headed by the then aged four months, viewed these then Federation Junior Vice-President hysterical (sorry, historical) ongauns Enez Logan. with about as much enthusiasm as Burnsians view the poetic gems of 'The King's Good Town' William McGonigall. Taking more permanent form was Wilson Ogilvie popped up yet again Dumfries Burns Club's effort - an as an organising member of the 37 i;>umfries Natural History and Anti­ particular, Dumfries as an 18th cen­ quarian Society, who put on a Sympo­ tury port and Robert's work as an sium in the Theatre Royal on the exciseman in the area. It was opened History of Dumfries. (He also knows, with due ceremony on 15th May by incidentally, what a Symposium is). H.R.H. the Princess Alexandra, the Anyhow, the day's presentatfon was last local worthy in the line of presen­ peppered with allusions to the Bard's tation by the Provost of Nithsdale time in Dumfries, particularly a talk District Council being - aye, you've on the building of the Midsteeple guessed - Wilson Ogilvie. Your (1706), where his body was placed roving reporter was also informed that prior to the burial procession on 25th David Smith as Presidel).t of the July 1796. From the belfry of the same S.S.C.B.A. had also been presented building may daily be heard 'a melody to the royal visitor earlier that day. In that's sweetly played in tune,' follow­ September the District Council gave a ing the gift of a modem carillon of small reception at the Centre for the bells by a local benefactor to mark the Federation, the Southern Counties Octocentenary. and local Clubs, to show the civic appreciation for our interest and Theatre Royal involvement in a momentous 800th A personal delight following rep­ Celebration; and current President, resentation in which yours humbly Dr Jim Connor, also made it to the was involved that the Theatre Royal Council Chambers before the final should stage a Bums based theatrical curtain. production, was a series of perfor­ P.S. The writer, a mediocre reciter of mances of 'The Jolly Beggars' cantata 'Tam O' Shanter' for forty years, given by a group from the Dumfries missed that event. He may remember Musical and Operatic Society and the all the words of the epic, but he forgot local Guild of Players. The main work to enter the competition! was preceded by a duet motet by Geoff Davidson, baritone, and NOTE: The writer is presently Junior Janette Kevan, soprano, featuring Vice President of the among other love songs, the poet's S.S.C.B.A., a Past President parting with Clarinda - ··Ae Fond of Dumfries Burns Club and Kiss'. Of the Cantata itself I wrote at a member also of Dumfries the time in my Diary 'a rollicking, Howff Burns Club. rumbustious effort, about as bawdy as a modem T.V. play, not for your NewSongAtbum maiden aunt, mind, but a fair account of the gangrel bodies". At the end, I DRUMALBAN'S new album "Col­ looked, as is my wont, at the stony lection of Scottish songs" is now face of the Bard set on his plinth high available. It features the songs of above the auditorium. I'm sure I saw Robert Burns in particular, and him smile! Bums's portrait is featured on the I have left to the end the most cover. For your copy, please send a important and lasting addition to the cheque or money order, payable to Robert Bums scene in Dumfries - Ray McMahon, for 2 British pounds the new Interpretation Centre on the or 4 American or Canadian dollars to Millgreen. The building was a disused Ray McMahon, 5109 Biltmore Street, Mill on the Maxwelltown (west) bank San Diego, California 92117. Your of the Nith and has been tastefully copy will be rushed to you by return of 38 restored and refurbished to portray, in post. John Lewars "A young man of uncommon merit" ·By James L. Hempstead On 26th December 1789, a young man of twenty entered the service of the Excise as a gauger at Linlithgow. His name was John Lewars and he was following in the footsteps of his father, also John Lewars, who had been Supervisor of Excise at Dumfries at the time of his death on 22nd April 1789. Within six months young John was transferred to the Dumfries Excise Collection. He had two sisters living in Dumfries-Mary and Jessie. Mary had married William Hyslop, a local builder, and it is possible that John's early transfer was on compassionate grounds, in order to provide for his younger sister, Jessie, who was then only eleven years 1 ofage • The Rev. Charles Rogers in The Book of Robert Burns states that "Jessie, after her father's death in 1789, took up her abode with her brother, who occupied a small dwelling at Mill Brae (now Burns Street) Dumfries." There appears to be some ambiguity, however, as to when the Lewars occupied the house at Mill Brae or Mill Venne!. A court action was raised by one, Samuel Blount on 2nd Api:il 1792, to remove John and Jessie Lewars'from their "high Lodging, cellar and garret lying in the high street of Dumfries. "2 It is possible that John and Jessie Lewars did not take up residence at Mill Brae until sometime in 1792, following their removal from High Street. One of John Lewars' fellow officers at Dumfries was Robert Burns, who had taken up duty the previous year. Although Lewars was ten years younger than the poet, a warm friendship quickly developed between them; no doubt it was further cemented in April 1793 when Burns and his family moved into a house in l\ilill Brae opposite that occupied by the Lewars. A Register of the Dumfries Excise Collection for 1791 shows that Lewars'· first station was in the 2nd Itinerancy. He remained in that post until 1799, when he was transferred to the lst Itinerancy, Burns' old circuit, and like the poet it involved him in riding some two hundred miles per week. In an Ages and Capacities Register for 1794 he was described as "a good officer" and marked "a" i.e. fit for promotion. Official records also reveal that he was reprimanded in 1795, but no reason is given, which seems to suggest that the offence was of a minor nature. In 1792, Lewars took an active part in the capture of the smuggling vessel Rosamond, an incident that has been clouded by colourful accounts and dubious claims. The episode was first mentioned by John Lockhart in his Life ofRobert Burns, published in 1828: I On the 27th of February a suspicious looking brig was discovered on the So/way Firth, and Burns was one ofthe party whom the superintendent conducted to watch her motions. She got into shallow water the day afterwards, and the officers were enabled to discover that her crew were numerous, armed, and not likely to yield without a struggle. Lewars, a brother excisemen, an intimate friend ofour poet, was accordingly sent to Dumfries for a guard of Dragoons; the superintendent, Mr Crawford, proceeded himselfon a similar errand to Ecclefechan, and Burns was left with some men under his orders, to watch the brig and prevent landing or escape. From the private journal ofone 39 I I ofthe excisemen (now in my hands) it appears that Burns manifested considerable impatience while thus occupied, being left for many hours in a wet salt marsh, with a force he knew to be inadequate for the purpose it was meant to fulfil. One ofhis comrades hearing him abuse his friend Lewars in particular, for being slow about his journey, the man answered that he also wished the devil had him for his pains, and that Burns, in the meantime, would do well to indite a song upon the sluggard. Burns said nothing; but after taking a few strides among the reeds and shingle, rejoined his party, and chanted to them the well known ditty, "The Deil's run awa' wi' the Exciseman." Lewars and Crawford eventually returned with a combined force of forty-four Dragoons. By this time the brig had drifted to the English side of the Solway, which was mostly dry sand. When the crew saw the Dragoons and Excisemen wading out to the ship in three columns, one led by Burns, they gave up the fight and made their escape toward the English shore. Lockhart concludes his account: The vessel was condemned, and, with all her arms and stores, sold by auction next day at Dumfries; upon which occasion Burns, whose behaviour had been highly commended, thought fit to purchase four carronades, by way oftrophy. But his glee went a step further-he sent the guns, with a letter, to the French Convention, requesting that body to accept them as a mark ofhis admiration and respect. The present and its accompaniment, were intercepted at the custom house at Dover. Lockhart gave as his source, "the private journal ofone of the excisemen, (John Lewars) now in my hands." Later it was revealed that he had been indebted for this document and two others to Joseph Train, antiquary and Supervisor of Excise at Castle Douglas, who had furnished Sir Walter Scott with material for his Waverley Novels. It appears that Train had passed the Rosamond documents to Sir Walter, who had handed them over to Lockhart, his son-in-law, then in the course of writing his biography of Burns. In a letter (undated) which Train sent to Robert Carruthers of the Inverness Courier, he stated that Lockhart's account was based on three documents which he (Train) had received from John Lewars' widow: (1) the original diary of a Mr Walter Crawford, a riding officer of the Excise, who was present at the seizure of the brig; (2) an account of the seizure and sale of the vessel in the handwriting of Burns himself, and (3) a document written by Mr John Lewars, who also was present at the capture, "detailing the circumstances of Burns having purchased the four carronades at the sale." Train also stated that Sir Walter "applied to the Custom House authorities, who, after considerable search, found that they had been seized at the port of Dover, as stated by Mr Lewars in his memorandum. " 3 For over a hundred years Lockhart's story of the carronades was treated with the utmost scepticism by subsequent biographers. This was due, in the main, to the absence of the three documents, mentioned by Train. Round about the centenary of Scott's death (1932), a large number of manuscripts, which had lain at Abbotsford for over a century, were transferred to the National Library of Scotland. Among them were three documents concerning the schooner Rosamond; (1) the journal of Walter Crawford; (2) two large sheets in Burns' handwriting, setting forth the expenses incurred in repairing, guarding and laying up the vessel and (3) a notice of the sale, to which was attached an inventory, apparently in John Lewars' hand, of the sails, spars, rigging and furnishings, with a brief summary of the amounts realised in the auction. Unfortunately Lewars' account of. 40 the purchase of the carronades by Bums, and their despatch to France, was not The Norih End of Mill Brae or Venne/ wilh Burns' House on 1he righ 1. (From a ske1ch in sepia by W. L. Lei1ch, made about 1827).

Mill Brae or Venne/ looking south. Burns' House is al 1he /efl, and 1he Lewars' dwelling was probably one of the s mall houses on lhe exlreme righ1. 41 among the documents recovered. The discovery of two of the three manuscripts cited by Train, would seem to indicate, however, that Lewars' account also was among the papers handed to Sir Walter. It should be noted that Crawford was not a superintendent, as described by LockharL There was no such rank in the Excise; as riding officer he ranked as officer and never rose to a higher position. In 1793 he was divorced by his wife, testimony about his promiscuity being given by Lewars and John Rankine, an 4 excise officer, who also was present at the capture of the Rosamond. The origin of "The Deil's Awa' "also has been the subject of much doubt and speculation down the years. The most sensible assessment, made to date, is by Prof. James Kinsley in his notes on the song. He recounts the story, as told by Lockhart, and then proceeds: We are rightly suspicious of such tales of spontaneous composition, which are frequent in the Burns myth; but the wait by the Sol way may have been the occasion of the song later revised and set. Cromek says that Burns was called on for a song at an Excise Dinner in Dumfries, and "handed these verses extempore to the President, written on the back of a letter." (Reliques, 1808, p448); a more unlikely tale than Lockhart's. Editors have read Burns' letter to John Leven (March? 1792) as confirmation of Cromek's note. "Mr Mitchell," he says, "mentioned to you a ballad, which I composed and sung at one of his Excise Court dinners: here it it ... "This is the source of Cromek's note, perhaps; but Burns does not say that the song was composed at the dinner. 5 We doubt ifeven the recovery of Lewars' journal would settle this argument. About 1795 Burns wrote a poem called "The Hue and Cry of John Lewars." He preceded the verses with a note: A poor man ruined and undone by Robbery and Murder. Being an aweful WARNING to the young men of this age, how they look well to themselves in this dangerous, terrible WORLD.- A THIEF, AND AM URDERER! stop her who can! Look well to your lives and your goods! Good people, ye know not the hazard you run, 'Tis the far-famed and much-noted WoODS.- While I looked at her eye, for the devil is in it, Ina trice she whiptoffmy poor heart: Her brow, cheek and lip-in another sad minute, My peace felt her murderous dart.- Her features, I'll tell you them over-but hold! She deals with your wizards and books; And to peep in her face, ifbut once you're so bold, There's witchery kills in her looks.- But softly-I have it-her haunts are well known, At midnight so slily I'll watch her; And sleeping, undrest, in the dark, all alone­ Good lord! the dear THIEF HOW I'LL CATCH HER!

The note and the poem would appear to be a bit of playful satire on Burns's part, as the verses were almost certainly written on a love affair of John Lewars. The original MS is in the Burns Museum at Alloway. A footnote, thought to be in 42 .. '...... ~ John Syme's hand, states, "John Lewars, Land Surveyor in Dumfries; Miss Woods, Governess at Miss McMurdo's boarding school." Apparently Miss Woods was not the only object of Lewars' affection. In a letter which Burns sent to John Gillespie, an unsuccessful suitorof Jean Lorimer, (Burns's "Chloris") he mentions that: "The great rivals now with Miss Jeany are our bretheren Officers, Messrs Lewars and Thomson. -They are both deeply in love, but the lady does not favour the one or the other." Syme describes Lewars as a Land Surveyor. It is well known that many excisemen had subsidiary occupations and evidently Lewars augmented his excise income by undertaking surveying work. This is corroborated from a manuscript in Dumfries Burgh Records. It is docketed "Proposal by J. Lewars for publishing a map of the Town and Borough Roads of Dumfries, 1796/16May1796. Read.in Council to lye on the table." WhenBurnsdiedon2lstJuly 1796,Jean, his widow, was in no position to carry out the many duties attendent upon such a melancholy event. On the day of the funeral she was giving birth to a son, later christened Maxwell in honour of Burns's physician, Dr William Maxwell. In his extremity, John Lewars and his sister Jessie proved true and devoted friends. Jessie took care of the children, while John undertook many of the essential tasks, writing letters to friends and relatives informing them of Burns's death. Indeed it is from one of those letters that we learn of the reconciliation which took place between Mrs Dunlop and the poet a short time before his death. Their correspondence, which had brought much joy and satisfaction to both, had been terminated abruptly eighteen months previously by Mrs Dunlop, who presumably had taken offence at some remark made by Burns in one of his letters. Eleven days before he died he sent her a heart-rending letter of farewell. Lewars' letter to Mrs Dunlop, written on the day following the poet's death, contains the only evidence that she had replied. Preserved in Edinburgh University Library, it is as follows: MADAM, -At the desire ofMrs Burns I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, and at same time to inform you ofthe melancholy and much-regretted event ofMr Burns's death. He expired on the morning ofthe 21st., after a long and severe illness. Your kind letter gave him great ease and satisfaction, and was the last thing he was capable ofperusing or understanding. The situation ofhis unfortunate widow and family ofmost promising boys, Mrs Dunlop's feelings and affection for them will much easier paint than I can possibly express, more particularly when Mrs Dunlop is informed that Mrs Burns's situation is such that she is expected to ly-in dayly. I am certain that a letter from Mrs Dunlop to Mrs Burns would be a very great consolation, and her kind advice most thankfully received. I am, with the greatest respect, your most obedient and very humble servant. ]NO. LEWARS. Dumfries, 22ndluly, 1796. Another friend of Burns, to whom Lewars wrote conveying the mournful news, was Willie Nicol, ex-classical master of the High School, Edinburgh, and Burns's travelling companion on his Highland Tour in 1787. Nicol's reply, coming as it does from a man of great talent and ability, shows how deeply he was affected and how highly he esteemed Burns, both as man and poet. Two extracts from his letter, also in Edinburgh University Library, are worth quoting: Since the death ofour friend, an oppressive gloom, as deep as the darkest shades ofnight, hang over me; I can no longer view the face ofNature, with the same rapture; and social joy is blighted to me, for ever. - It gives me great 43

I pain to see, that the encomiums, passed upon him, both in the Scotch and English news-papers, are mingled with reproaches, of the most indelicate and cruel Nature. But stupidity & idiotcy rejoice, when a great and an immortal genius falls; and they pour forth their invidious reflections, without reserve, well knowing, that the dead Lion, from whose presence, they formerly scudded away, with terror, and, at whose voice they trembled through every nerve, can devour no more. He then enquires about what has happened to the money Burns received from the Edinburgh Edition, and reports on the slow progress the subscription list for the benefit ofBurns's family is making in the Capital. He concludes his letter: The"Fanatics have now got it into their heads, that dreadful bursts of penetential sorrow issued from the breast ofour friend, before he expired. But if I am not much mistaken in relation to his firmness, he would disdain to have his dying moments disturbed with the sacerdotal gloom, & the sacerdotal howls. I knew he would negotiate with God alone, concerning his immortal interests. Give my best compliments to MRs Burns, & tell her I shall never [be] [wjanting to the interests ofher. -In a word we [shjall never see the like of Burns again. His poems, constructed on a slender, nay almost aerial basis, one word) the most expansive vigour ofgenius. Where material [one word] would have been wanting perhaps to almost every other Mortal [one word] like an electrical kite soars aloft, & draws down etherial [one word] from heaven. I am, [one or two words], yours Will: Nicol Lewars married Barbara Howe of Gretna in 1799 and there were two children of the marriage. For reasons unknown, he quit the Excise in 1807 and rented the farm of Lauder at Caerlaverock. Perhaps he was tired of the drudgery of riding round the various parishes of the lst Itinerancy in all weathers, or had he become disheartened that the promotion, for which he had been recommended in 1794, had failed to materialise? No reason is recorded in official records. Apparently his venture into farming was not a success as we find him back in the Excise in 1817. His subsequent movements in the service would seem to indicate that he was employed for several years as a relief supervisor: Kincardine on Forth 1817, Linlithgow 1817, Dunkeld 1818, Inveraray 1818, Montrose 1819 and Dumfries 1820, where he remained until his retiral in 1824 on a pension of £160 per annum, a goodly sum in those days. He died two years later aged 57, at his home, Rydedale Cottage, Troqueer. It is interesting to note that Joseph Train succeeded him as Supervisor at Dumfries in 1824. 6 John Lewars' place in Burnsiana has been somewhat overshadowed by his younger sister, Jessie, who nursed the poet in his last illness, and was the subject of several poems and songs by Burns, including the incomparable, "O wert thou in the cauld blast." John Lewars' place in the Burns story, however, is equally secure. Although he was ten years younger than Burns, he quickly won the poet's friendship and respect. He appears to have been a young man of some education and above the average of the common gauger. Burns once described him as "a particularfriend of mine," and "as a young man of uncommon merit-indeed by far the cleverest fellow I have met with in this part of the world." Lewars reciprocated Burns' affection by devoted service to him and his family during his 44 illness and after his death. For this he will always be fondly remembered. SOURCES 1. J. F. Mitchell-"Burns' Excise Associates," Scottish Genealogist, 1959, Vo! VII No 2, pp 15-16. 2. Dumfries Burgh Records, MS, "Summons of Removing, 1792," dated 2 April, 1792. 3. Henry W. Meikle-"Burns and the Capture of the Rosamond," Burns Chronicle, 1934. also Franklin Bliss Snyder-"Burns and the Smuggler Rosamond," Modern Language Association ofAmerica, Voll, No 2, June, 1935. 4. J. F. Mitchell-"Burns' Excise Associates," Scottish Genealogist, 1959, Vo! VII, No 2, p 14. 5. James Kinsley- The Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, Vo! III, Commentary, p 1408. 6. J. F. Mitchell-"Burns' Excise Associates," Scottish Genealogist, 1959, Vo! VII, No2, p 15. Rags and Mags ByR. Peel Of the 600 and more poems and songs written by Burns more than half were published posthumously. During his lifetime the major sources of published material of course, were the Kilmarnock edition, the Edinburgh editions ofl787 and 1793, Johnson's Scots Musical Museum and Thomson's Select Collection. Some more political sensitive pieces however, were circulated singly or in broadsides, as in the case of 'The Heron Ballads' (Kinsley 491to494), 'The Kirk's Alarm' (264), and possibly 'The Twa Herds or HolyTulzie' (52). The more virulent pieces such as 'Holy Willie's Prayer' (53) and 'The Jolly Beggars' (84) were circulated in tracts after the poet's death. For the purposes of this article however, we are concerned with those pieces which during the poet's lifetime first saw public light of day via the popular press. Some pieces were trifles: 'A Highland Welcome' (173) and' A Grace before dinner' and 'Grace after Meat' (266, 267). Others show Burns when he ceased to 'rhyme for fun' and adopted a dutiful role more fitting a Poet Laureate in 'Prologue, Spoken by Mr Woods on his Benefit night' (151), 'Elegy on the Year 1788' (250) and 'A toast on Rodney's Victory' ( 402). Not all were on this rather dismal level and readers may be surprised to find that the 'Address to a Haggis' (136), 'Scots, wha hae' (425), 'Is there for honest Poverty' (482) and 'Tam o' Shanter' (321) all appeared first in periodicals. Readers who are familiar with the poet's lines 'To a Gentleman who had sent him a Newspaper' (282) will realise that Burns had a lively interest in current events and kept up a frequent correspondence with Edinburgh and London newspapers: Kind Sir, I've read your paper through Andfaith, to me, 'twas really new! How guessed ye, Sir, what maist I wanted? This many a day I've grain' d andgaunted, To ken what French mischief was brew in; Or what the drumlie Dutch were doin. This piece was sent to Peter Stuart, editor of The Star, of which at one time 45

I there were two in London. Stuart, who was Burns's chief London \:On tact, had connections with a confusing number of newspapers-some of which were simply changes of name-The Morning Pust, The Star and Evening Advertiser, The Morning Star, Stuart's Star and The Star. Burns contributed several pieces to Stuart and was offered fifty-two guineas a year (equal to his Excise salary) for a weekly poe!Jl. This was in 1789 and the offer was repeated in 1795 when Stuart had The Oracle. - It was as a result of Stuart sending the poet free copies of his paper that the piece above, 'Kind Sir, I've read your paper through' was penned, and he urged Stuart never 'put my name to anything I send, except where I myself set it down at the head or foot of the piece'. Consequently his 'Ode, Sacred to the Memory of Mrs Oswald of Auchencruive' (243) was signed 'Tim Nettle,' the prose 'Address of the Scottish Distillers' was signed 'John Barleycorn' and the 'Ode to the Departed Regency Bill, 1789' (258) was signed 'Agricola.' Controversy arose over The Star printing some verses on the Duchess of Gordon, supposedly by 'Burns, the ploughing poet'. They were reprinted in The Gazeteer and Burns wrote strongly denying authorship and complained, in The Gazeteer and New Daily Advertiser, of 29th March (1789), 'another forgery of the • like nature was committed to me'. In spite ofBurns's denials, the Duchess of Gordon poem (630) is included in most standard editions of the poet's works­ though Kinsley expresses his misgivings. It appears that the poet had an amiable relationship with Stuart; the poet notified him of his plans concerning the headstone over Fergusson's grave and forwarded the song 'Anna, thy charms my bosom fire' (192). When Stuart's free copies became somewhat irregular he responded with; Dear Peter, dear Peter, We poor sons ofmetre, Are often negleckit, ye ken; For instance, your sheet, man, (Tho' gladl'mtosee'tman), I get it no ae day in ten. (Kinsley 263) Other Burns poen:is were printed in Scottish newspapers, notably in Edinburgh. The poet sent several pieces to The Caledonian Mercury, The Edinburgh Evening Courant and to periodicals such as The Scots Magazine and The Edinburgh Magazine. It does not follow that all pieces were obtained directly from Burns of course since he gave many to friends. Mrs Dunlop was especially fortunate in this respect, and poems were sent to Josiah Walker, Robert Cleghorn, Robert Ainslie, etc. The first Heron Ballad for example was distributed among 'friends all over the country'. Burns continues his association with the London press throughout his life and in .1794 Patrick Miller offerd him a position on The Morning Chronicle and urged that he moved to London. The reason Burns gave for refusing was that his political views might place him and his family in jeopardy. He did, however, send Miller 'Scots, wha hae' (425)-with the caution that it be publish.ed anonymously-and agreed to send 'a bagatelle now and then'. A more comprehensive list of pieces which, during the poet's lifetime, first became publicly available via the press is:- 1. 'Address to a Haggis' (Kinsley 136); The Ca/edonian Mercury, 19 Dec. 1786; 46 The Scots Magazine, Jan. 1787. 2. 'Prologue Spoken by Mr Woods on his Benefit Night' (151); The Edinburgh EveningCourant, 19Apr.1787; TheCaledonianMercury, 19Apr.1787. 3. 'Written with a Pencil over the Chimney-piece at Kenmore' (169); The Edinburgh Evening Courant, 6 Sept. 1787; The Edinburgh Magazine, Sept. 1788; The Bee, 28 March 1792. 4. 'Elegy on the Year 1788' (250); The Edinburgh Evening Courant, lOJan. 1789; Lloyds Evening Post, 12 Jan.1789. 5. 'On the Duchess of Gordon's Reel Dancing' ( 630); The Star, 27 March 1789; The Gazeteer, Apr. 1789. Kinsley questions whether this is by Bums and lists it under 'Dubia'. 6. 'Ode to the departed Regency bill 1789' (258); The Star, 17 Apr. 1789. 7. 'Anna, thy charms my bosom fire' (192); The London Star, 18 Apr. 1789. 8. 'Ode, Sacred to the Memory of Mrs Oswald of Auchencruive' (243); The Star, 7May1789. 9. 'A new Psalm for his Majesty's recovery' (260); The Morning Star, 14 May 1789. • 10". 'A Grace before Dinner' and 'Grace after Meat' (266/267); The Edinburgh Evening Courant, 27 Aug. 1789. 11. 'Captain Grose's Peregrinations' (275); The Edinburgh Evening Courant, 27 Aug.1789; The Kelso Chronicle, 4Sept.1789; The Glasgow Weekly Miscellany, 3May1790; The Edinburgh Magazine, Oct 1791; The Scots Magazine, Nov. 1791. 12. 'Verse written en a window of the Inn at Carron' (165); The Edinburgh Evening Courant, 5 Oct. 1789. 13. 'Tam Glen' (236); The Edinburgh Magazine, Nov.1789; The Edinburgh Evening Courant, 22 Dec. 1789. 14. 'The Humble Petition ofBruar Water' (172); The Edinburgh Magazine, Nov. 1789. 15. 'Prologue for Dumfries Theatre' (278); The St J ames's Chronicle and British Evening Post, 14Jan.1790. 16. 'Elegy on Capt. Matthew Henderson' (239); The Edinburgh Magazine, Aug. 1790. 17. 'Tam o' Shanter' (321); The Edinburgh Magazine, March 1791; The Evening Herald, 18March1791. (Grose'sAntiquities ofScotland was published Apr. 1791). 18. 'Address, to the Shade of Thomson' (331); The Edinburgh Advertiser, 13 Sept. 1791, The Gentleman's Magazine, Nov. 1791; The European Magazine, Nov. 1791; The Glasgow Weekly Miscellany, 2 Nov. 1791. 19. 'Written in Friars' Carse Hermitage' (223 B); The Glasgow Weekly Miscellany, 31 Nov.1791). I 20. 'The Whistle' (272); The London Star, 2 Nov. 1791; The Edinburgh Evening Courant, 5 Nov. 1791; The Edinburgh Herald, 6 Nov. 1791; The Edinburgh Magazine, Nov.1791. 21. 'A Highland Welcome' (173); The Edinburgh Evening Courant, 2July1792. 22. 'Here's a Health to them that's awa' (391); The Edinburgh Gazeteer, 1792. 23. 'A Toast on Rodney's Victory' ( 402); The Edinburgh Advertiser, 19 Apr. 1793. 24. 'Sonnet, on the Death of Robert Riddel' ( 445); The Dumfries Journal, 22 Apr. 1794; The London Morning Chronicle, 10May1794; The Gentleman's Magazine, May 1794; The Scottish Register, April/June. 25. 'Scots, wha hae' (425); The Morning Chronicle, 8May 1794. 26. 'Wiltthou be my Dearie' (444); The Morning Chronicle, lOMay 1794. 47 27. 'Does haughty Gaul invasion threat?' (484); The Edinburgh Courant, 4 May 1795; TheDumfriesJournal, 5May1795; TheCaledonianMercury, 7May 1795. 28. 'Is there, for honest Poverty' (482); The Glasgow Magazine, Aug. 1795; The Oracle, 2June 1796. 29. 'Owatyewha'sinyon town' (488); The Glasgow Magazine, Sept. 1795. It can be seen from the above that the number of pieces published in the press forms a small but interesting collection. It continued after his death with pieces such as the' Address to the Toothache' (500); The Scots Magazine, Oct. 1797. But after Currie's edition of 1800 further pieces which appeated first in periodicals were of minor interest. An exception would be the' Address of Beelzebub' (108), in The Scots Magazine, Feb. 1818. As we know, Burns was not interested in monetary gain and between the Edinburgh editions of 1787 and 1793 he was obviously looking for an outlet. As he expressed it with regard to his 'Lament for James Earl of Glen cairn' (344): 'But in what way shall I publish it? It is too small a piece to publish alone. The way which suggests itself to me is to send it to the publisher of one of the most reputed periodical works- The Bee, for instance.' The piece incidentally was not published in The Bee, but appeared in the Edinburgh edition of 1793. The Ronalds of the Bennals By Heather B. Ronald Chambers' Life and Works of Robert Burns: "Mr Ronald is bankrupt", he While researching a history of the writes, "You will easily guess, that Ronald family, originally from 'Ben­ from his insolent vanity in his sunshine, nals' in Tarbolton, Ayrshire, I became of life, he will feel a little retaliation curious as to repeated references to from those who thought themselves the banlcruptcy of a William Ronald in eclipsed by him, for, poor fellow, I do 1789. At least five published works not think he ever intentionally injured have included the statement that anyone. I might indeed perhaps William Ronald of Bennals went except his wife, whom he certainly has bankrupt in that year, quoting a letter used very ill . . . " from Robert Burns as the source of It seemed odd to me that a man information. could be a bankrupt, yet retain full ownership of his farm, which Encyclopeadia by 1) The Burns remained in the family for another 100 Maurice Lindsay (1959) p.317-318. years afterwards. The reference to at the Time of Burns 2) Ayrshire 'ill-use' of a wife was quite incompat­ p.145. (1959) ible with everything known of the in Burns by J. D. Ross 3) Who's Who Ronald family and I determined to dig p.266. deeper. of Scotland (1825-26). 4) Directory After more than a year of searching 5) The Ayrshire Book of Burns-Lore Scottish records by writing to those M. Boyle p.22. by A. concerned, the truth finally came to A letter from Robert Burns to his light. This proves that the 'Mr brother, William, was written on lOth Ronald' of Burns's letter was not November, 1789 and is quoted at William Ronald of Bennals. some length in The Burns Encyclo­ Whoever first edited these letters 48 paedia and at greater length in Robert made a serious error, an error that has unfortunately been perpetuated by William is printed at length and later writers who did not take the 'Mr Ronald' is identified correctly trouble to check out primary sources. in a footnote. viz; Oct. 23. 1789. I believe also, that in evaluation of the Sequestration. Mr Wm. Ronald, poem 'The Ronalds of the Bennals' tobacconist, Mauchline. the comments of Bums about 'Mr Ronald' - thought erroneously to be I feel that the evidence presented in the Laird of Bennals - have coloured the preceding paragraphs is sufficient the views of various scholars. to prove the correct identity of the To put the record straight and bankrupt Mr Ronald. remove any stigma attached to the I am a freelance historian with a Ronald family of Bennals, I present number of published books and maga­ the following pieces of evidence. zine articles to my credit, so I realise the importance of facts when writing 1) William Ronald of Bennals, Tar­ history. However, I also study oral bolton lived on the farm with his history, in the belief that family wife, son Hugh and four daughters. tradition often holds much truth. In The eldest daughter, Isabella, born the matter of Robert Bums's associa­ in 1756, married Alexander Bruce tion with the Ronalds of the Bennals, of Shaw; Jean, born in 1759, it is difficult after more than 200 years married John Reid of Langlands; to find much substance apart from the Anne, born in 1767, married poem he wrote about them. Matthew Paterson and Mary, born I feel that this poem has been the in 1769, married Robert Steven. basis for almost everything written All the publications listed above about Bums and the Ronald family, mention only two daughters, Jean much of which is probably wrong. I and Anna or Anne. have seen extracts from a book called 2) Handwritten pages (927-929) held The Love Songs and Heroines of in the Scottish Record Office on Robert Burns by Rev John C. Hill reference Ol:8/205 pertaining to the (1961) viz; 'He would fain have Sequestration of William Ronald offered heart and hand to Anne on Petition to the Court of Session Ronald but again he feared a sum­ by John Muir of Glasgow, 7th mary dismissal and contented himself October, 1789, John Muir being with celebrating his timid passion with 'Creditor to William Ronald, mer­ verse . . . The two young ladies were chant and tobacconist in Mauch­ spoken of as the predominant belles of line'. the district.' 3) Connection of Bums to the above So much has been written about the William Ronald is shown on page life of Robert Bums and con'tinues to 317 of The Burns Encyclopaedia by be written, that his greatness seems Maurice Lindsay. Here William only to grow with each new generation Ronald is listed as 'A Mauchline who come to read and enjoy his tobacconist, care of whom Bums wonderful verse. The Ronald family sent a parcel of two copies of the proudly still - as they always have Edinburgh Edition to George done -. wonder at the fame of the Reid'. kinswomen so admired by the poet. 4) The Life and Works of Robert Nevertheless he was only a poor Burns by Robert Chambers, pub­ farmer's son and so was his brother, lished in 1896 refers to the matter. Gilbert, which meant that in the 18th On page 124 of volume 3 the letter century they were not considered from Robert Bums to his brother eligible bachelors. Times have 49 D changed greatly and few daughters the girls) asked the servant to 'hunt take so much notice of their parents' him off the premises'. objections to possible husbands. There are statues and other A newspaper article in the Kilmar­ memorials to Robert Burns in many nock Standard of 14th January 1905, parts of Australia, including capital seemingly based on earlier items in cities, and his birthday is widely the Ayr Advertiser and Glasgow Her­ celebrated. It is an interesting coinci­ ald, is of interest. It contains an dence that my elder son, also William interview with an elderly woman who Ronald, shares the same birthdate. had known Annie Ronald and said, Another item of interest is that the 'Oh, aye, I kenn'd Jean, tae, an' a' "Burns Memorial in Sydney was the Ronalds o' the Bennals fine . . . unveiled around the turn of the They were coonted big folk lang syne. century by a grandson of Jean Ronald, Mr Ronald was laird o' his ain farm'. Sir George Houston Reid, premier of N.S.W. and later Prime Minister of The article stated that Annie Australia. Ronald, who had married Mr Pater­ I do not think the poem 'The son, died in 1828, aged 61 years, and Ronalds of the Bennals' is wholly was buried in the Monkton Church­ satirical, as has been implied by some yard. The writer concluded that as she commentators. I believe Burns is was born in 1767, the same year as paying genuine compliments to the Jean Armour, she was therefore eight family and liked them. My own years younger than the poet. interpretation of his feeling for Anne The latter part of the article is determined by the fact that I believe referred to reminiscences of someone she was only 11 or 12 years old when who had met many years earlier an old he knew her first. He does not lady who had been a 'servant lassie' at mention Isabella, who was married in Bennals. She· said that 'old Mrs 1778, so she must have left Bennals Ronald didn't like Burns', and before the time described in the whenever she saw him coming (to see verses. The Burns family left Lochlea WILLIAM RONALD married JEAN BOYD of Bennals 1754 of Kilmarnock

Hugh m Janet Wilson Isabel Jean Anne Mary 1795 I I William m Janet Murdoch 1833

William m Annie Swan (in Australia) 1884

William m Gwladis Chirnside 1920

Peter m Heather Lambert 1949

William Bennals was sold by the Ronald family in 1885. The above condensed 'tree' shows only the direct 50 line of descent from Jean and Anne Ronald's fathep to the writer's family. in 1784 and whilst a young lad of 19 appeared in The New Moon over a may have been 'hunted off the pre­ few months in the 1850s. I do not have mises' by a concerned mother, this is any doubts as to the authenticity of hardly likely in a young man of 24 or the facts, although no names are thereabouts. I think Anne Ronald was recorded in the magazine, thus mak­ a young, happy girl of gaiety and ing the identity of the writer impossi­ sweetness who was an adoring 'fan' of ble - this being the practice adopted the brilliant poet and that he, being for all articles. gentle and kind-hearted, appreciated The article goes (or flows) as fol­ this. lows:- I would like to date the poem or It was in the summer of '23 that, in song at 1780 and will be most inter­ company with a friend, I paid my first ested to know if an actual date is visit to the 'Clachan'. And it was with known. no ordinary feelings of lively anticipa­ tion that we left the Kilmarnock coach at Mauchline, to enjoy a quiet evening I Kenned walk for about four miles towards the village of Tarbolton. The sun was RabBurns beaming from his aerial throne in the west, above the hills of Arran, and a Brawlies sweeter scene cannot be imagined By Bill Sutherland than that which now opened upon us. As 'the dying day's glory' fell on the In 1839 Crichton Royal Institution woods and waters of Coila, it forcibly was founded by Mrs Crichton in recalled to our mind the beautiful memory of her husband, Dr James lines of its own minstrel, where Crichton, and it was regarded, for 'Deep lights and shades, bold many years, as the foremost J,Ilental mingling threw hospital in Europe, catering for the A lustre grand, wealthier of the time. In the hospital And seemed to our astonished there are books from what was only view the second hospital library, and, A well-known land'. fortunately, all monthly copies, from Wending our way through embow­ 1844 to 1937, of what was the first ering woods, which overshadow the hospital magazine - The New Moon. road for the greater part of the The latter was a periodical written intervening distance, about half an entirely by the patients, and printed in hour's smart walking brought us to the the Crichton. It truly proves the truth small hamlet of Blackhill. It stands of the thin dividing line which exists embosomed, at the bottom of a between genius and mental disorder. Strath, amid overhanging trees and The volumes of the magazine con­ sloping banks, through which the little tain some three or four thousand streamlet of Fail finds its way into the poems and, in addition, many articles, river Ayr, at this romantic spot. This written by the patients, telling of their wimpling burn has turned 'Willie's experiences. A very high standard was Mill', and danced in the sunbeams in attained. its erratic wanderings under the As we are at present researching the 'banks and braes around the Castle o' hospitals in the Dumfries and Gallo­ Montgomery', and now quietly min­ way area, it is interesting to record an gles its crystal waters with those of account of a visit to Tarbolton by one 'hermit Ayr' at this place. As our patient and his companion, which curiosity began to be considerably 51 excited, and perce1vmg the Free the night, to which he replied, after a Masons' Arms emblazoned above the kind of hesitating hem, 'Wee!, I dare little Inn kept here by Mrs P., we say I could serve ye mysel' in that thought of stepping in, at once to way, aibling Luck! yonder's my ain refresh ourselves and ascertain some house, and, I think, tho' ye're decent particulars from the inmates of the eneuch looking chiels, it has often landmarks around, as well as the accommodated as guid'. To this we direction in which the village lay from readily assented, and, as our object that point. Here we were told that 'ye was attained, we said to him we were maun haud on the stracht as gin ye willing to be his guests, which intima­ were gaun to Ayr, till ye come to the tion he received with a coolness at cross-roads, and then ye'll see Tarbo­ once amusing and disinterested, for 'tan, and canna gang wrang, unless for the game was within a few shots of a nearer way ye gang thro' by Carls­ being lost or won. Quo he, while field big house, and they're no' fond about to lift his quoits to resume his o' folk gaun that way noo'. Accord­ play, 'If ye're no' uncolies impatient, ingly, as we had no wish to tread upon ye'll aiblins hooly awee, till I jeust forbidden ground, we took our leave, play up twa ends, and I'll gang wi' ye and set ourselves resolutely towards mysel' and introduce you to the the cross-roads, making all convenient gudewife'. We willingly agreed to the haste to arrive before sunset. Nor did proposition, and, as the parties were we fail in our purpose, although it was becoming more and more animated, at the expense of a little extra exer­ we had not above ten minutes to tarry tion, for just as we came in sight of the till the die was cast. At this moment a houses at the head of the village, the scene presented itself which beggars twilight was reminding us of all my power of description. We approaching nightfall, for- merely gathered the fact that the 'The bum clock hummed wi' eerie villagers had conquered the redoubted drone, Mauchlinites by five shots. The victors The kye stood rowtin' in the lone'. shouted and hurraed till the welkin We found here a party of quoit rang. The 'webster fidged and clawed' players busily engaged in that inter­ and threw their broad blue bonnets in esting game. They were a fine speci­ the air, the tailors strutted and men of rural village life - a motely straddled in the most ludicrous fash­ company of weavers, shoemakers, ion, the sutors and blacksmiths rattled tailors, smiths, lairds, and tenants, all their leather aprons, and even the upon the most familiar terms with precentors and elders of the kirks lost each other, all 'strippit at the wark', their gravity, and capered and figured· and equally anxious to 'ring the tee'. like fugle men. Indeed, these joyous We addressed them in a general manifestations on that occasion could way, by remarking that it was a scarcely have been exceeded had the pleasant evening; when, as we seemed news of the Reform Bill's being inclined to halt a little for the sake of carried in Parliament just arrived, or parlance, a respectable-looking the Free-trade era dawned upon middle-aged gentleman of the middle them. We could not help thinking that class answered us by saying - 'Yes, if Burns's dog, 'honest Luath', had it's a gude night'. We also hinted to been present, the same personage that we were 'his heart had been sae fain to see strangers, and would thank him if he 'em' could inform us of a respectable Inn That he for joy had barket wi' 52 where we might be accommodated for 'em'. Having got ourselves comfortably very prominent part in the evening's domiciled in the Black Bull, where a entertainment. Big Sandy, the sonsy-looking landlady, and three drouthy weaver, who had just finished blooming daughters, did the duties of 110 Ells of a 1700 Lawn, for which he the house alternately, we sat down to had pocketed the handsome sum of a moderate repast at a side table in the £3, for eleven days working, sang, and common hall, which we preferred to a in capital style, 'Nae Luck Aboot the private apartment, expecting some House'. Sutor Robb, his brother, sang incidental information regarding the the 'Lass of Ballochmyle', with much object of our visit. We had scarcely, taste and expression. There were however, finished our refection, when other amateurs of lesser note, who a party of the victorious quoit players also contributed their quota of song­ were shewn in to the same place, singing - some of them told their being all accommodated round a large 'queerest stories' - some recited table in the centre of the room. They small pieces, after the free-and-easy consisted of some of the principal men order, so much known in the West as a in the village, and as we are indeed Saturday evening's relaxation. But, somewhat chary of introducing proper what more than all the other sources names in these articles, it is very of amusement pleased us, was a fortunate that they seemed to have debate which occurred, and, for the anticipated us in this respect, having time being, engrossed universal atten­ generally, as we afterwards discov­ tion. This was evolved by a noisy ered, all of them bye names or polemic, who was distinguished by the cognomens, by which we found they name of Red Robin. The title seems were easily distinguished from one to have been descriptive of his florid another, where the names of Wilsons complexion, his being one of those and Thomsons happened to be so bluff, rosy countenances that intimate prolific that soubriquets were almost a close acquaintanceship with good indispensable. There were Siller San­ living, not less than with John Barley­ dies, Siller Jocks, Red Robins, Paties, corn. He had been a sergeant in the Rogers, Giauds, and Symons; the army during the Peninsular War, had latter soubriquets were contracted by been, as he professed, a free and fast a number of the young men who had liver in early life, had been a free lately been aping the stage theatricals thinker, an epicure, a scoffer, and had in the characters of the Gentle She­ renounced the Bible as a bundle of pherd, and in these instances, there fables. But he had not been destined seemed to be nothing sinister implied to remain in his sceptical opinions, for in their characteristic appellations. a fellow soldier had ingrafted upon his After the feat, which had been the heterogeneous mind the doctrines of immediate cause of the present social free and unqualified universal rede­ meeting, had been talked over, and mption, and he had been what he the dons had been heartily toasted and called a 'redeemed sinner in spite of applauded, we found ways and means himself. On all occasions, it was of getting ourselves more nearly asso­ notoriously apparent that Red Robin ciated with them, and found them to determined to be a sower of the seeds be a party of as intelligent men as in which had grown so luxuriantly in his ordinary life we could find anywhere, own soil. At present, he was at his 'old frank, communicative, homely, and tunes', parading his notions lustily free from that stiffness which often with a stentorian voice, to the no small incrusts itself about the denizens of annoyance of the company, some of large towns. Song-singing formed a whom were now and then twitting 53 him, rather than openly confronting land', as we ascertained the cognomen him with a regular array of counter of the vanquisher of Red Robin was. arguments. When all of a sudden, We had a private conference with him from a remote corner of the table, a when the company were about to young, fair-haired stripling got upon separate, from whom we learned that his legs, and challenged the man of we must needs step down the way in Gath to the utterance on the con­ the morning to Matthew Fisher's, who troverted points. All eyes were imme­ kept the Masons' Lodge, directly diately turned to the speaker, who opposite the kirkgate, for further seemed nowise disconcerted by the illustrations of Burns' muse, of which notice that was taken of him, and I will proceed to tell you. Meanwhile whom we scanned somewhat uncere­ we took goodnight of the bright spirits moniously. His features were sharp­ in the Black Bull. rather studious, his eyes keen, pene­ We had proposed the night before, trating, and his figure a little above to take 'the wings of the morning' and the common stature. He took up Red make the circuits of the village before Robin's arguments 'seriatim', worked breakfast; but 'tired Nature's sweet upon them with considerable tact - restorer, balmy sleep', had kept us too rose into a degree of warmth that long under its drowsy spell, and we frequently surprised us - drew them found that to their legitimate conclusions, and 'The best-laid schemes o' mice and added some general remarks on their men tendencies. And again, before Red Gang aft agley, Robin had an opportunity to reply, And leave us nought but grief and reverted to the standard doctrines of pain the Church - threw back on his For promised joy'. antagonist the infamous assertion that The fact is, we had lain too long in 'the God whom he worshipped was bed - a habit which, indeed, we find only an idol of Canaan' - replenished as difficult to overcome as to change his armoury with the infallible oracles the current of a stream. We did, of Truth - justified the Divine however, muster ourselves in time for economy on the doctrine of election, an Alderman's breakfast; and when, and its consistency with man's respon­ after discussing it and paying our bill, sibility. And, in fine, so admirably did we sallied out, the sun was a quarter he manage the whole debate, and at of a day's journey in advance of us; the same time preserve his coolness of the wabsters were standing at the temper, that he sat down amid the corners of the lanes, taking their universal plaudits of the whole audi­ meal-hour's siesta; the lassies were ence, who seemed to be as highly 'skelpin barefit', with their bonnetless delighted with the issue of the new cockernonies snooded or braided on contest as with their victory over their foreheads, and mostly donned in Mauchline, and especially that Red their short gowns and striped kirtles Robin was for once openly assailed, - all in characteristic simplicity, yet and, as it appeared, beaten off the not the less distinguished for homely field, for he was either too well aware neatness - reminding one of the of the superiority of his antagonist's bard's description of them in 'Hallo­ debating powers, or convinced of the ween'- untenable ground on which he stood, 'The lasses feat and cleanly neat, for in a little while he withdrew. We Mair braw than when they're became anxious of more intimate fine'. 54 acquaintance with the 'stranger in the We hl).d no.t progressed far till we foregathered with some of our over­ disturb their serpentine obliquity. night acquaintances, particularly the None, indeed, but the genius of Burns 'stranger in the land', to whose could have thrown a charm on such a guidance, for the time being, we at scene - at whose Midas' touch once submitted ourselves. Our pre­ Nature puts on her holiday robes, and conceived opinions of the place had greets the Bard of Coila with all the been somewhat different from what blandness and witchery of umbra­ we now realised - first, in regard to geous woods, romantic glens, gloom­ the dimensions of the village itself; inspiring shades, 'fit haunts for friend­ and, secondly, with respect to the ship or for love'; but we might as well scenery around it. We had supposed have sought for ivory palaces or the former to consist merely of a few golden temples. However our conduc­ 'auld clay biggins', where, perhaps, a tor led us through by the Gallow-Hill smithy, an ale-house, and a crazy old Plantain, where an old tradition cou­ kirk, constitute the principal objects; ples the scene with the equivocal but we expected the latter to be character of old King Coil, who, as the deeply interesting in romantic land­ rhyme goes, 'Was the jolly old soul, scape associations, and in both and a jolly old soul was he'. Here, respects we had been very wide of the also, is said to have been the place mark. We had forgotten to give to the where the 'Twa Dogs' sat down, and village the advantage of about thirty discoursed so instructively about 'the years for extending its buildings - the lords of the creation'. o·n passing greater number of them being nearly down the village afterwards, where new - since the Earl of Eglinton had the groups of loungers seemed to be given so much feu ground at a making a holiday on our account, we moderate rate. Besides, a beautiful were shown the identical 'whipper-in new church, with its tapering spire, wee blastit wonner', whose plain had just been lately completed - a common-place exterior indicated but manse and a school-house forming the little of that corpulence which might requisite adjuncts, and all of a tasteful have been expected to follow from his modern style; some of the houses reputed gastronomic penchant. likewise consisting of two or three stories, whose architecture would 'Puir worthless elf, it eats a dinner compete with that of many in our Better than ony tenant man Royal burghs. But in respect to the His honour has in a' the land'. land-ward scenery there is nothing, And we thought we could as soon alas, to help a poor poet's imagina­ have turned a millstone as turned a tion. And if we keep aloof from the single couplet on his meaningless beautiful grounds of Coilsfield, the physiognomy. seat of the late Sir Hugh Montgomery, When about half-way down the and the scene of the tender parting of main road - for it does not assume to Burns and his Highland Mary, lying to itself the importance of a causewayed the eastward of the village, there is street - we were amused by observ­ nothing scarcely on which the eye can ing a 'strapping, buirdly chiel', figur­ rest with any degree of interest. The ing about in a cross lane, leading to lands around are generally laid out in what is called the Back Street, with a farms, extending from fifty to a broad brimmed blue bonnet on his hundred or more acres, where the head, the brim nearly covering his ridges seemed then as crooked as the shoulders, almost sufficiently large for course of a rivulet, and it was alleged the top of an Indian palanquin. This to be a dangerous .experiment to was the representative of Glaud. He 55 was said to be the veriest cool-the­ sketched it in a very graphic man­ loom in the village, of whom it was ner:- recorded that it was no rare thing for 'At length I reached the bonnie ?im to spend so long over a web that, glen m order to clear accounts at the end of Where early life I sported, it with Robin Thomson, the Laird, he I passed the mill and trysting had, besides forfeiting the price of the thorn, weaving, to pay him a trifle in. At a Where Nancy oft I courted'. corner of a lane, a little further down, we had to submit to the scrutiny of Hood's Hill is a beautiful round another batch of idlers, among whom green hill, used only there for pastur­ was one known by the name of 'The age. A few houses on the side nearest Clachan Chronicle', who, 'like a bee the village, and extending in a row to fleeing hame wi' its lade o' treasure', the summit, form the dwellings of took wing with every piece of gossip some of the artisans. In one of these he could gather, and took no rest till we were introduced to the successor of he had retailed it over the whole Dr Hornbook, not, indeed, a descen­ village. In this way he saved them the dant of that notable, but a man, expense of a local newspaper and equally vain of his professional skill in considered himself well enough the healing art. His hobby seemed to rewarded by the attention he drew, consist chiefly in pretending to cure all and the laughter that followed. Yet the diseases to which flesh is heir, by this worthy, we suspect, will doubtless decoctions of herbs gathered and consider himself wronged and ill­ prepared for use, under the influences treated, if he be not ultimately of their respective planets. In this sort installed as 'parish register'. We held of mythological study, he professed to. on towards the lower end of the be guided, not by 'Buchan and ither' village, where the road diverges to the chaps', but solely by one Colepepper. right through a few straggling trees, We suffered ourselves to be bored for and winds round what is called Hood's a little with his garrulity on the Hill. It was here that Burns professes infallibility of his safe prescriptions, to have met with Death in propria and the success of his extensive persona:- practice; but we were afterwards relieved from any fears for the lives of 'I had come round about the Hill, his patients, by being informed that And todlin doun on Willie's Mill; 'naebody heeded his ravings, for the Setting my staff, wi' a' my skill, to bodie was silly.' We were entertained, keep me sicker, on the other side of the hill, by an old Tho' leeward whiles, against my woman, who was herding her cow by will, I took a bicker'. the dykeside, and whose age and decrepitude led us to expect that her memory must have extended further It is obvious, from the rural scenery back than the period of the Bard's alluded to here, in the poem of 'Death residence in the neighbourhood. We and Dr Hornbook', as well as in the therefore asked her of her knowledge ballad of the 'Soldier's Return', that of the Poet Burns, and of some of the Burns lived at the time he wrote them, subjects of his muse, when she seemed on the farm of Lochlea, about two disposed to gratify us at once, though miles and a half to the northward, on her information was mixed up with the road to Dervil. Indeed, in one gratuitous comments on the character 56 stanza of the song alluded to, he has of the departed - 'My trowth', quo she, 'I kenned Rab Bums brawlies. and thoroughfares to prosecute in­ He was just a wild wag o' a fallow, door industry, by the clicking of the makin' rhymes on every body. He was jaconet shuttles, while our· eyes were well kenned in a' the parish o' sometimes refreshed with a glimpse of Tarbo'ton, for his wickit rhymes on the hand-sewing lasses keeking out at Johnie Wilson, wham he ca'd Dr the windows; and as the noonday heat Hombook; the man was nae doctor, was growing more intense, we thought only he was trying to mak twa three a glass or two of the 'Clachan yill' bawbees by selling bits o' pills, an' sic would be no unwelcome beverage. So, like. I've heard my ain gudeman, in coming round by the West Port, we his life time, telling a story about prevailed on our new acquaintance to Bums, when he lived owre by there at accompany us to Matthew Fisher's Lochlea, it was in the war-time, and tavern - where St James's Lodge was he was leading out a cartfu' o' dung to wont to meet - promising ourselves the field ae day, and his head was sae some agreeable chit-chat with the fu' o' his rhyming trade, that he forgat landlord on 'the days of other years'. to toom the dung out o' the cart, and We found the landlord at home - a deust cam stottin' back wi' it to the jolly social-looking Boniface. Being midden again'. shewn upstairs to the travellers' room, But to return - 'The bonnie glen' which supplied the place of a ball­ is rather a wide expanding glade, the room at times to the youth and beauty flat upper part of which is a kind of of the village, we perceived it had swamp, where there is generally a been lately used as such by the sheet of water, which is called Feal gardeners of Coilsfield, Smithston, Loch. Towards the lower end, a little Stair, and Barskimming, as there were dam is formed for the purpose of still some bouquets of flowers and feeing the mill. The thorn tree was still evergreens hanging from the ceiling flourishing, and the mill doing its and the walls - crowns, coronets, accustomed duty, though it bore the wreaths, etc. - which gave us a better evident marks of long servitude. It is idea of the horticultural resources of· said that a soldier was seen wending the district than we had hitherto his way here towards the village, with entertained. But there were also three all the habiliments of his profession, of the Clachan worthies seated at a when he proposed to the rude ready­ table in one corner, enjoying the witted rhymer as a fitting subject for a creature comforts, as if they had come song. Retiring to the ale-house where, in to lick up the odds and ends that over the mantling jug of 'reaming had been left, though they had but a swats', in an inconceivably short quart of ale before them, and a space, Bums produced 'The Soldier's newspaper. Our friend signified to us Return' - a song which for simplicity that these were the three most distin­ of conception, and natural tenderness, guished disputants in the village, who he perhaps never after equalled. If he would argue for a Highland moon on was terrible in his satire, he was at any question of political economy; times most sensitively alive to the and, however heterodox or absurd tenderest sympathies, and to the might be the position they had taken deepest emotions. Making our way up, they would stick to it tenaciously. back to the village, where all was now They were familiarly known as Blus­ still and quiet, save that we were ter, Leggat, and Crambo. It appeared occasionally reminded of busy life, to have been in order to settle some being only withdrawn from the lanes knotty point, which had been elicited 57 at their breakfast hour's lounge, that had always managed to be out of had brought them here on the present harm's way himself, 'that the weavers occasion. The newspaper had to be were just like a flock of wild geese, ye appealed to - a wager had been at never could hear the keckle o' them stake; the losing party was to be till they had ta' en wing'. mulcted in the price of the ale. Bluster After seating ourselves at the round had been a fugitive Radical - so said table in front of the room, looking out our friend, who gave us his informa­ of the windows on the church, its tion under the rose - in the time of belfry and spire, the grave-yard, and the insurrectionary movements in the the manse adjoining, and partaking of West; but he had shewn the white a little of our host's best tap, we felt feather so openly, when a false alarm inclined to dive into the mysteries of had been given of the dragoons being the past, rather than lend our ears to on their way to the village, that he had the jargon of the three politicians, ran from house to house crying out, in who seemed very well satisfied with fearful perturbation of mind, 'Oh, themselves, and deeply absorbed in Sirs, it's an awsome thing this, that the settling the affairs of the nation. But innocent maun suffer for the guilty'. as 'hope deferred maketh the heart However, in our opinion, his slovenly sick', and as a landlord's knowledge appearance would have almost pre­ of any subject that favours the 'geing served him from harm in the hottest o' the jars an' barrels a lift that day' is days of the Roundheads and Cava­ apt to be measured out only in liers, for nobody would have sus­ proportion to the 'rinning off o' the pected him of having as much courage beer', we discovered that he either as would have carried him to the face knew very little of the Bard's early of an enemy. Leggat was a long history, or if he did, he meant to dole skeleton-like customer, the fac-simile it out to us in precious small morsels. of Dominie Samson, but as craven­ He admitted that he had seen him; hearted nevertheless as a capon. His had frequently heard of the circum­ forte consisted in a sort of vulgar stances of his coming in one Sabbath mother-wit, which he played off at day to the kirk; of his seeing the ticket times on his neighbours, seasoning it in John Wilson's window, notifying always with a due proportion of his pills and potions, with the gener­ imprecations. Crambo was the best ous adjunct 'Advice to the poor specimen of real originality of the gratis', which so fired Burns at the three. He had been reluctantly drawn man's presumption that he instantly to serve in the local militia and his nice exclaimed 'Bleeding and blistering by calculation of the real amount of a the acre by .. .' But it was generally soldier's pay for a week had convinced believed that the Poet had received him that the whole sum, after deduct­ some very marked personal insult ing incidental off-parings, was only previous to this from this upstart equal to 'six and a-penny'. He cared disciple of Aesculapius, which had no more, he said, for serving King nettled him so much that his purpose Geordie than he did for serving Billy of being avenged on him took the Rogers, the grave-digger, the matter shape of a satire, the most dreadful in question being merely, 'Whilk o' perhaps of its kind that the world ever the twa pays best - there's the saw. The, poem of Death and Dr Crambo'. It was in reference to the Hornbook, being so strikingly clever cowardly demeanour of the above and original, that it immortalised a characters, especially of Bluster, that poor simple man, who, but for it, had 58 Leggat .was heard to say, though he never been heard of in the world. Yet that same individual, instead of again, higgling on some pretext for enjoying the joke, regarded it and its something extra before he lets them author with the most rancorous feel­ into the kirk-yard wi' the corpse. He's ings, and was heard many years a hanged wretch'! 'I'll wager ye a afterwards in Strathaven where he was quart o' yill', says Crambo, 'that teaching an evening school, to utter there's some other whaup in the nest some fearful words in reference to the that ye dinna wot o'. Billy Rogers is a departed bard. When his writings and very discreet, cannie man'. 'He's his popularity happened to be intro­ what'? retorted Leggat. 'He's as duced in conversation, a similar feel­ discreet as a horse leech, that wad ing of vindictive rancour existed in the suck the bluid out o' ane at baith ends. famous Tam o' Shanter. It was in the D'ye ken how he did wi' the wean that autumn of '23 that he threw off his was born wi' the twa heads at Feal­ tabernacle of clay, and it was made toll, when auld Dr Donaldson o' Ayr the subject of a long article in the 'Ayr had offered them five pound notes Observer', in which mention was for't, and they wadna sell it? but he made of two English gentlemen hav­ gat it three days after frae Billy, for ing once waited upon that hero, two. That's his discreetness'. 'That's a inquiring if he were really the said whud, Leggat', says Crambo, who Tam, at which he stormed so indig­ never rose from his chair; 'for that nantly, and showed such virus, that wean was na buried in Tarbo'ton ava, they were glad to withdraw, making it was buried in Dundonald'. Oh! the best apology in their power. He Sirs', again exclaimed Bluster, who had then been working as a day still kept his eye on the scene outside, labourer in a ditch, and though they 'it's an awsome thing this, that the had offered him a half-crown as a company's staunin' sae Jang. I see palladium, he spurned it from him they're folk o' some note in the worl'; with indignation, telling them he was there's a hearse an' twa or three no beggar, and did not thank anybody chaises, forbye riders. They're in a for making a journey o' discovery to concern about something unchancie him. - aiblins they've mista'en the road, While our time was occupied for a and hae come to the wrang kirk-yard'. little in these 'on dits', a circumstance 'Aiblins ye're a mere humbug', says took place at the kirk yett which Leggat; 'it's deust some mair o' Billy's diverted our attention, and caused us superstitious cant, either to bother unexpected interruption. 'Hech! Sirs, them out o' an extra fee, on some there's a burial at the kirk yett', pretext o' his ain. Or, if it's a suicide, exclaimed Bluster, drawing himself up he'll be for doing wi' them as he did to the window nearest him, adding wi' the stocking-maker's boy at Path­ 'What think ye, can be the matter? head, wha hanged himsel' in The gate's shut. D'ye think Billy has Guthrie's barn; he'll stap him in a na gat notice o' its coming'? 'D'ye hole o' the yard dyke, at the backside, think ye're head's no in a creel, thou where he'll get him easier houkit out knumskull'? rejoined Leggat, who again for the doctors'. 'I tell ye', says was by this time looking over his Crambo, 'there's mair in't than neighbour's shoulder. 'D'ye no see owther o' ye wot o'. Tell the landlord Billy staunin in the inside o' the gate, to fetch us in anither quart of yill. I'll wi' the best moor-claith under his bet ony ye the price o't that it'll turn arm, like a horse-couper at a June fair out that Willie's only doing his duty in driving a bargain for a nag. I'll wager some sense or anither'. 'Ye're a great ye what ye like, he's at his auld tricks sumph', says Leggat, thumping on the 59 table with his clenched fist. 'I tell ye haggling sae lang wi' Billy about ava'? that Billy's as deaf to the claims o' 'Oh! I dinna ken ocht about it duty or the voice of reason as Ailsa rightlies; but I see that Jamie - the Craig; and if ye dinna speak to his "Clachan Chronicle" as they ea' 'm pocket, ye'll mak' but sorry waygate - has been looking on frae the vera wi' him in ony other way. We'll be first o't, an' he'll tell us a' about it; nocht the waur o' the yill onyhow, but I understan' it was something whatever way it ends'. about they're no being for takin' the During this contentious debate use o' the moor-claith'. 'I tauld ye between the worthies, Leggat and sae', said Leggat, interrupting her; 'I Crambo, the landlord had gone down tauld ye he was stickling for some stairs on the look-out, doubtless, for extra plunder. Lord! what a windfall obtaining the benefit of a dredgie, if for him the day. Better, faith, than a he could manage to wile them his way dizzen o' smouts, as he ca's the bairns. after the burial. We had also turned Come, Crambo, pour out the yill. I'll ourselves round to the window nearest drink to him wi' a vengeance! Here's us, to contemplate the outre scene wishing him, when he gangs hame which had so engrossed the attention himsel', the hettest neyk in a' "yon of our neighbours. We saw the grave­ lowing heugh;" for, man, if his digger, whose character had been so master, Satan, doesna get him, and unsparingly dilated on, standing inside twa tons o' coals into the bargain, the gate, which was shut. His shaggy he'll be sairer cheated than ever he hair, jutting out from beneath an old has been since God made Moses'. slouched hat, like porcupine quills - 'Stop, stop', says his captious oppo­ his leaden countenance and sinister nent, 'I'll wad anither tankard o' grin, all of which rather strengthened swats that, when the truth really our unfavourable impression of him comes to be kenned, Willie has only than otherwise. We had read Blair's been standing on his privilege, and if grave, and his description of the there's ony blame to be laid on the use 'Man of hard unmeaning face, an' wont o' the place, he's no in the Adown whose cheek a tear of pity faut. I ken he's a decent bodie'. never stole', Meanwhile, and ere our cranky and we had no hesitation in saying, as cronies had swallowed their potation, Nathan said to David, 'Thou art the the 'Clachan Chronicle', who was man'. Very soon, however, we saw observed coming out of the grave­ the gate opened by the said function­ yard, along with some other idlers, ary - the mort-cloth handed out, drew up to the tavern door, and along with the hand-spokes, to the detailed all the circumstances of the friends and mourners of the deceased case, pro and con. The deceased had - the funeral procession entering the been for some years resident in a burying-ground with becoming distant parish; his ancestors had from decorum, after the sexton. At this time immemorial been resident in the moment a waiter appeared with parish of Tarbolton; their ashes were another tankard of ale to the disput­ mouldering where the 'rude fore­ ants, to whom we handed our jug also, fathers of the hamlet sleep'. The for a similar supply, when Bluster question of the right of burying in his abruptly addressed her - 'What's native parish had been prudently kept been ado, Mag, at the kirk yett the in abeyance by the Sexton on receiv­ day? It's an awsome thing this to think ing the order for the grave; the that the dead canna get admittance to company, from its respectability 60 their lang hame! What were they excited his cupidity, denoting the fact that the deceased had been in com­ However, as the day was 'wearing fortable circumstances. Billy had through the afternoon', and we had to resolved to make the most of his prosecute our rambles a little farther equivocal advantage by laying a heavy in the direction of Ayr, we prepared tax on the use of the mort-cloth, which to take our leave for a time of the they, on the other hand, were inclined Clachan and its originals, deeply to dispense with; on which he convinced, from what we had heard slammed to the gate, and, assuming to and seen, that Burns, in sketching himself the importance of a lord of the them, had depicted the scenes as he manor, told them plainly, 'I'll let ye himself had witnessed them; drew ken that the kirk-yard's mine; and, if merely the darker shades forth into ye'll no tak' the claith, ye can deust greater prominence than some other gang whaur ye like and seek a graff, painters do; and while he thus pre­ for ye'll get nane here', thus leaving sented their own portraits to them­ them on the outside to make up their selves, nothing softened nor palliated, minds between the alternative of he only read them a severe yet paying 7s. 6d. for the use of the beneficial lesson, which, if they did mort-cloth, or seeking a grave else­ not profit by, they had themselves to where; nor did he open the gate till blame. It is true his own defalcations, they had agreed to his own terms. On weaknesses, and imprudencies, these particulars being made known to rendered his lessons generally less us, we felt a little squeamish, and calculated to effect such a purpose, rather more inclined to give credit to but it is to be borne in mind that he the strong statements made by Leggat admitted these himself with all their in the course of the altercation than aggravations; and who does not drop before, and we have heard the same the tear of sympathet.ic regret over the worthy swearing again that he was a ruins of a genius - so noble, yet so 'downright vampire' with less scruple. fallen! Halloween A modern version of Tam O' Shanter by Robert Burns, 1791 By A. K. Robertson Market day did not generate the same excitement in the town as it used to years before, but enough of the small-holders from the surrounding district came to do business, and to keep it going as a viable trading occasion. None of the big farmers came here now, but once a month there were sufficient entries of live-stock for buying and selling to enable the mart to be opened, and a few mobile stalls were also set up on what was normally the car park close to the town centre. Over the past few years, it had become more of a social occasion, whereby farmers and their families from isolated areas would come into town to shop, trade live-stock, and meet their friends. One of the most popular meeting places was a small inn adjacent to one side of the car park, but close both to the stalls on one side and the beast market on the other. As was his custom, Tom McShanter arrived at the inn soon after opening time. He like to get his business finished early so that he could carouse with his friends for the rest of the day. This morning he had brought a few sheep in his pick-up 6t and was pleased to get them sold already, so now the time until evening was his own, with money in his pocket. Waiting for him inside the bar was his great friend John Sou tar who ordered a drink for him as soon as he saw Tom coming through the door. It was not many minutes later that Tom drained his glass and nodded to the landlord. 'Same again all round, Bill, and have one yourself.' John Sou tar was embarked on a long and seemingly pointless tale when Tom went out to the back muttering something about relieving himself, and when the landlord next looked, he noticed that his wife was no longer there either. She met Tom as he came staggering back along the passage, and in the dim light he put his arm round her and began to fondle her with his other hand. She quickly broke away, slapping his wrist more in play than in anger. 'Not now, you fool,' she hissed. 'Not with him here. He's going off to Glasgow on business next Thursday. Come in then.' He nodded and staggered back to his seat. He looked into the fire thinking of his own wife Kate back home. Thank goodness she never made any request to accompany him on market days. She was a thin, sour-faced, shrivelled woman with a constant bad temper, and he knew that she would be sitting up waiting for him with the usual whining recriminations regarding his drunkenness, lack of consideration for her, and their continual poverty. He knew it all by heart and was not looking forward to his arrival back at the small-holding some twelve miles distant. Through the window he could hear the rising storm, the wind howling in the trees and the rain lashing against the window-pane. The very idea of driving home in this made him order more drinks in order to put off the evil hour when he would be forced to go, but eventually came the moment that he had been dreading and could not be delayed any longer; he must make the effort and turn his face towards home. The landlord was quick to comply with the order, he knew better than to keep these two customers waiting. They met there every market day when their thirst on each and every occasion seemed to be prodigous; they would be content to stay there long past closing-time, even into the small hours of the morning behind locked doors, and today it looked as if they had enough money to make a session of it. The fact that they were both on the verge of dipsomania did not stir his conscience, if there was money to be made he let nothing stand in the way, and so he was prepared to serve them all day and most of the night if necessary. It took a great deal of his best ale to bring them to any state of insobriety, when they were likely to become a bit of a handful and argumentative, but generally they remained fairly amenable. The afternoon came and went and still they sat on drinking, the only noticeable difference in their behaviour as a result was that John Soutar's stories became more incoherent, but the landlord sat on and laughed when he thought it necessary. Thomas McShanter, on the other hand became more withdrawn and sat by himself by the inglenook. In the early evening the landlord's wife appeared, having put the children to bed. She did not join her husband behind the bar, but threaded her way through the other customers to go and sit with Tom by the fire. He whispered something in her ear and she threw back her head and laughed, showing her large mouth and even teeth. Still not forty, she was of medium height, slim and carried herself with assurance. Her flashing dark eyes were flamed by black hair which fell to her shoulders partly uncovered by a gown of faded dark green material with a plunging 62 neck-line barely concealing her drooping breasts. She was overdressed for her role as the landlady of a simple country pub, but her husband could not help but notice how she became animated in male company. He himself was a stolid, over-weight, middle-aged figure, balding and unimaginative, except when it come to his wife's relationship with other men, and then his imagination worked overtime. She no longer had any interest in him, she had made that plain, but to throw her favours away on a penniless soak such as Tom McShanter was an insult. After prolonged good-nights, he made his way towards the car park. In his drunk state he did not hear John's warning be careful, reminding him that tonight was Hallowe'en when the Devil's disciples were afoot. Tom was too taken up with wondering if Old Meg would start, being the name he gave to his old Ford pick-up. This was an ancient rusting vehicle, broken down and temperamental, but Tom used it for transporting everything and anything, from family to farm manure and live-stock. He kept it going after a fashion by dint of a minimum of maintenance, and a modicum of good luck in that he had so far not been asked for a MOT test certificate and a current Road Fund Licence. With some difficulty he inserted the ignition key, and smiled with satisfaction as the old engine fired then gradually picked up on all cylinders. There was very little traffic on the road that night, which was just as well, since Tom's progress was neither smooth nor confined to his own side of the road, and the fact that his windscreen wiper was not working properly made the outlook somewhat blurred. As he left the town and climbed onto the moor, the old vehicle was exposed to the full fury of the storm; occasionally the engine would give a cough, but each turn of the wheel brought him ever nearer home. As the trees bent over with the force of the wind and as the occasional flash oflightning lit up the dismal scene, he now remembered that tonight was Hallowe'en and the time was nearing midnight. Tom thought of the old saying that 'if drunk enough one would fear no evil, and if drunk on Whisky one could face the Devil.' As he approached the bend which took the road down and over the river, he could see in front of him the old church yard, and looking through the trees Tom thought that he could see lights in the church hall. Normally it was deserted, being half in ruins, and some said that it was haunted, but tonight the gate was open and as he stopped Old Meg, he could hear the sounds of revelry. His first thought was that someone was having a Hallowe'en party, and his natural curiosity got the betterof him. In spite of his unsteady drunken gait, he staggered up the drive past the old gravestones, and peered in through the wet and cracked window. As he gradually focussed his eyes, he could scarcely believe the scene which was being enacted in front of him. The whole hall was brightly lit, from which source he knew not what, and there, filling the floor, was a crowd of men and women dressed as witches and warlocks, dancing to the strains of some ghostly music which he did not recognise. Nor was the dancing in any form with which he was acquainted, but of a wild cavorting nature in which everybody present was involved. He had been watching for a few minutes before he realised that there was no one there that he actually knew by sight, all the faces were tinged with a bluish hue, and some wore what appeared to be shrouds. While some others, especially the females, were in the various stages ofundress. At the centre of this hellish set piece, sitting raised beneath a gibbet for which dangled a skeleton by the neck, was a giant of a figure dressed as Pan, with horns, a tail and cloven hooves: Tom could not remember when he had seen such an elaborate and life-like fancy dress, even in magazine photographs. The weird music grew faster and faster and gradually the dancers fell out, except for one who continued to cavort in an 63 elaborate strip-tease, the others around urging her on to furthernudity. Tom comparing as he did her full buxom figure with that of his bony wife Kate, was so excited by what he saw, that he called out in encouragement with the others. He immediately regretted what he had done, the music stopped instantly and every head in the room turned and looked at the window where he was watching. Some instinct told him to turn and run, and as he did so the door opened and the Devilish hordes poured out like angry bees out of a hive. Although Tom was now sober, he was out of condition but had never run so fast in his life before. Looking back just once, he saw the near-naked figure of the stripper leading the rest, her arms were outstretched towards him and her large bosom gyrated from side to side with every stride, and he also saw to his consternation that she was gaining on him. Fortunately Old Meg was facing down the road towards the bridge; he threw himself into the driving seat and, almost in answer to an unsaid prayer, the engine started immediately and he was away. The leading figure however, had time to jump into the back of the pick-ug and Tom could hear her tearing and scratching at the cab trying to gain an entry. Through the rear window he had a glimpse of a hideous blue face with bright blood-red eyes, and a row of vicious teeth filed down like a gigantic saw. He remembered that a witch cannot cross running water, and sure enough as he passed the key-stone of the bridge, the noise stopped. He drew up at the verge on the other side of the river, got out and looked back. The storm had subsided and the night was clear, the only sound was that of the water running past below him., Across at the old church all was dark and still, not a light to be seen, not a soul in sight. Tom did not move, he was in a state of shock, and it was in that condition that the police patrol car found him some ten minutes later. It was day-light when the night shift went off duty at the police station, and the desk sergeant was giving the report to his opposite number. 'Thomas McShanter, a small holder, lives about two miles up the road, was arrested in charge of an old Ford pick-up just after midnight down by the bridge. It's the old story, vehicle quite unroadworthy, no MOT, Road Fund licence out of date, bald tyres, no light at the rear, and of course his blood alcohol away over the limit. The doctor who saw him said he was also suffering from shock, and he kept repeating this garbled tale about a Devil's party in the old church hall, and being chased by a witch. He's quite batty if you ask me.' 'Of course, it was Hallowe'en last night. Someone was having a joke, I suppose. Have you notified his wife?' 'Yes. One of the lads went out to see her. A proper ramshackle place he said it was, and the wife's a right sour piece. No wonder he drinks. All she could say was that she wasn't surprised he had been arrested. He says that after all he has seen, he will never touch another drop as long as he lives.' 'They all say that at this stage in the proceedings.' At that moment one of the constables came in from the car park. 'Sarge, I've been looking at the old pick-up in daylight. The tail lights look as if they have been ripped off, and there are some deep scratches on the cab roof. They look as if they had been made by a wild beast with steel claws.'

64 artistic temperament innate in Bums The Immortal and it was this, quite as much as to the very reputable schooling he had had Memory of from his father as well from various dominees, that we owe the poet that Robert Burns was to be. Delivered by Robert Bums' first love was song. He had a keen musical ear and a great feeling Davidson O~ilvie, for rhythm. His first poems were song; January 19S-7, to the the earliest were written when he was 15 years old. On his own evidence he Canberra Highland never composed a song without first Society and Burns having tune in his head. When, in the year 1773, he 'first Club committed the sin of rhyme' it is Mr President, distinguished guests, significant that the lyrics he wrote in members and friends. praise of the young girl he worked If a roll call of famous men were with in the harvest field should have read over at the beginning of every been set to the time of her favourite century how many would answer a reel. second time to their name? From his middle teens onwards it There would be no doubt or ques­ was obvious that Burns was conscious tion as to Bums. The adsum of Bums of the poet within him, that he was not would ring out clear and unchal­ going to be content to be an ordinary lenged. There would be few before ploughman. Song was already in his him on the list, and it is not now heart. possible to conceive a list without him. An important part of his works are In Scotland, Bums is more than a the epistles and satires, their style literary figure - a popi,ilar hero, modelled on that of two earlier Scots whose birthday is celebrated by Scots poets, Allan Ramsay and Robert all over the world. He sprang from the Fergusson. These show him as an country people and their traditions acute Observer and critic of human and his undoubted genius owed conduct, with a warm heart, a strong nothing to fortune. From the begin­ sense of humour and a hatred for ning his published works were hypocrisy. His philosophy of the enjoyed by all the classes of people. brotherhood of man was partly The bare facts of Robert Bums life inspired by the ideals of Freemasonry. can be quite briefly told, since his life Burns' character was not a compli­ only extended over thirty seven years. cated one, but it has been variously He was born in the village of distorted by both admirers and detrac­ Alloway, close to the town of Ayr, on tors. His early biographers asserted 25th January 1759. In a long autobio­ that he drank to excess. In fact this is graphical letter he wrote to Dr John not true. Moore in 1787, 'he frankly admits the The only mystery concerning poverty of his home and his upbring­ Burns, whether in manhood or boy­ ing, and the unavailing fight of his hood, is that of the qualities of his father, a tenant farmer, to overcome genius. that poverty'. But in the same letter He could read, write and remem­ he dwells much more upon his own ber. He was surcharged with emotion, appetite for sociability. awareness and sensibility and despite This appetite was a sure sign of the his background and foreground of 65

E poverty, hunger and never-ceasing Deep in the general heart of men toil, he could laugh. His power survives.' Burns was a genius who Robert Longfellow expressed himself in poetry. Henry Wadsworth wrote a handsome poem about Burns, As a poet he could not be in the Burns style. I will read suppressed. As a poet he triumphed. written It was the nature of Robert Burns the last two stanzes. experience that conditioned his 'For now he haunts his native land poetry. He knew the nature of man As an immortal youth; his hand and woman opposed to the bare Guides every plough elements of existence. His experience He sits besides each ingle-nook if searing, was fundamental and there~ His voice is in each rushing fore universal. It is this wonderful brook, quality that makes Burns the first Each rustling bough. world poet. Burns embraces all His presence haunts this room humanity. Humanity has in turn tonight embraced him. A form of mingled mist and light One reason why Burns is univer­ From that far coast sally loved and adored is because he Welcome beneath this roof of expressed himself in the thought and mine speech of the great mass of his Welcome this vacant chair is thine countrymen. Dear guest and ghost'. Burns was pure passion and imagi­ Scotland, nation pure fire. Burns power was his Whether a man lives in Australia or any own mind. No other poet had the England, America, he has the same clarity of his vision. part of the globe, the When Burns said: sentiments for home or kindred, same silent Oh wad some power the gift to gie same loves and fears, the us emotions whoever he may be. songs these To see ourselves as others see us In Burns' poems and for which we He was not referring to himself, he sentiments are expressed emo­ never pretended that the weakness of cannot find words. These silent our lives the flesh was anything but weakness. tions are given expression, made 'Let me make the songs of the are enriched and our loves are people and I care not who makes its more intimate. Horn­ laws' said Fletcher of Saltoun, a The 'Holy Willies', 'The Man patriotic Scot who lived a hundred books', 'The Cotters', 'The none years before Burns was born. Made to Mourn', 'The Mouse', The wisdom of that saying cannot of these are exclusive to eighteenth they are universal be better exemplified than in the case century Ayrshire, of Burns. His songs and memory are and timeless. expressed today enshrined in the hearts of the So many of Burns' poems extent. There is people whilst the law-makers of his his views to the fullest satire than 'Holy day are forgotten like the snows of no more flaming greater yesteryear. Willie's Prayer'. There is no Listen to these words of William tale than 'Tam O' Shanter'. No poem Wordsworth. has more love and feeling than the In busy street and loneliest glen 'Cotter's Saturday Night'. there is no Are felt the flashes of his pen more tender love song than 'My Love He rules mid winter snows. is Like a Red Red Rose'. If a 'Man's a 66 And when bees fill their hives Man for a' that'. is the hope of humanity, then 'Auld Lang Syne' is there are hundreds of Burns Clubs the world's national anthem. throughout the world and many of 'What greatness did this man Burns their members, as we have here have?' So great is Burns that he tonight, are not Scotsmen. belongs not to Scotland alone. He This, I think, typifies the power of belongs to the whole world. Homage Burns' poetry and song. and tribute are paid to him as one who And what of the future? is remembered among the conquering Man cannot live on Burns alone. If dead. we are to ensure that his immortal As James Russell Lowell said. memory continues with any meaning "Burns is a citizen of a country of other than sentiment and hero­ which we are all citizens, that country worship, then some positive action is of the heart which has no boundaries required. laid down on man.' Scotland, as a country, was dying Burns takes his place with the when Burns emerged to re-popularise marvellous William Shakespeare, with the Scots tongue and save some of its the great humanitarian Abraham Lin­ fast ebbing culture. Today, as far as coln, with Nelson, Wellington and native inspired culture is concerned, Wilberforce the great emancipator. Scotland is probably at an even lower All these men in various fields of ebb, and there is no Robbie Burns to endeavour have exerted an influence act the part of life saver. that extends far beyond the confines of their native countries. 0 'Scotia' my dear, my native He was endowed by nature with soil! that vital spark which in him From whom my warmest wish to amounted to genius and his muse did heaven is sent touch the heart. Long may thy hardy sons of rustie That is one of the secrets of his toil be blest greatness. He touched the hearts of With wealth, and peace and sweet. men and what appeals to our hearts content. must appeal to our esteem. Today, for the sake of the country Scott, Keats, Milton, Byron are not he loved, we hope his prayers are revered the way that Burns is, and yet heard and answered. they were great men and great poets. We must strive unceasingly to fit his As Burns Clubs prosper and Burn­ siana froths across the globe, we hear him quoted in parliaments, learned judges recite his texts in courts, he is BURNS LORE OF DUMFRIES hotly claimed, for their own, by all AND GALLOWAY political parties, while the Russians Following th

THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY The Federation's Bicentenary Edition of "The Complete Works'1has now been translated Into another medium - oil on canvas! Charles Kelly of the Westbourne Gallery In Kilmarnock decided to paint a picture to give as a wedding present to a young friend. As the latter was a keen Burns/an and had recently subscribed to the Limited Edition, Mr Kelly felt that this would make an Ideal subject for a stlll llfe entitled "Immortal Memory". The painting shows the book lying on a table, with a tit candle nearby and single tong-stemmed red rose lying on top. Word got around, and soon Mr Kelly was being besieged with requests for copies of the painting. He has now arranged for an edition of 2,000 colour prints to be produced and these are currently on offer unframed at £32 or framed at £78. 70 Airdrie Burns Club Instituted 1884 from Airdrie bards past and present

ByJ. K. (1930)

During the first half of the nineteenth century there was no properly organised Bums Club in the town. That was not due to an unsympathetic or unappreciative community. Quite the contrary! The fact was that in those days there was no room for such a club. Every local society of any standing such as the Weavers, the Masons, the Gardeners, the Harmonic, the Literary and others had its own 'Nicht wi Bums' once a year or at least rendered due homage to his memory at its Annual Festival. Moreover, for well-nigh thirty years after Bums's death Airdrie continued to be a centre of handloom weaving, and with the Airdrie Weavers Robert Bums was a man after their own heart. As is well known during these same thirty years the Poet and his work were subjected to gross misrepresentation even by some of his biographers. The old weavers, however, did not place any false label on the man and his mission. There were few specimens of the 'unco guid' in their ranks. To them Bums was a great deliverer. His manly independence, his love of freedom, his hate of hypocrisy, his boundless charity found an ever-responsive chord in their hearts. Moreover, they had proved in their own lives amidst all their struggles and hardships the supreme trugh he had proclaimed to the world that' A man's a man for a' that'. So the Weavers of Airdrie not only treasured and honoured his memory; they also stood out nobly for his high ideals and abiding principles. Then there were the 'Brethren of the mystic tie'. To them Robert Bums was their ever-to-be-remembered illustrious brother. Ever true and loyal to their craft, they deemed it a sacred trust to fulfill at their annual festivals his farewell request to his brethren of his Mother Lodge at Tarbolton - A last request premit me here When yearly ye assemble a' One toast I ask it wi' a tear To him the bard that's far awa'. There were also three Lodges of Free Gardeners: - 'The Greenhouse', 'The Olive' and 'The Thistle', then in the heyday of their prosperity. To them Robert Bums appeared as a fellow-toiler of the soil who had zealously worked for the transforming of this old world into a new Eden, where instead of the thorn would come up the fir tree and instead of the 'brier' the myrtle tree, where even the desert would rejoice and blossom as the rose. So they too, annually placed their laurel wreath at the shrine of 'The Ploughman Bard'. There were also the Musical Societies, notably 'The Harmonic', which was the forerunner of 'The Airdrie Choral Union', alas now defunct. It would be difficult to imagine that the members of such a body could forget the greatest song-writer of his own or any other age. Nor did they forget. While they presented to the public with much acceptance the works of the Grand Old Masters like Handel, Mendelssohn, Haydn and others, it was then the head line of their concert bill 71 read,' A Nicht wi' Rabbie Burns' that the old Music Hall in Graham Street was filled to overflowing. There was also the Literary Society, then a flourishing institution which on the 25th of January of each year declared in the worlds of Tannahill - 'A while revolving time this day returns We too, will glory in the name ofBurns.' So they too, with members of the fair sex as their guests, assembled to honour the 'Immortal Memory'. Lastly, and I may not omit to mention them, there were our local bards, who, though themselves not far up the Parnassian height, ever found in Burns the inspiration to continue their ascent. For had Burns not held out to them an inviting prospect in his lines to John Lapraik- 'O mandate glorious and divine The ragged followers ofthe nine Puir thochtless devils yet may shine Inglorious light, While sordid sons ofMammon's line Are dark as night.' So, with adoring gratitude did Airdrie's old-time bards pour out their humble lays to swell the flow of song which yearly greets the Great Bard's natal morn. So much then for the first half of the last century which now brings us to the memorable 25th January, 1859....:.... the centenary of the Poet's birth. This great event, in the number and variety of its celebrations and the extraordinary enthusiasm which attended them, has no parallel in Scottish history. The celebrations were world-wide. Wherever, indeed, half-a-dozen Scotsmen could gather-and there are few spots upon earth where that is not possible­ rejoicings were held. Locally, throughout the Monklands, the occasion was magnificently honoured. In Airdrie all the Societies I have already referred to, and many others, held high festival. There were also public dinners in the Town Hall and Free West Academy, followed by dances in the last mentioned school, and also in the Airdrie Academy. A notable function also took place in the Crown Hotel, George Square, Glasgow, where a large company of Airdrieonians resident in the City foregathered to join with their kinsmen in 'the auld Toon' in heralding this day of days in their national life. I happened to have a copy of the Advertiser of 29th January, 1859. In an announcement the Editor states that on account of the numerous local events in connection with the Burns Centenary, and in recognition of the importance of the occasion he was devoting this week's issue of the paper exclusively to recording the same. The front page contains an artistic portrait of Burns with representations of Tam O' Shanter and Soutar Johnnie, also a picture of 'The Auld Clay Biggin' - as it originally stood and the house at Dumfries in which the Poet breathed his last. The reports of the local gatherings are interesting reading and reveal an abounding enthusiasm on the part of the whole community. One of the effects of the Centenary Celebrations was to stimulate the formation of Burns Clubs. Two creations came into being in Airdrie-the Gateside Burns Club and the Airdrie Burns Club. The former composed of members resident in the Chapel Street area-'Gateside being the original name of that district of the town. The Airdrie Burns Club was a town's institution. On of its leading spirits was the late Dr Eaton. The last publicly recorded meeting of this Club was on 72 25th January, 1873, but I have reason to think that several subsequent functions took place. In the later 'seventies, however, the Club became dormant. But Airdrie was not to be long without an active organisation. In the Autumn of 1884 the present Club was formed by a band of youthful enthusiastics determined to maintain the town's traditions. After some preliminary meetings twenty one members were enrolled and office-bearers elected. I had the honour of being nominated as President. The late William Semple of the Sheriff Clerk's office was appointed Vice-president, while William Sinclair and the late John Scotland filled the office respectively of Treasurer and Secretary. Of the original five still survive. Throughout the years the membership continued to increase, there being now one hundred and ninety-four on the roll. The first Anniversary Festival was held in the YMCA Hall (now the Salvation Army Quarters, Graham Street). The following eighteen members were present:­ William Anderson, James Davidson, John Hutton, David Johnstone, James Knox, Archd. McDougall, Alex. McKinnell, James C. Pate, George S. Rankine, Peter Ronald, John Scotland, William Semple, John Sinclair, William Sinclair, Peter Spence, James Thorn, Charles W. Thom, Alex. Weir. As I look at the printed programme now before me of that first Anniversary I think we must have reckoned ourselves giants in those days. I see there were no fewer than 24 speeches and ten songs set down for disposal-a truly herculean undertaking for a company of raw recruits. The Club has now been in existence for 46 years and with the exception of the war period the Anniversary Festival has been duly observed. The Club's activities in other directions during its lengthy history have been too numerous to detail here. Suffice it merely to say that as one of the oldest clubs affiliated to the Burns' Federations it has always shared in the many commendable enterprises initiated by the Federation. Locally, too, the Club has in many ways sought to promote the study of the songs and poems of Burns. It has also freely given of its funds in the cause of deserving charities. It has ever been the patron of or local bards. Last year, (1929) for instance it organised a most successful function in celebration of the centenary of the birth of Robert Tennant-Airdrie's 'Postman Poet'. To sum up, the Club has had an honourable history and his family established itself as one of our town's popular institutions. Poetic Justice By John M. Robertson

The Jumble Sale had been a huge success, and the Church would have a roof over its head for a few more years anyway. A non-leaking roof. As she struggled homewards with her burden of bargains, Jessie Murray felt proud that she had played a part, albeit a small one, in the architectural rehabilitation of their small Church in Doonfoot, near Ayr. Her arrival at home was not greeted by a bell-ringing, flag-waving, rooftop-raising assembly. Instead, her husband, Bill, watched her stagger inside the door, and, as she collapsed into the nearest chair, announced, 'In the name o' God, whit huv you got this time?' Jessie was in no fit state to engage in idle repartee. She paused to puff and pant, then pointing to the two large, heavily-laden shopping bags, replied, 'Bargains.' 'Bargains!' exclaimed Bill, with little enthusiasm. 'They must see you comin.' 73 Last time ye got an auld record o' Richard Tauber singing "You are my heart's delight". Then there wiz that mascot fer a Rolls-Royce. Ye're an optimist, Jessie, so ye are.' 'Ach well', Jessie shrugged, 'It's in a guid cause. The Church'll git its new roof.' Bill sauntered over to the bargain buys, and joked. 'If ye ask me, the Church is nae the only thing wi' a slate loose.' With that, he began to lift some of the items out of the bags. He was obviously not too cynical to hope that hidden treasure could lurk in that mysterious collection. 'Careful wi' that', snapped Jessie. 'That's an auld pictur, wi a nice frame roond it. Cost me fifty pee.' 'Aye, right,' said Bill, gingerly placing the framed picture against the wall. He picked out a book, and told her, 'This is interestin. A Page-a-day Diary for 1979.' 'Ah only got it,' explained Jessie, 'Cos it's handy if Ah want tae keep notes in the kitchen.' Gradually the bags were emptied, and Bill stood back to examine the proceeds of his wife's Jumble Sale expedition: Two wall plaques. Cuckoo clock. Brass ornaments. China ornaments. Book ends. Odd plates. Odd cups, and many other items of obscure origins. 'Some o' this lot', Bill mused, 'can go intae the nixt Jumble Sale.' Just then his eyes alighted on a set of old books, six in all. Their condition prompted him to inquire. 'Whit's this lot, Jessie? First editions o' Shakespeare?' Jessie glanced at the old books he was holding, and said, 'Oh them. Got them all at the last gasp for twenty pee. The fella was glad tae get rid o them. He told me they'd come frae a big hoose no that far frae here.' Bill held one of the books in has hand, and commented, 'Aye, they're auld right enough. Got that musty smell aboot them.' Jessie had by now regained her composure, and rose to take part in the examination ceremony. She, too, lifted one of the old books, and remarked, 'Look hoo well bound they are, Bill. Even if we dinnae read them, alangwi' the book-ends, they'll dae as ornaments.' 'Hauf a meenit', Bill interrupted. 'Whit's that piece o' paper? It fell oot o' the book ye were huddin.' On the carpet lay a piece of paper, yellowed with age, and bearing what looked like a mark made by sealing wax. 'Ha ha', chaffed Bill. 'The plot thickens. Let's see whit it says.' He opened up the paper carefully, and began to peer at the hand-writing. Jessie quizzed, 'Whit's it say?' Bill looked closed and confirmed, 'Hard tae tell, but wid ye believe it? This is a letter, an the date on it is the Tenth of November, and guess the year?' Jessie shook her head, and Bill said, 'If Ah'm no' mistaken, it's Seventeen hundred an' eighty-six.' 'Never!' exclained Jessie. 'See fer yersel' ,'said Bill, handing the letter to his wife. Jessie studied it, and admitted, 'Aye, so it is. Ye can tell it's auld by the handwritin. Got that look aboot it. An the paper as well. Thon fancy edges.' When Jessie started to look closer at the paper, Bill remonstrated, 'Pit yer specs on, woman. That's whit ye got them fer.' Commonsense prevailed, and Jessie did as she was bid, finding the letter much 74 easier to read, thanks to her optical aids. She commented. 'It's addressed tae ... let me see ... Master Andrew MacPherson - Turrumbally Farm-Tarbolton. The signature at the bottom is ... Mmmm, hard taemakeitoot. Aye, that's it ... Robert Burns.' Bill had been casting his expert eye over the cuckoo clock, but stopped to inquire, 'Whit was that ye said?' Reading from the letter, Jessie repeated, 'Robert Burns'. There was a pause, followed by an exchange of mutual enlightenment, then Bill said, 'It cannae be. Let's huv a look.' There had been nothing wrong with his wife's eyesight. Her reading of the written word was correct. 'Maybe jist coincidence,' Jessie said, 'but can you read the rest o' it?' 'Ah'll try,' agreed Bill, as he pored over the mysterious letter. The handwriting did not allow him to rush the process. Jessie watched and waited, obviously puzzled by the look of sheer amazement on her husband's face. A bewildered Bill began reading from the letter, 'It says: My dear Andrew, In reply to your letter handed to me yestreen by your own courier, I must take up my pen and write to you immediately to record my appreciation ofyour latest poem called, 'Tam O' Shanter'. This is one ofyour finest efforts yet, and must rank alongside so many ofthe other fine works accredited to myself. The deception has proved successful, and our present arrangement is working admirably. This is perhaps as well, considering that the main reason for such deception demands your complete anonymity. I am well aware that the revelation ofour secret would would mean the gibbet fora certain party, but fear not, old friend, your secret is safe with me, though it is unfair that I am allowed to bask in the glory ofyour lyrical ability. I shall re-write 'Tam O' Shanter' in my own hand, and forward it to my favourite printer in Kilmarnock as quickly as I can. Your dear friend and confidant, Robert Burns.' An aura of complete bewilderment surrounded Jessie and Bill. It was some time before the mist of uncertainty cleared, and a startling possibility loomed large on the horizon. 'Are you thinkin' whit Ah'm thinkin?' asked Bill. Jessie nodded, but pleaded, 'But surely it's no true. It looks tae me as if Rabbie Burns never wrote the things he got a' the credit fer.' 'Aye', Bill agreed. 'Looks awfy like it, ma dear. The thing is ... whit do we daenoo?' Without hesitation, Jessie told him, 'Scrap it! Throw it in the bucket! Best place fer it.' 'Hud yer wheesht, woman', chided Bill. 'We've got tae think this oot sensibly.' He looked at the letter again to confirm its contents, and possibly substantiate his own sanity. 'Ajistcannae believe it', he repeated. 'Don't keep saying that', demanded Jessie. 'Ah still say we should scrap it, and forget a' a boot it.' Bill was against such a ploy. 'It's the easy wey oot', he said, 'but Ah'm no sae sure. Ah think it requires, as they say, further investigation. 'An that'll mean yer brother Walter, Ah suppose,' observed Jessie. 'Well', Bill reminded her, 'he's on the staff of the local newspaper'. 75 Without enthusiasm, Jessie remarked, 'An' don't Ah know it. Walter widnae ken a original idea if it stopped him in the street, and said "Hello". The nearest he gits tae a scoop is when he buys an ice-cream cone.' 'That,' Bill informed her, 'is ma brother ye're talkin' a boot.' Jessie assured him, 'An Ah wish it wiznae yer brother Ah wiz talkin aboot. But ach, suit yersel. Kennin your Walter, ye might huv tae explain tae him wha Robert Bums really wiz in the first place.' Bill declared, 'Sarcasm'll git ye naewhere. Besides, when you come to weigh it up, there could be money in this. Lots o money.' The verbal arrow hit the target beautifully. J essie's vitriolic lambasting of Walter's journalistic ability faded into obscurity. 'Money', she said. 'What money?' 'Stands tae reason', replied Bill knowingly. 'An original letter signed by Robert Bums is worth a fortune, and this one even mair so. Can ye imagine the stramash this'll cause? Not only here in Scotland, but all over the World. Bums' Federations everywhere'll be shattered. "Auld Lang Syne" wid never be the same again.' The inevitable repercussions of such an announcement began to make an impression on Jessie Murray. It seemed fairly obvious that the whole Bums legend would be analysed, pulverised, and eventually scandalised into poetical notoriety. After due consideration, Bill and Jessie agreed it was too hot for them to handle, and Walter of the wavering intellect was approached on the premise that his journalistic connections might apply some rhyme and reason to the whole unfortunate affair. The events that followed may have supported J essie's earlier suggestion to deposit the damning evidence in the rubbish bin. Their tete-a-tetewith Walter was a curious encounter. In the journalistic sense, the man was a plodder, and, unless by some twist of Fate, would never acquire international recognition as a newspaperman. This was the twist of Fate that changed everything. Walter had listened with little enthusiasm to J essie's story ... the Jumble Sale . . . the old book ... the 1786letter. Then, by grammatical necessity rather than literary flair, he prepared for the Saturday edition of the local newspaper, a straightforward summary of the facts, plus a photograph of the letter, under the heading, 'Was Robert Bums a fake?' If no one had heard ofDoonfoot before, that Saturday edition soon put the place on the map. An avalanche of controversy fell upon the area; so much so, there were those who whispered that the ghosts in a certain Alloway Kirkyard were angered, and were about to do something about it. The three-column article written by one, Walter C. Murray, had created quite a furore, though the Editor was encouraged by the fact that demand for the Doonfoot Gazette had risen so dramatically. Despite her previous assessment of her brother-in-law's journalistic prowess, Jessie had to admit, as she re-read the article, that Walter had stayed with the basic facts, and had not drifted off on a tangent of sheer sensationalism for the sake of t~ying to sell a few more copies. 'No bad', said Bill, as he, too, glanced at the story again, and those two words in a Scotsman's vocabulary can often indicate well-deserved criticism without lavishing praise. The news hit an unsuspecting World like an uppercut. It floored so many of the 76 established cliches surrounding Rabbie Bums. If this were true, the Great Bard, as he was affectionately known, was nothing more than a charlatan-a scoundrel­ a great cheat. : A storm of resentment built up against Jessie and Bill for daring to release this ' damaging information to a newspaper. Did they, people began to ask, realise what havoc this so-called truth about Burns would create? The whole chapter on one of Scotia's greatest sons would have to be completely re-written. Present publications would have to be scrapped. Burnsian links throughout the World would mean absolutely nothing in the light of this new evidence. Some people claimed, if it were a hoax, then the people responsible should be dealt with quite severely; others maintained that, if it were true, then the sooner the whole thing was exposed the better. No sense, they said, in prolonging a legend built on lies and deceit. So widespread was the controversy, that the Television people were starting to take an active interest. This, after all, was the stuff of which TV ratings are made: A good, honest, down-to-earth demolition job! There was a knock on the door, and Bill said, uneasily, 'Ah'll go.' As he made his way into the hall, he knew not what to expect ... Irate Burns enthusiast? BBC interviewer? His brother Walter seeking sanctuary? Bill opened the door slowly to find himself confronted by a tall gentleman, who wasted no time in giving the reason for his presence. 'Mr. Murray?' he asked. Bill nodded. 'My name is Reid, Detective Inspector Fred Reid of the Glasgow Fraud Squad'. He produced the necessary credentials, and inquired, 'May I come in and have a word with you? Is your wife in?' Bill answered, 'Yes', on both counts, and admitted the Detective, who followed Bill into the living-room. 'This is Inspector Reid frae the Glasgow polis' said Bill, and Jessie rose to acknowlege his arrival. 'Please don't get up, Mrs. Murray', said the Inspector. 'I'm hoping this won't take long'. 'Is there anything wrong!' asked Jessie, fumbling nervously with her handkerchief. Bill beckoned the visitor into an armchair by the fire, and, as he sat down, the : Police Officer replied. ·

'Well I'm not really sure, but perhaps you can help me.' 1 'We'll certainly try', Jessie told him. 'If it's the Burns letter ye're here aboot, it looks like we've stirred up a gigantic hornets' nest.' 'Aye', nodded the Inspector, 'that is precisely the reason I'm here.' Bill sighed ruefully, 'Ah though it might be.' 'Not to worry', the Inspector re-assured him. 'I'm hoping we might be able to sort things out.' 'In what way?' Jessie inquired hopefully. The Detective took his time. He knew the value of tact and diplomacy in a situation of this nature. 'Do you still', he asked quietly, 'have the original letter which fell from the book you purchased at the Jumble Sale?' 'Oh yes', announced Jessie adamantly, then she badgered Bill, 'Get it for the Inspector, dear.' As Bill moved over to the sideboard, the Inspector said, 'I'd be very grateful if you could let me have a look at it.' 'By all means', said Jessie willingly. 'If it can clear this whole mess up once and for all, so much the better.' Bill had found the famous, or infamous, letter, and handed it to Inspector Reid. 77 He pulled out his spectacles, and began to examine the letter, watched anxiously by Jessie and Bill. Then the Inspector did a strange thing. He held the letter up to light, and observed, 'Mmmm. Interesting.' He turned to Jessie with the request, 'Would you mind, Mrs. Murray, ifl took this letter back to Glasgow for further analysis. I have my suspicions, but I can't really say too much. Ifl can follow up one or two leads, I could be back here tomorrow with an answer.' Jessie and Bill agreed whole-heartedly, and Detective-Inspector Reid duly made his exit, with the letter safely tucked away in a plastic envelope in his coat pocket. Although relieved that positive action was now being taken, the Murrays were still uneasy about the outcome. 'You an' yer Jumble Sales!' Bill exclaimed. 'Hoo wiz Ah tae ken this wid happen?' Jessie retaliated. There was no sleep for the Murrays that night, and perhaps just as well. Their dreams might have been haunted by warlocks and witches and avenging Burns lovers wreaking havoc on the perpetrators of the poetical tragedy. Next day, Detective-Inspector Reid appeared all smiles. His cheery manner was, at least, some consolation to Jessie and Bill after such a restless night. He produced the letter again, and told them, 'Your worries are over. Sit yourselves down, and I'll explain.' Jessie and Bill complied with his request, and awaited the presentation of the vital evidence. The Inspector did so in brisk fashion, relishing the role of Law Officer in this respect. 'The letter', he began, 'is a phoney. All the clues point to one man. Rufus Tyler. Strange name, but then he was a strange man. Came from the Bristol area. Made a name for himself before the War, forging ten-bob notes. Oh, he was put away for a spell, but after his term behind bars, Rufus looked around, with his superb talent for forgery, saw where the big money was to be made. America. They'd snap up anything of historical value, particularly, as they say, from the "Old Country". I:le made quite a few killings in this respect. Old documents. Old letters, presumably written by famous people. He made an excellent living from it, but we could never really nail him. He moved about a bit. The last tip-off we had was a few years back. He was supposed to be operating from a big house in this area. That big house, Mrs. Murray, was where the books came from for your Jumble Sale. So it looks as it Rufus was working on this, when he had to make a quick getaway.' 'Has the man ever been caught?' asked Bill earnestly. 'Well, no', admitted the Inspector, 'but we're not really all that worried about him now. After all, if he's still alive, Rufus Tyler has to be a good age, and it's extremely doubtful if his faculties are as sharp as they used to be. In his dubious profession, eyesight and sureness of hand are imperative.' Jessie's response was cautious, as she inquired, 'No' that Ah

Whenever a child says, 'I don't believe in fairies', There's a little fairy somewhere that falls right down dead. James M. Barrie From Peter Pan Many children, both young and old, are guilty, as Barrie so lyrically states, of causing the in timely demise of many an unfortunate faerie simply by not believing. However, the burden of guilt today really rests with the advent of modern science and communications, and not with the innocent faithlessness of a wee bairn. We have grown up in a fast-paced world of high technology that has no room for myths. But even today, in the 20th century, with all its commitment to modern science, things still go bump in the night, thanks to the ageless art of the story-teller. Story-telling, it is said, is an art of the past. It flourished at a time when there was little opportunity for lavish entertainment. Family and friends gathered after sunset around the smoldering peat fires in dimly-lit farm cottages. Children listened 79 spellbound to their grandfather's wonderous tales of superstition and enchantment, which have been preserved from lip to ear for centuries. The belief in faeries, pixies, brownies, elves, and all other forms of the daoine sidhe (fairy people) were once common throughout Great Britain, but it is far less prevalent today. The enchantment of the mysterious and supernatural spirits of nature have been abandoned in favour of modern logic. But, amazingly, as late as the 20th century, the legends of faerie lore still thrive among some of the old people in the Scottish Highlands and remote areas oflreland and England. Whether these supernatural beings physically exist or not is a moot point. They do exist. They exist and continue to survive through centuries of rich oral traditions that span the globe. Legends of faerie enchantment abound throughout the Scottish folklore and there is scarcely a district of the Scottish Highlands without a faerie knoll, generally the greenest hillock in the area. The Black Chanter of Clan Chattan is said to have been given to a famous MacPherson piper by a faerie woman who loved him; the well known faerie flag of Dunveganissaid to have been given to aMacLeod ofMacLeod by afaerie (the banner brought victory to the Clan at the Battle of Glendale in 1492 and again at Waternish in 1530, and according to legend has the power to bring it once again); and the MacCrimmons ofBoroaig, pipers to the MacLeods, had a magical chanter called 'Sionnsair airgid na mna sithe', the 'silver chanter of the faerie woman'. In Scotland, as elsewhere, many of these folktales and legends were passed orally for generations until the 18th and 19th centuries. Antiquaries, like Sir Walter Scott realised that the traditions of storytelling were declining and destined for extinction if the stories were not kept alive by transcribing them into written word. Eventually, many also began appearing in printed collections. Robert Burns was one of the first avid collectors of ballads, folk songs and tales in Scotland. His life and poetry were directly influenced by the magical faerie legends and lore of his native Ayrshire. Though he gave us no faerie poetry, he made a notable addition to witchcraft poetry with his matchless narrative poem Tam o' Shanter. Glimmering through the groaning trees, Kirk Alloway seemed in a bleeze; Through ilka bore the beams were glancing And loud resounded mirth and dancing. Warlocks and witches in a dance;

Nae cottilion brent new frae France, But hornpipes, jigs, strathspeys and reels Put life and mettle in their heels. A winnock-bunker in the east There sat Auld Nick in shape o' beast A towzie tyke, black, grim and large To gie them music was his charge; He scewed the pipes and gart them skirl Till roofand rafters a' did dirl. This brief excerpt from Burns' famous poem eerily illustrates the strong hold the supernatural had on the memory and imagination of the Scottish people in the 18th century. 80 It was Scott, however, who first realised the importance of documenting these legends. Minstrelsy ofthe Scottish Border contained many traditional ballads collected by Scott and he was also noted for his essays Faeries ofPopular Superstition and Demonology and Witchcraft. The author of the most extensive and authoritative treatise on faerie lore of his period, The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Faeries, was Robert Kirk (1644-92). A Gaelic scholar, Kirk was born in Aberfoyle where his father was minister. For 21 years Kirk served as minister at Balquhidder, but upon his father's death returned to Aberfoyle to assume the duties of minister there. Kirk closely scrutinised the faerie beliefs of the Highlands with calm detachment and truth. Popular belief maintains that he was stolen away by the faeries because he had discovered too much about the habits of the 'unseen people'. It was Kirk's theory that the faerie tribes were a distinct order of created beings possessing human-like intelligence and supernormal powers, who live and move about in our world invisible to all save those men and women gifted with second-sight. Others who talked about faeries include John Dunbar oflnvereen, an old gentleman in his seventies who really knew the faerie faith. Speaking partly from experience and partly from what he has heard his parents relate: 'My grandmother believed in faeries, and I have heard her tell a good many stories about them. They were a small people dressed in green, and had dwellings underground in dry spots. Faeries were often heard in the hills over there (pointing) and I believe something was there. They were awful for music and used to be heard very often playing the bagpipes. A woman wouldn't go out in the dark after giving birth to a child before the child was christened, so as not to give the faeries powerover her or the child. And I have heard people say thatif faeries were refused milk and meat they would take a horse or a cow and that if well treated they would repay all gifts'. A Protestant ministerof Scotland, a native of Ross-shire, had the rare privilege of conscious contact with the faerie world: 'When I was a boy I was a firm believer in faeries; and now as a Christian minister I believe in the possibility and also the reality of these spiritual orders, but I wish only to know those orders which belong to the realm of grace. It is certain that they exist. I have been in a state of ecstasy, and have seen spiritual beings which form these orders'. John MacNeil, 80, living near Castle bay had heard of people being taken by the 'good people' or faeries. 'A faerie woman visited a house of a young wife here in Barra, and the young wife had her baby on her breast at the time. The first words uttered by the faerie woman were, 'Heavy is your child', and the wife answered, 'Light is everybody who lives the longest'. 'Were it not that you have answered my question', said the faerie woman, 'and understood my meaning, you should have been less your child'. And then the faerie woman departed. There are many strange and unusual species of Scottish faerie fauna, but perhaps the most indicative to Scottish oral traditions were the Fuath (foo-a), a race of malicious and dangerous water faeries. The most terrifying and repulsive of the Scottish sea faeries is Nucklavee, a hideous centaur-like creature which came up from the depths of the sea spreading evil, blighting crops, destroying livestock and killing any man it encountered. The only escape from Nucklavee was to cross a running freshwater stream. In an article contributed to the Scottish Antiquary by Traill Dennison, the author described an encounter an old man had with Nucklavee: ,81

F He was walking late one clear, starlight night along a narrow strip ofland between a freshwater loch and the sea, when he saw something moving along towards him. As the thing came nearer he recognised it as Nucklavee. The lower part of this terrible monster was like a great horse with flippers like fins about his legs, with a mouth as wide as a whale's from whence came breath like steam from a brewing kettle. He had but one eye and that as red as fire. On him sat, or rather seemed to grow from its back, a huge man with no legs, and arms that nearly reached the ground ... The best known of the Scottish water faeries, the Ke/pie, haunts lonely rivers, rather than lochs and seas. It can assume human form, but is usually more in the guise of a horse. The creature entices travellers upon its back, then rushes them into deep, dark pools to drown, sometimes tearing the human to pieces and devouring him. Tradition maintains thatifa human can bridle a Kelpie it can be subdued to do his will. Graham ofMorphie once bridled a Kelpie and used him to drag stones to build his new castle. When the castle was built he took off the bridle, and the poor, galled Kelpie dashed into the river, but paused in the middle to say: Sair back and sair banes Drivin' the Laird o' Morphie's stanes, The Laird o' Morphie'/l never thrive Saw Lang as the Kelpie is alive! Misfortune haunted the Grahams ofMorphie until their death. A lowland water bogle described by Sir Walter Scott in Minstrelsy ofthe Scottish Border was the Shellycoat. Festooned with shells which clattered when it creeped through the bogs, the web-footed shellycoat frequented freshwater streams. These creatures took delight in teasing, tricking and bewildering humans without actually causing them physical harm. Scott recounts a tale of two men being led all one night up and down the banks of the river Ettrick by a haunting voice crying dolefully from the stream, 'Lost, lost!' By daybreak they had reached the source, when the shellycoat leaped out from the spring and bounded wildly down the other side of the hill with loud bursts of laughter. The Bean-nighe (ben-neeyeh) or 'washing woman' occurs both in Scottish and Irish traditions and is one of the variants of the banshee. A sorrowful creature, the bean-nighe can be found on the shores of desolate streams washing the blood-stained clothes of those about to die. Folk traditions indicate that the bean-nighe are actually the ghosts of women who died in childbirth and who must perform their sorrowful toils until the natural destined time of their death. 'A shadowy shape ofcloud and mist, Ofgloom and dusk, she stands, The Washer at the Ford'. The Caoineag (Konyack) or weeper is similar to the bean-nighe and can be heard wailing in the darkness at a waterfall before any catastrophe overtakes a clan. A tale recounts that before the Massacre of Glen Coe the caoineag of the MacDonalds was heard to wail night after night. Perhaps one of the better known Scottish water faeries is the Silkie or seal faerie popularised by the traditional Scottish folk group The Corries with their Orcadian ballad The Silkie ofSule Skerry. Seas around Orkney and Shetland harbour the shy silkies. A female silkie is able 82 to discard her seal skin and come ashore as a beautiful maiden. If a human can capture this skin, the silkie can be forced to become a fine, if wistful wife. However, should she ever find her skin, she immediately returns to the sea, leaving the husband to pine away and die of a broken heart. The following tale is typical of the Orcadian legend: A fisherman ofUnst in Shetland happened upon a party of sea-going people dancing on a sandy voe. When they saw him, the assembly broke up, and each faerie snatched up a seal skin and plunged into the sea. But the fisherman had seized a sealskin lying a little apart from the rest and carried it away. When he returned from hiding it the shore was clear except for one beautiful maiden who was searching desperately for the skin that made it possible to return home. She I guessed that the fisherman had taken it and she begged him to give it back, but he only asked her to marry him and promised to be a loving husband to her. She consented, though much in despair, but made a good wife and tender mother to their children. But, she was always searching for her seal skin. One day, when the fisherman was out in his boat, the children were playing hide and seek around the peat stacks when one of them found an old seal skin hidden away and ran with it to his mother. Her eyes glistened with joy, she kissed her children tenderly and with a hurried goodbye hastened down to the shore with her skin in her hand. The fisherman returned to find the children crying at the loss of their mother. He ran down to the shore after her and was just in time to see her slip on the skin, and join the other seal-people who had come to greet her. The despairing cries of the fisherman caused her to turn and she spoke gently-'Farewell', she said, 'and all good fortune to you. I liked you well enough, but I always loved my first husband best'. The Urisk and Glaistig are not water faeries, but haunt lonely pools. The Urisk is half-man, half-goat and is actually quite lucky to have around the house. Urisks crave human companionship, but almost always frighten their potential companions away due to its unseemly appearance. The Glaistig was half-woman and half-goat and her benign form was fond of children and often took old people under her protection. Other Scottish water faeries to be wary of also included the Ceasg or maighdean na tuinne, 'maiden of the wave'. This mermaid-like creature, if caught, may be prevailed upon to grant three wishes. The evil Fideal, the personification of entangling bog grasses and water weeds, haunted Lo~ na Fideil in Gairloch, luring

STEPPING INTO BURNS'S SHOES Exactly 199 years to the very day that Burns and Bonnie Jean crossed the threshold at El/Island, Jim and Jean Irving unlocked the door and took up their abode as the new caretakers. Jim Irving, Immediate Past President of the Dumfries Howff Burns Club, Is Ideally suited for the job. A former ploughman, llke the Bard himself, Jim Is also Secretary of the Dumfries and Galloway Vintage Machinery Club. His knowledge of agricultural machinery of bygone times Is legendary, and we confidently predict that the primitive machines of the late 18th century w/11 soon become a feature at El/Island- lovingly restored, of course. Jean plans to do home baking for the visitors, using the black-leaded range which, back In 1788, was a major piece of modern technology In a new house. The famous range was cast at the Carron Ironworks near Falkirk, lmmortallsed by Burns In the lines which he penned Impromptu on 26th August, 1787, when he visited the foundry: 'We cam na here to view your warks'. The poem has outlived the Carron Company which, sadly, was forced Into liquidation In 1983. 83 men to their watery deaths. And the Blue Men of Minch, ruled by a bloodthirsty chieftain haunted the waters between the Shiant Islands and Long Island, wrecking ships. The denizens of the faerie Kingdom also populated the countryside of Scotland as well. Nimble men, redcaps, knockers and brownies made their homes in the mountains and in farm cottages and mills. The Little Old Man of the Barn or barn brownie, is perhaps the most common faerie creature to dwell in Scotland. The Bodach (budagh) or Bodachan Sabhail (botuchan so-will) appears in legends in many different forms, but in most cases are helpful creatures. However, they have been known to snatch naughty children up through the chimney. Aiken Drum, the Brownie ofBladnoch In Galloway is probably the best-known Scottish bodach and is popularised in the Scottish nursery rhyme: There cam' a man to oor toun, To oor toun, to oor toun There cam' a man to oor toun An' his name was Aiken Drum. In Scotland each house used to have its own brownie who was especially helpful when the owners were brewing beer. They also took pity on old men and threshed for them. D. A. MacKenzie gives us a verse about the brownie in his book, Scottish Folklore and Life: When the peat wull turn grey And the shadows fall deep And weary old Calum is snoring asleep . .. The Little Old Man ofthe Barn Will thresh with no light in the mouth ofnight, The Little Old Man ofthe Barn. Also known as Brollachanf Gaelic for 'shapeless thing') or the Booman in the Orkneys and Shetlands, the Scottish brownie comes in many different shapes, sizes and dispositions. They have shaggy brown hair which covers them from head to foot and are generally naked or wear a tattered kilt of green rushes. The bodach especially disliked offerings of clothing and would run away from the farm for ever if given such a practical gift. 'Sin ye've gien me a harden ramp, N ae mair ofyour corn I will tramp. ' The Scottish 'unseelie court', an unholy variety of weird and terrifying monstrosities, as opposed to the more beneficial 'seelie court' are thoroughly evil. While the seelie court are most commonly seen about twilight, the unseelie court, or more particularly those members known as 'the host' fly through the air at night snatching up any mortal unfortunate enough to fall in their path. The most notorious denizens of the unseelie court were the Fachan and the Baobhan Sith. Perhaps the most unpleasant creature to haunt lonely Scottish gorges and lochans were theFachans. J. F. Campbell's Popular Tales ofthe West Highlands described the unseemly appearance of the fachan: 'Ugly was the make ofthe Fachin; there was one hand out ofthe ridge ofhis chest and one tuft out ofthe top ofhis head. It was easier to take a mountain from the root than to bend that tuft'. The Biasd Bheulach (beeast veeluch), monsterof the Odail Pass on the Isle of Skye was a nasty, Highland demon spirit described by J. G. Campbell in Witchcraft and Second-Sight in the Scottish Highlands. 84 Sometimes it bore the form of a man, sometimes of a man with only one leg, at other times it appeared like a greyhound beast prowling about and sometimes it was heard uttering frightful shrieks and cries which made the workmen leave their bothies in horror. It was only during the night it was seen and heard and it ceased when a man was found dead on the roadside pierced with two wounds to the neck and leg. Baobhan Sith is another form of banshee and means 'fairy woman', but is generally employed to mean a kind of succubus, very dangerous and evil. D. A. McKenzie retells the frightening story of three hunters who encounter the Baobhan Sith: Four young men were on a hunting trip and spent the night in an empty shieling, a hut built to give shelter for sheep in the grazing season. They began to dance, one supplying mouth-music. One of the dancers wished they all had partners. Almost at once four women came in. Three danced the fourth stood by the music maker. But as he hummed he saw drops of blood falling from the dancers and he fled out of the shieling pursued by his demon partner. He took refuge among the horses and she could not get to him, probably because of the iron with which they were shod. But she circled round him all night and only disappeared when the sun rose. He went back into the shieling and found the bloodless bodies of the dancers lying there. Their demon partners had sucked them dry. Squalid in appearance as well as she was evil in disposition, the Luideag was · another murderous female demon who haunted the Lochan nan Dubh Bhreac (Lochan of the Black Trout) in Skye and killed what men she could catch. Redcaps are the most bloodthirsty of the Scottish elves and are lowland castle spirits. It is said that they live only in castles with a history of violence and they spent their time seeking out human victims, taking the human blood and dyeing their caps red. About four-feet tall with long protruding teeth, they can be routed by scripture from the Bible or cross. There are Nimble Men, reminiscent of the phosphorescent Will-a-the-Wisps seen in swamps and other desolate places. Hypnotizing their victims, they would lead them astray into bogs and marshes. They were believed to be the souls of unbaptised children or the souls of men and women who had not fully journeyed completed into the heavenly realm. From haunted glade and lonely mere, we have been afforded a brief glimpse into the magical and supernatural realm of the Scottish faeries. There are many, many variations to be found throughout the faerie kingdom and oral traditions have kept the faeries alive for generation after generation and will keep them alive for generations to come. EricFindlaterin The Man On My Back says: 'Once on a stretch of moorland by a rushy pool, I saw flickering, faint, blue lights dancing in the darkness low above the ground. I thought it a will-o-the-wisp and set out to chase it. But then I heard a little tumbling tune of four or five notes, many times repeated, and the slow-stepping light was dancing in time with them. I had a couple of dogs with me, an Irish setter and a casually bred Irish terrier. They also heard the tune and stopped, and softly whimpered. The hair on their necks began to bristle, their tails went down, they turned and fled. I was not so much frightened as over-come by a feeling of impropriety, of indecent intrusion, and a half minute later I too retreated. From a hundred yards away I could still hear the tune, very small, but clear as a voice carried over the water on a calm evening'. 85 Our Man in Japan

With the Forth bndges in the background, Professor Toshio Namba, on a rece/1/ visit to Scotland, gives some publicity to the Burnsian during an open-air address to members of the Japan-Scotland Society, at the Scollish restaurant 'Sco!lish Menu Aye' (proprietor Mr Yoshiteru Takahashi). paying homage to this evil mess, but Lons! Lost Secret very few of them actually eat it. Many of those who do, consume an enorm­ of tfie Haggis ous amount of Scotch whisky, one of By Rod Sykes the first commercial disinfectants. It helps , but often it doesn't help Mother: 'Now dear, you musn't h ave enough, as anyone seeing a true blue any more haggis. It'll make you ill. ' Scot after a Burns Night dinner can Greedy Offspring: 'Never mind , it's testify. His colour is usually true blue, worf it!' and his state of mind likewise. It's not to be marvelled at. After all, the secret of the haggis was lost more than 300 years ago, in the reign of King' Ja mes the Sixth of Scotland Burns Night, the annual Scottish and First of England. celebration that promotes that pecul­ He was the son of the ill-fated iar dish , the haggis, is over once more. Mary, Queen of Scots, who was Now I can speak my mind. As one of murdered by her cousin, Elizabeth of my friends once remarked, it won't England, the so-called Virgin Queen. take long. (If history is correct Elizabeth's lan­ Mother was right. Haggis will make guage alone would deflower a regi­ any normal person who eats it ill. ment!). 86 Most Scots go through the motions of What I have to tell you is no secret, though the Scots do not advertise it. failure in that respect. The recipe for In the first place, Mary Queen of the haggis remains lost, and the Scots, was Mary, Dowager of France, tombstones of those brave men who before she came to Scotland. have eaten the trial haggises are, in Her French husband lacked staying fact, the stepping stones of Scottish power, a problem that has afflicted history. the French from time to time in I once spoke at a Burns dinner, such dealing with the Scots, who are hard as I am telling you about. I told the people to deal with. assembled Scots the true history of In the second place, she brought the what they call their national dish, and original recipe for the haggis with her they were not pleased. from France, with her Italian private The haggis they were eating was secretary, David Rizzio. He had it made by a Ukrainian butcher in from his mother, who had it from the Edmonton, where we have to go for Borgias, a family noted for the effec­ haggis if we want it, heaven forbid! tiveness of their interrogation of I have never been asked to speak at enemies. another Burns dinner, which surprises What role the haggis played in me for I am not a bad after-dinner interrogation, I cannot tell you. That speaker, and the price is 'right. secret, too, is lost in time. The purpose of the annual dinner at which the haggis is prominently dis­ An Englishman was offered a help­ played, and at which it is admired by ing of haggis, and he gave one many more people than actually eat it, shuddering look and turned away. is to discover whether after so many Said his host: 'Mon, have ye no tasted years the genuine recipe for. a palat­ the haggis?' 'no' said the Englishman. able dish has been rediscovered. 'No. But I once trod in some.' In fact, each banquet has been a -reproduced from the Calgary Sun. I I Scotland's Burns Tradition Comes to Hertfordshire As Dudley Sizeland reports, the immortal poet would have approved the spirit !

The RobertBurns Festival, by far the most popular and best supported event organised under the auspices of the Hertfordshire Branch of the Guild of Sommeliers, was celebrated in true Scottish fashion this year. About 138 members and guests assembled in the Cranborne Rooms, Red Lion Hotel, Hatfield, on 26 January, to commemorate the 226th Anniversary of the birth of the immortal Scottish poet. This event, inaugurated in 1980 under the guidance of the Burns Federation, continues to receive tremendous support from leading members of the Scotch Whisky Association and other friends in the wine and spirit trades. This year, several members, both Scots and Sassenachs, were seen wearing brand new Burns Federation 1985 Centenary badges, following an invitation from the Kilmarnock based organisation for the Hertfordshire branch to become an affiliated member. It was a true Burns Nicht, with a plethora of tartan in evidence, as always a 87 very 'spirited' occasion. This year the special flavour on arrival was a wee dram of 'guid auld Scotch drink'-Chivas Regal-Supplied by Seagrams (UK) and served by Guild member Ann Shaw, traditionally dressed. The five course Scottish farin featured Cock-a-Leekie, Chieftain o' the Puddin race and Clapshaw, Roastit Stirk wi' a' the trimmins, Blaeberry Cheesecake and Cream; Dunlop Cheese and Oatcakes and Highland Coffee. Miniatures ofBalvenie and Chivas Regal, donated respectively by William Grant and Sons (Standfast) and Seagrams were available to toast the 'wee beastie' but it is unlikely that Burns would have frowned on those who took them home as souvenirs. The steaming haggis was ceremonially piped in by James Buchanan, carried aloft by chef Peter Adamscewski, whilst it was Brian Lawrence, trade relations and development manager for William Grant, who performed the 'address' in his usual rousing and enthusiastic style. Proposing the toast to the Immortal Memory, Jimmie Kitchener an office bearer for the Burns Section, said that Burns, who only lived a mere 37 years, had three loves, Scotland, the 'lasses' and the dram-'though not necessarily in that order'. Resplendent in full kilted evening dress, Ken MacKenzie, sales executive of wine firm Hedges and Butler, proposed the toast to 'the lasses', including branch Chairman, Sue Moorhouse. Appropriately, the reply came from Ami Shaw, trade relations manager, Seagrams, who, in true Burnsian style, delivered a delightful poem of her own. Whilst the Nice Style band provided music for dancing, the Buchanan young Ladies Highland Display Team, led by piper Jimmy Buchanan, presented a skilful and colourful programme. Victor J elenski rounded off another memorable evening with a rendering of Flower of Scotland, followed by Auld Lang Syne. Acknowledgements Table prizes including the value for money wine bottled by Hallgarten under the Hatfield Wine Stores label-a local bestseller-and spot prizes miniatures of Atholl Brose (Gordon MacPhail). Table waters, Highland Spring, Perrier, Badiot and Buxton, were courtesy of Stirling Spring, H. Bulmer & Co, Evian Agencies and J. B. Rawlings. Place mats giving a colourful history of Burns were donated by The Distillers Co, and the Lando' Burns Centre, Alloway, again supplied the ever popular poetic table napkins. Programmes were printed by Seagrams and a generous supply of Havana cigars came by courtesy of Knight Bros and Sullivan Powell. Tombola prizes were donated by Anglo-Australian Wine Co, Atkinson Baldwin and Co, Arthur Bell and Sons, Berry Bros and Rudd Ltd, Burns Federation, James Burrough & Co, City Vintagers, Dent and Reuss, Direct Wine Suppliers, Eldridge Pope and Co, Findlater Matta Agencies, Grants Wine and Spirit Merchants, Gilbey Vintners Hunters and Frankau, House ofTownend, House of Hallgarten, Justerini and Brooks, Long John International, MacDonald and Muir, Martini Rossi, McMullens ofHertford, Moet et Chandon, J. R. Parkington & Co, Reid, Pye and Campbell, J.B. Reynier & Co, Saccone and Speed, H. Sichel and Sons, William Teacher and Sons, James Walker (Strathspey Bakery).

88 within and outwith Scotland, of the The McVitie's vibrant literary scene here." He went on: "We are particularly pleased that Prize for the judges will consider all kinds of published work, and not just books, as Scottish Writer this will open the field to a whole new range of creative talent." of the Year The judges have been specifically chosen because of their familiarity Sponsored with contemporary Scottish writing. by United Biscuits Chairman of the panel is Professor Karl Miller, Lord Northcliffe, Profes­ United Biscuits have announced a sor of Modern English Literature at prestigious new award which each St University College, London. Born in Andrew's night will establish "The Edinburgh, and educated at the city's McVitie's Prize" for Scottish Writer Royal High School, Karl Miller's of the Year. published works include Memoirs of a The winner will receive £5000, and Modern Scotland, Robert Burns and the prize will be presented at a special Cockburn's Millennium (for which he ceremony to be transmitted by BBC won the James Tait Black Award). Scotland on St Andrew's Day, 30th Professor Miller is Editor of the November. London Review of Books. Writers born in Scotland or now A prolific writer and a gifted par.­ working in Scotland are eligible. A trait painter, Dorothy Dunnett was distinguished panel of judges will born in Dunfermline. She has been a select the writer on the basis of works literary judge for many awards and is nominated by publishers, commis­ a member of numerous associations sioning organisations and critics. including the Scottish History Society The panel of judges is Professor and the Scottish Society for Northern :&arl Miller (Chairman), Mrs Dorothy Studies. Dunnett, Mr Bill Bryden and Profes­ Bill Bryden has been Head of sor Derick Thomson. Drama at BBC Scotland since 1985. The judges are particularly inter­ Born in Greenock, he has held a ested in receiving nominations for variety of positions including Assis­ outstanding imaginative works in tant Director at Edinburgh's Royal English, Scots or Gaelic. These may Lyceum Theatre and Associate Direc­ comprise not only published books tor of the National Theatre. His own (e.g. a novel or a collection of short plays include Willie Rough and Benny stories), but also theatre, cinema, Lynch, and in 1982 he directed his radio and television scripts or other own screenplay Ill Fares the Land substantial works of an imaginative about the evacuation of the island of nature published or performed St Kilda in 1930. The fourth member between lst September 1986 and 31st of the judging panel is Professor August 1987. Derick Thomson, Professor of Celtic In announcing this uniquely Scot­ Studies at Glasgow University. Born tish award, Group Chief Executive of in Stornoway, Derick Thomson is the United Biscuits, Bob Clarke said: author of numerous books and articles "United Biscuits is very conscious of including An Introduction to Gaelic its strong Scottish roots. We hope that Poetry, The Companion to Gaelic our sponsorship of this new prize will Scotland and collections of Gaelic lead to a greater recognition, both poetry. 89 Next we tried a liver Learning Till the thing slipped offthe plate By God we'll get this Haggis right the Haggis If ifit takes till I988. When asked to do the Haggis I think by now you will agree The wife she did agree­ That we have tried so hard But didn't know the trouble To do the Haggis properly In store for her and me. I'm sure I'm going mad. She practised on a cushion This Haggis now is everywhere And cut it up in shreds All day my poor head rings She practised in the car, and home I think I'll go and buy a gun And even up in bed. And shoot the bloody thing. How our love life suffered At last, at last, the poem is done When just asleep in bed And they will really get it A yell rang out, and I jumped up And then I say at 3 am 'To the rustic Haggis fed'. Could you do it noo By this time I was shattered In case you might forget it. I couldn't get to sleep Rabbie loved his fellow man With pillow tightly on my head As everyone can see All I heard was meat. But when he wrote 'The Haggis' I saw a Haggis on my plate He didn't think ofme. I saw it on the floor Robert Davies I saw it floating up and down Except-go out the door. She even said it in her sleep But I just let her be Ode to She whispered, warm, reekin, rich Robert Burns I pretended it was me. At last the poem was conquered By William R. Shanks A rehearsal was in sight, A big polony sausage Wild the nicht, and dark the sky Substituted for the night. As wind howled o'er the Carrick We put it on a silver tray shore, The wife, gave the address Tugged the thackin' o' the roof, She talked to it sincerely And strained the steeken o' the Then she swiped it-what a mess. door. The trees were groanin' in the gale, The sausage fell upon the floor The Doom road on in tumblin' It gave a sort of wail flood, The cat _.:.she grabbed the sausage Nae gleamin' road o' tar and licht, Till I grabbed her by the tail. But darkness, cuts, anddubso' mud. I swiped the cat-mum made a dive Inhumblecoto'cleyandstane The meat rolled neath the sofa Amidst this scene a lad was born, Between the wife-pussy cat But lit le thocht the folks that day 90 I'll soon be offma' rocker. The wealth this world did adorn, Great men before him left their His freendly dug, his feline cat, roots His faithfu' horse, the docile kye, Tae turn the earth frae dark o' The fussy hens, the squabblin' nicht, ducks, This lad, like them had struggled The lark soarin' sing in' in the sky, sair The wild deer, and the hunted hare, Tae raise a spark tae gleamin' licht. The wee bit timid, sleekit moose, The ewes upon the heather hills, Oft he thocht the spark had gane, The craws, and even the craw/in' Doused wi' bigotry and scorn, louse. Oft then his muse it wad inspire, And glean like sunshine in the Nature in its varying moods morn. He likened tae the human race, Oh! ifRabbie could hae seen the The pleasant sun, and balmy breeze, day Or the storm in its wildest rage. The flame his touch had set afire The gressy haughs, the hervest field, Tae millions dwelling on this earth, The floo' ers, the trees, the bush and A gleam amidst the swirlin' haar. thorn, The daisy crushed beneath the The slave cowerin' frae his maister's plough whup, Compared tae maid betrayed and The pleasant bent wi' endless toil, scorned. His pen exposed the pqrasites Mankind we ken is often cruel, That claimed the crop ta'. en frae the Sma things in life we oft despise, soil. But Rabbie showed us wi' his pen He could hae praised the overlords, The folly o' deceit and lies. And climbed upon the Coup in' He tried tae show the folly J stane, 0' mankind's wayward thought Smiled upon the favoured folk That pleasures are not ordered, A' for mercenary gain. And justice can't be bought. But Rabbie had nae feet o' clay, He portrayed that living things His writings stirred the learned Which live upon this earth world, Had equal share with all mankind, "Who is this man", were oft tae Their right unto their hearth. say, His quotations, and his prophesies Whom rebuke tae tyrants bravely He never wrote for nocht, hurled. When he prayed, "Men be brithers He was neither coarin' priest, a"', Nor sanctimonious bigot bore, 'Twas all living folks he socht. But just a kindly, freendly chap Wi' justice aye wee! tae the fore. Still we fight and squabble on, Ower what? I often ask, He loved the freedon o' mankind, Maybe his prayer comes nearer, He loved a gentle comely maid, But its a rough and rocky task. A champion o' the underdog, These works o' his will never fade. Wm. R. Shanks As a laddie nurtured on the land, Bard, Balerno .Burns Club His he' rt was warm tae beast and 1987, Oration bird, Maist he saw like human kind, He studied when a gang/in' herd. 91 Burns in Irvine Robert Burns came to Irvine in 1781 to learn flax dressing. He lived at No.4 Glasgow Venne/ and worked in the heckling shed (No.JO) which has recently been restored. These buildings are now open to the general public, who can see our national poet's domestic and working environment interpreted in an interesting fashion. Irvine Town Trail .-.a. "Wee, sleekit, cowrin' ··~ ~ ...... --. •• h·· tim 'rous beastie, '' ._ .... /'"•.. l ...... , .. __ ...... The little mouse of which Burns wrote has been incorporated into a series of studs which indicate the route of a town trail leading to many of the town's most interesting buildings and features. Further information is available from Ayrshire Writers & Artists Club, 10 Glasgow Venne/, Irvine KA12 OBD.

Cunninghame District Council, Telephone 74166 92 Al987 Tribute Start of to Robert Burns Something

Burns, Burns burns in my head, This man of great immortal fame, The flash, the flame flares in me. The plooman poet abune us a', No other poet readily read, Nae wunner that I felt sae sma'. Can stir the seed within me. On his human thoughts you were supreme, Burns, Burns burns in my heart, Like his providence life's greatest The sob, the sigh can wring me. beam, No eye-locked tears I suffer to start, A shining light to hover on, Can match his songs to sting me. And remain aglow when we're all Burns, Burns burns in my hands, gone. The toil, the grime about me, This lowly man of humble birth, Has made life's long laborious A God-send tae oor native earth, demands, If only he wis here today, But travails kenned without me. I know whose light would cast its ray. Burns, Burns burns in my feet, He could teach the land of England Bless'd Alba's way can wing me. how, No pit-full path I frantic'ly beat, Oor Ayrshire poet from the plough, His words have failed to spring me. This honest man of honest stature, An equal and more tae Maggie Burns, Burns burns on my lips, Thatcher. Speech simple, sublime enthralls me; All mankind's frailties noted in quips, I'd take him tae Edina's toon, Yet naught he speaks appals me. And upon his heid I'd place the croon, And then I'd let the world know it, Burns, Burns burns in my eyes, How proud we were of our Ayrshire All Scotland's charms shall show me, poet. Revealed in writings wondrously wise, Where'er life's winds may blow me. Ye spoke on his gentle nature tae a', Like the wee courin' beastie or the Burns, Burns burns on my tongue, daisy sae braw, A taste of Scots to stay me; But you did something better as I bring "Address to Haggis" hungrily sung, it tae min, "Scotch Drink" excess to fray me. When you sang in German Auld Lang Burns, Burns burns in my soul, Syne For he the world can win me, On Rabbie's loves like life's romance, Man's warmth revealed a God given Oor poet held them in a trance, goal, The way that you held me that night, When Burns still blazes in me. When you spoke of Rabbie Burns's Burns, Burns burns in amy all, might. I I A spell the pipes can weave me, I hope I hear you speak once more, And clarsach strains joyously recall, Of this great Bard we all adore, I That Burns still burns ... believe me! You kept me happy wi a joyful grin, Lionel Campbell At the Burns supper in the Craighead 25th January, 1987. Inn. Jimmy L. 93 THE BURNS STATEMENT OF INCOME AND lst May, 1985 to INCOME ORDINARY

Annual Subscriptions: Current ...... £3297.81 Arrears ...... 277.00 Advance ...... 165.00 Associate Members ...... 1374.60 Affiliation Fees ...... 9.00 Badges ...... 183.64 Burns Check ...... 283.50 Address Books ...... 11.83 Diplomas ...... : ...... 8.10 Greetings Cards ...... 170.86 Other Items ...... 133.75 Donations ...... 349.60 Postal Covers, Labels etc...... 904.26 '200'Club ...... 1000.00 Miscellaneous ...... 8.76 Interest on Deposit Account ...... 42.55

£8220.26

SCOTTISH

Balance at lst May 1985 National Savings Income Bonds ...... £20000.00 G. M. Mackley Investment ...... 5000.00 Burns Chronicle: Members ...... 3952.06 Trade ...... 893.68 ...... Adverts ...... 1210.17 6055.91 Centenary Book ...... 405.35 Song Book ...... 165.12 Life of Burns ...... 274.39 Bainsangs ...... 74.40 A Scots Handsel ...... 60.45 Subscribed Edition ...... , ...... 29148.10 Subscribed Edition (Donation from G. M. Mackley) ...... 1000.00 Ordinary Edition ...... 666.30 Other Books ...... 272.59 Schools Competitions: Donation from Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd ...... 1500.00 Bequest-Alex.Johnstone ...... 465.61 Other donations ...... 327.25 Royalty on A Scots Kist ...... 59.85 Interest on Investments ...... : ...... 2528.92 Interest on Deposit Receipts ...... 536.94 Interest on Deposit Account ...... 63.90

£68605.08 94 FEDERATION EXPENDITURE FOR THE PERIOD 30th April, 1986 EXPENDITURE FUND

Overspent at lst May 1985 ...... £156.17 Stationery ...... 261.39 Office Equipment ...... 34.50 Postage ...... 1223.36 Salary and National Insurance ...... 4665.64 Expenses ...... 69.16 Wreaths ...... 30.00 Burns Check ...... 240.08 Badges ...... 525.00 Goods for Resale ...... 214.46 Greetings Cards ...... 181.24 Bank Charges ...... 185.95 Past President's Badge ...... 59.21 Audit Fee ...... 172.50 Burns Supper ...... 40.00 Chain Repair and Case ...... 53.55 Insurance ...... 102.50 Balance at 30th April, 1986 ...... 5.55

£8220.26

LITERATURE FUND

Burns Chronicle: Printing ...... £6593.00 Editor's fee ...... 1150.00 Editor's expenses...... 158.17 Postage ...... 474.81 ...... Miscellaneous ...... 15 ...... £8383.13...... 7 Books for resale ...... 681.66 Schools Competitions: Printing ...... 1951. 70 Convener's Expenses ...... 306.82 ...... 2258.52...... National Schoolchildren's Competition ...... 216.07 Subscribed Edition (advert) ...... 102.35 Subscribed Edition (postage) ...... 100.00 Ordinary Edition (refunds) ...... 239.50 Balanceat30thApril, 1986 ...... 31623.85 National Savings Income Bonds ...... 20000.00 G. M. Mackley Investment ...... 5000.00

£68605.08 95 CENTRAL

Balance at lst May 1985 ...... 64.01 £76008%% Treasury Stock 1987/90 (cost) ...... 6706.00 £6000 National Savings Income Bonds ...... 6000.00 Deposit Receipt (Dumfries HowffBurns Club) ...... 600.00 Income from Investments ...... 1640.69 Interest on Deposit Account ...... 108.77

£15119.47 ST. GILES

Balance at lst May 1985 ...... 4863.75 Donations ...... 212.00 Scottish Arts Council ...... 2000.00 Interest on Deposit Account ...... 170.60

£7246.35 GENERAL

Balance at lst May, 1985 ...... 186.38 Conference Collection ...... 337.82 Donations: Jean Armour Burns Houses ...... 100.00 National Memorial Homes ...... 35.00 Interest on Deposit Account ...... 2.41

£661.61 RESERVE

Balance at lst May, 1985 ...... ~ . £53.21 TaxRebate ...... 58.00 London Conference Surplus ...... 4663.80 Interest on Deposit Account ...... 14.24

£4789.25 JOCK

Balance at lst May 1985 £1500 8lh% Treasury Stock (at cost) ...... £1475.57 Interest ...... 89.26

£1564.83

OVERSEAS

Balance at lst May 1986 ...... £1269.81 From J. Dyall Bequest ...... 89.26 Bank Interest ...... 1915

£1378.22

96 FUND

Maintenance of Memorials: Kilmaurs Glencairn Aisle ...... £377.50 Mauchline Museum ...... 500.00 Balance at 30th April 1986 ...... 935.97 £7600 8%% Treasury Stock 1987/90 (at cost) ...... 6706.00 £6000 National Savings Income Bonds ...... 6000.00 , Deposit Receipt (Dumfries Howff Burns Club) ...... 600.00

£15119.47

RESTORATION APPEAL FUND

Printing ...... £33.53 Purchase of Quaichs ...... 125.00 Paid to St. Giles ...... 6500.00 Balance at 30th April 1986 ...... 587.82

£7246.35

APPEAL FUND

Paid to: National Burns Memorial Homes ...... £35.00 Jean Armour Burns Houses ...... 80.00 Balance at 30th April 1986 ...... 546.61

£661.61

FUND

-~ London Conference-Expenses at Kilmarnock ...... £848.62 Kilmarnock Standards ...... 30.00 Solicitor's Fees ...... 286.99 Corporation Tax ...... 222.90 Balance at 30th April 1986 ...... 3400.74

£4789.25

DYALL BEQUEST

Transfer to Visits Fund ...... £89.26 Balance at 30th April 1986£1500 8Vz% Treasury Stock (at cost) ...... 1475.57

£1564.83

VISITS FUND

Balance at 30th April 1986 ...... £1378 ......

£1378.22 KILMARNOCK, 31st OCTOBER, 1986 We have examined the Books and Accounts of The Burns Federation for the year ended 30th April, 97 1986 and have obtained all the information and explanations required. We certify that the foregoing Financial Statement is in accordance with the Books and we have verified that the Funds and Securities at 30th April, 1984 as shown in the Statement are correct. Chartered Accountants. G Motto !'A man's a man for a' that" The Burns Federation Instituted 188S

Hon. Presidents MRSS. G. BAILLIE. WILLIAM J. OLIVER, 2 Bellevue Street, Dunedin, New Zealand G. W. BURNETT, 40 Brecks Lane, Rotherham ALEXANDER C, COOK, 23 Main Street, Coalsnaughton, Tillicoultry Mrs JANE BURGOYNE, M.A., c/o McLeod, Cairnston, Drongan, Ayrshire J. D. McBAIN, 33 Humbledon Park, Sunderland JOHNW. BEGG, LL.B., 16Dobroyd Parade, Haberfield, N.S.W.2045,Australia R. DICKSON JOHNSTON, 48 East Clyde Street, Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire MrsW. G. STEWART, 17ParkTerrace, Tullibody, Clackmannanshire The Hon Dr GRANT MacEWAN. 132 Hall brook Dr S. W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, TIN 3N6 HUGH CUNNINGHAM, Carrick Lea, 99 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries Mrs STELLA BROWN, lOElgarRoad, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia MrsMIMAIRVINE, 'Ulvescroft', 67Bonet Lane, Brinsworth, Rotherham, Yorshire TOSHIO NAMBA, 1-70-24 Tenjin-Cho, Kodaira-Shi, Tokyo, Japan 187 TOM GRAHAM, Victoria, Australia CHARLES MURRAY, 21 Morrison Road, Gladesville, N.S.W., Australia2111 LEWW. REID, 'Lea Rigs', 152 Road, Gainsborough, LincsDN121PN JAMES DAVIE, 11 Cornfield Ave., Oakes, Huddersfield JOHNN. NICOL, 17 Polmaise Crescent, Fallin, Stirlingshire WILLIAM JACKSON, Homestead, Hirsel, Coldstream, Berwickshire TD12 4LW NOEL DINWIDDIE, 34 Great King Street, Dumfries DGl lBD JAMES MASON, 83 Dorchester Way, Kenton, Harrow HA3 9RD JAMES GLASS, 31 Glenconner Road, Ayr KA7 3HF GEORGE IRVINE, 'Ulvescroft', 67 Bonet Lane Brinsworth, Rotherham, Yorkshire Miss YVONNE H. STEVENSON, Apt.1401, 415Michigan Street, Victoria, B.C., Canada. ALLANSTODDART,35MortonAvenue,Ayr Officials President: Mrs ENEZ LOGAN, 6 Hugh Watt Place, Kilmaurs, by Kilmarnock Senior Vice-President: Mrs A. GAW, 7 Highfield Place, Girdle Toll, Irvine KAll lBW Hon. Secretary and Hon Treasurer-WILLIAM A. ANDERSON, Dick Institute, Elm bank Avenue, Kilmarnock KAl 3BU Assistant Secretary-Mrs RITA TURNER, Dick Institute, Elmbank Avenue, Kilmarnock KAI 3BU Schools Competitions-JAMES GLASS, M.A., 31 Glenconner Road, Ayr KA7 3HF Hon Legal Advisor-SCOTT I. GALT, LL.B., 157 Hyndland Road, Glasgow G 12 9JA Publicity Officer-PETER WESTWOOD, 28 Stranka Avenue, Paisley P A2 9DW Hon. Editor-JAMES A.MACKAY, M.A., 11 Newall Terrace, Dumfries DGl lLN Past Presidents J. CONNOR, M.D. (Can), L.R.C.P. (Edin), L.R.C.S. (Edin), L.R.F.P.S. (Glas),41 Indian Road, London, Ontario, Canada N6H LLA6 D. WILSON OGILVIE, 'Lingerwood', 2 Nelson Street, Dumfries DG2 9AY JOHN INGLIS, 16 Berry Drive, Irvine KA120LY THOMAS D. McILWRAITH, 8 Silverknowes Bank, Edinburgh EH4 5PD GEORGE ANDERSON, 49 Upper Bourtree Drive, Burnside, Rutherglen, Glasgow G13 4EJ Mrs MOLLIE RENNIE, 50 Loren Terrace, Whitlawburn, Cambuslang, Glasgow S. K. GAW, 'Camasunary', 2 Kidsneuk Road, Irvine, Ayrshire KA12 8SR A. G. W. TRAIN, 71 Woodside Crescent, Newmains, Lanarkshire ML2 9LA 98 R. A. B. McLAREN, 11 South Lauder Road, Edinburgh EH9 2NB Mrs JANE BURGOYNE, M.A., c/o McLeod, Cairnston, Drongan, Ayrshire DANIELJ. MclLDOWIE, J.P., 'Invermay', Doune Road, Dunblane, Perthshire Dr J. S. MONTGOMERIE, M.B., Ch.B., D.T.M.&H., F.S.A., Woodside, 62 Murray Crescent, Lamlash, Arran W. J. KING-GILLIES, Kingsmuir, 36Queens Crescent, Edinburgh EH92BA H. GEORGE McKERROW, J.P., Whiterne, 61 Albert Road, Dumfries DG2 9DL District Representatives I. Ayrshire: WILLIAM MORRISON, 19 Campbell Street, Newmilns, Ayrshire Mrs P. THOMSON, 52A Dundonald Road, Kilmarnock SAM HANNAH, 55 Ayr Road, Kilmarnock MATT THOMSON, 73 Marchburn Avenue, Prestwick, Ayrshire II. Edinburgh: T. D. McILWRAITH, 8 Silverknowes Bank, Edinburgh EH4 5PD DAYID SCOBBIE, 23 Barleyknowe Terrace, Gorebridge E. K. B. MURRAY, 187 Craigcrook Road, Edinburgh EH4 7 AZ III. Glasgow: ARCHIE McARTHUR, 33 Inchmcad Drive, Kelso, Roxburghshire TD5 7LW DOUGLAS BURGESS, 1 Wolfe Avenue, Newton Mearns, Glasgow G77 6TQ IV. DunbartonshireandArgyll: V. Fife: CHARLES KENNEDY, 101 Dundonald Park, Cardenden, Fife KY5 ODC VI. Lanarkshire: T. N. PATERSON,90 Branchelfield Drive, Wishaw MrsFREDABUDDIE,49JerviestonRoad, Motherwell VII. Mid and East Lothiatis and Borders: VIII. West Lothian: IX. Renfrewshire: WILLIAM WILLIAMSON, 30 Ivanhoe Road, Fox bar, Paisley, Renfrewshire X. Stirling, Clackmannan and West Perth Shires: DOUGLAS McEWAN, 18 Auchenbaird, Sauchie, Alloa JAMES YATES, 'Eildon', Airlie House, Carronvale Road, Larbert, Stirlingshire CH~RLES DUTHIE, c/o Stirling Castle, Stirling XI. Tayside region: MURRAY S. BLAIR, 29 Glenpark Avenue, Glasgow G46 7JE XII. Northern Scottish Coumies: CLIFFORD PARR, 22 Moy Terrace, Inverness XIII. Southern Scottish Counties: HUGH CUNNINGHAM, Carrick Lea, 99 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries Mrs S. KNIGHT, 17 Greenlea Road, Annan, Dumfriesshire XIV. London and South-Eastern England: T. F. HODGE, 42Elmroyd Avenue, Potters Bar, HertsEN62EE XV. North East England: MALCOLM McLEAN MAIR, 108 Tunstall Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear XVI. North West England: MrsT. G. DUNLOP, 'Dinarth', 16 Half Edge Lane, Eccles, ManchesterM309GJ XVII. Yorkshire: JAMES PARNHAM, North Lane Gardens, Roundhay, Leeds LS8 2QT J. DAVIE, 11 Cornfield Avenue, Oakes, Huddersfield XVIII. North and East Midlands: J. CAMPBELL, 3 Valjean Crescent, L. F. E. Leicester LE3 3JW L. JEAVONS, 36Brunswick Road, Rotherham, S. Yorks S60 2RH XIX. West Midlands ofEngland: J. S. MORRISON, 16EricaAvenue, Woodland Park, Bedworth, Warwickshire XX. South Western England: J. SMITH, 3 Muircot Place, Coalsnaughton XXI. Wales: TOM RIDDOCK. 37 Newbiggin Crescent, Tullibody, Alloa, Clackmannanshire 99 XXII. Ireland: Mrs MARGARET STOKES, 33 North Road, Carrickfergus, N. Ircland BT38 SLP XXIII. Africa: MURRAY S. BLAIR, 29 Glen park Avenue, Glasgow G46 7JE XXIV. Australia: D. J. Mc!LDOWIE, Invermay, Doune Road, Dunblane, Perthshire ALLAN STODDART, 35 Morton Avenue, Ayr XXV. NewZealand: WILLIAM SCOTT, 'Oakfield', Ayr Road, Larkhall, Lanarkshire XXVI. Canada: Dr J. CONNOR, 41 Indian Road, London, Ontario, Canada N6H 4A6 D. W. OGILVIE, 'Lingerwood', 2 Nelson Street, Dumfries DG2 9AY XXVII. Nearand Middle East: DONALD URQUHART, Glebe House, 39 Glebe Street, Dumfries DGl 2LQ XXVIII. U.S.A. ALAN R. BOOTH, ARINC Research Corp, 2551 Riva Road, Annapolis Md. 21401, U.S.A. XXIX. Europe: DAVE SMITH, 22 Cargenbridge, Troqueer, Dumfries DG2 SLW

List of places at which the Annual Conference of the. Council has been held.

1885-93 Kilmarnock 1926 Perth 1959 Ayr 1894 Glasgow 1927 Derby 1960 Glasgow 1895 Dundee 1928 Aberdeen 1961 Dumfries 1896 Kilmarnock 1929 Troon 1962 Durham 1897 Greenock 1930 Greenock 1963 Stirling 1898 Mauchline 1931 Hawick 1964 London 1899 Dumfries 1932 Stirling 1965 Hamilton 1900 Kilmarnock 1933 London 1966 Troon 1901 Glasgow 1934 Glasgow 1967 Sheffield 1902 Greenock 1935 Ayr and 1968 Falkirk 1903 Edinburgh Kilmarnock 1969 Southport 0 1904 Stirling 1936 Elgin 1970 Arbroath 1905 Hamilton 1937 Newcastle- 1971 Coventry 1906 Kilmarnock upon-Tyne 1972 Aberdeen 1907 Sunderland 1938 Dumfries 1973 Dumfries 1908 St. Andrews 1940-46 Glasgow 1974 Edinburgh 1909 Dunfermline 1947 Du noon 1975 Dundee 1910 La nark 1948 Stirling 1976 Leeds 1911 Glasgow 1949 Mauch line 1977 Motherwell 1912 Carlisle 1950 Bristol 1978 Glasgow 1913 Galashiels 1951 Montrose 1979 London, 1915-19 Glasgow 1952 Norwich Ontario 1920 London 1953 Paisley 1980 Leicester 1921 Dunfermline 1954 Sheffield 1981 Irvine 1922 Birmingham 1955 Edinburgh 1982 Dumfries 1923 Ayr 1956 Cheltenham 1983 Annapolis, USA 1924 Dumfries 1957 Aberdeen 1984 Stirling 1925 Edinburgh 1958 Harrogate 1985 London.

100 The Council did not meet in 1914 and in 1939. FEDERATION MEMBERS Affiliated during year 1986/87

Mrs ANNIE E. RIDLEY, 49 Murphys Avenue, Keiraville, N .S. W. 2500, Australia WILLIAM MOLLOY, 17 Westgate Park Drive, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2N 5W6 JOHN K. MULLEN, 9 South James Street, Murton, Scaham, Co. Durham SR7 9AS G. R. EWING, Macnaughton House, Compton Place, London WCl 9SD DANIELMcFADYEN, 20SilvcrcrestDr., Ocean, N.T., U.S.A. 07712 WILLIAM M. DAWSON, 'Blendon', 7 Cattlemarket, Clackmannan FK104EH JOHN U. ELLIOTT, 1 Garden Place, Troon KAlO 6BT WlLLIAM KERR, N57W 26470 Mountain Meadows Dr., Sussex, Wisconsin 53089, U .S.A. B. E. WALKER, 35 Longmeanygate, Leyland, Preston, Lanes PR5 3PA Mrs A. WALKER, 35 Longmeanygate, Leyland, Preston, Lanes PR5 3PA Miss H. MACDONALD, 36 Dolphin Road, Currie, Midlothian JOHN LITTLE, 26 Bristol Street, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada PAULL. WILBERT,506NorthPine, P.O. BoxV,Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S.A. 6672 RAYMONDJ. S. GRANT, Department of English, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada RICHARD DAY, 75 Morton Road, Stewarton, Ayrshire ANDREW J. LOW, 43 Balmoral Road, Dumfries DGl 3BE JOHN McMENAMIN, 67 Medway Parade, Greenford, Middx. JOHN D. ROSS, 7 Centennial Court, Frederickton N.B., Canada E3A4G7 STUART JARDINE, 25 Gran ton Avenue, Nepean, Ontario, Canada K2G 1W5 L. M. BRABY, 35 StJohn's Road, Chingford, London Mrs MARION KERR, 2 Sheardale Drive, Coalsnaughton, Clacks. DAVIDW. L. AULD, The Dales, Springs, Stair, byMauchline,Ayrshire PETER G. MACMILLAN, 25 Fairfield Drive, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB72PE Mrs K. LIDDLE, 8 Dunedin Road, Corby Northants JOHNDAY,4295AdellAvenue,NewBerlin, Wisconsin, U.S.A. EVANSJ. CASSO, 108North Gatehouse Drive, Apt.E, Metairie, Louisiana 70001, U.S.A. ROBERTM. BURNS, Alloway, 19 Durham Close, Warden Hill, Cheltenham, Glos. G1515DF LEONARD G. MURRAY, J. P., 34 Buchanan Drive, Bearsden, Glasgow G612EW. MARTIN A. VLOT-HUTTON, Ravelrode 25, 2717GD, Zoetermeer, Netherlands D. G. DOUGLAS, 20 Loch Torridon, St Leonards, East Kilbride RONALD G. H. SINCLAIR, Lorne House, Links Place, Elie, Fife KY91AX ANNABELLA MACKINTOSH, 3708 Howden Drive, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada V9T 3V9 R. J. McSKIMMINGS, 392 Salisbury Street, London, Ontario, Canada FRED WATERS, 19Toutie Street, Alyth, Perthshire J. W. PEACOCK, Jays Reach, Baunton Lane, Cirencester, Glos.

LIST OF DISTRICTS I. Ayrshire - 42 Clubs: 4 Members

0 Kilmarnock 773 Cumnock Cronies 35 Dairy 811 Logangate, Cumnock 45 Cumnock 859 Irvine Eglinton Burns Club 137 Irvine 892 Ayrshire Metal Products 179 Dailly Jolly Beggars 908 'Brithers Be', Kilmarnock 192 AyrshireB.C. Association 920 Trysting Thorn 252 Alloway 931 Beith Caledonia 274 Troon 933 Busbiehill 275 Ayr 936 Irvine Lasses 310 Mauchline 948 Saltcoats Glencairn 349 'Howff, Kilmarnock 954 Newton, Ayr 370 Dundonald 982 Garnock 377 Kilbirnie Rosebery 995 Drongan 500 New Cumnock 996 Kilmarnock Lodge St. Andrew 593 BarrmillJollyBeggars 1020 Netherthird and Craigens 101 632 Symington 1028 Mercat Hotel, Cumnock 664 West Kilbride 1029 Kilwinning 671 S. Andrew's Cronies (Irvine) 1039 Troon Ladies 681 Cronies, Kilmarnock 1042 Kilmaurs Glencairn 682 Cumnock Jolly Beggars 1064 Aftongrange 772 Prestwick 1071 Rattlin Squad, Ochiltree

Secretary: Mr J. H. Bull, 49 Annanhill Avenue, Kilmarnock

II. Edinburgh - 26 Clubs: 3 Members

5 Ercildoune 740 Thorn tree Mystic 22 Edinburgh 784 Kelso 96 Jedburgh 813 Tranent '25' 124 Ninety 825 Clarinda Ladies 198 Gorebridge 929 Bathgate 212 Portobello 971 North Berwick 293 New Craighall 976 Hopetoun Ladies 307 Edinburgh Ayrshire Association 979 Jewel Welfare 314 Edinburgh Scottish 992 Marchbank 340 Balerno 997 Eyemouth Clachan 341 Leith 1011 Haddington Golf Club 378 EdinburghB.C. Association 1025 Newton Lads, Midlothian 516 The Airts Burns Club 1031 Crammond Brig

Secretary: Gordon Innes, 3 South Park, Trinity, Edinburgh

III. Glasgow - 15 Clubs: 1 Member

7 Thistle Homes 9 Royalty 169 Glasgow Burns Club Association 33 Haggis 263 Masonic 36 Rosebery 581 Cumbernauld 49 Bridgeton. 585 Queen's Park Clarinda 68 Sandyford 612 Torrance Masonic 72 Partick 642 Rutherglen 74 National Burns Memorial Cottage 1044 Lodge Burns Immortal

Secretary: Scott I. Galt, 25 Clevedon Road, Glasgow G12 OPQ

IV. Dumbarton, Argyll and Bute Shires - 5 Clubs: 1 Member

2 Alexandria 695 Kilmaronock 10 Dumbarton 831 Lochgoilhead 580 Cumbrae

Secretary: T. Wilson, 111 Brucehill Road, Dumbarton G82 4ER

V. Fife - 11 Clubs: 1 Member

13 St. Andrews 803 Bowhill People's Club 62 Cupar 967 Earlsferry 85 Dunfermline 1013 Balmullo Burns Club 350 Markinch 1014 Traditional Music & Song Assoc. 688 Poosie Nansie Ladies, Kirkcaldy 1040 Cowdenbeath 768 Auchterderran Jolly Beggars

Secretary:

VI. Lanarkshire - 21 Clubs: 2 Members

20 Airdrie 637 Millheugh 133 Newarthill 809 AllantonJollyBeggars 102 152 Hamilton 810 Thirty-seven Burns Club 237 Uddingston Masonic 889 Strathclyde Motherwell 348 NewtonBonnieJean 907 Stonehouse Burns Club 356 Burnbank Masonic 937 East Kilbride 387 Cambuslang Mary Campbell 939 Griffin 390 Meikle Earnock 949 Fir Park Club 392 Whifflet 961 Larkhall 494 Motherwell United Services 973 Salsburgh Miners 578 LanarkshireB.C.A.

Secretary: Miss Ann Pickering, 95 Dyfrig St., Shotts, Lanarkshire

VII. Mid and East Lothians and Borders - 6 Clubs: 1 Member

187 Galashiels 1003 Whiteadder 239 Hawick 1026 Duns Burns Club 839 Coldstream 1067 Seton Burns Club

IX. Renfrewshire - 10 Clubs: 1 Member

21 Greenock 576 Fort Matilda 48 Paisley 748 Ouplaymuir 59 Gourock Jolly Beggars 944 Alamo, Paisley 430 Gourock 1034 Kilbarchan 472 Renfrewshire B.C.A. 1065 Erskine Secretary: Mr W. Williamson, 30 Ivanhoe Road, Paisley

X. Stirling, Clackmannan and West Perth Shires - 33 Clubs: 3 Members

37 Dollar Perthshire 50 Stirling 850 Dollar Masonic 116 Greenloaning 865 Forester Arms 126 Falkirk 895 WestertonBurnsClub 399 St. Ringans 902 Newmarket Burns Club 426 Sauchie 911 Borestone Bowling Club 469 Denny Cross 923 Old Manor Burns Club 503 Dunblane 925 Laurieston 510 I. C. I. Grangemouth 930 Wheatsheaf, Falkirk 543 Abbey Craig 935 Torbrex, Stirling 630 Coalsnaughton 993 Cambusbarron 646 Clear Winding Devon, Alva 1000 United Glass 657 Fallin Burns Club 1022 Blane Valley 665 Gartmorn Ladies 1055 Lhanbryde 725 Ben Cleuch, Tillicoultry 1059 Dundas 769 Robert Bruce (Clackmannan) 1062 Ashburn House 824 Stirling, Clackmannan and West 1069 Falkirk Friday Night Club

Secretary: Ken Crozier, New Cottage, 21 Campbell Street, Dollar, Clackmannan

XI. Tayside Regional Area - 10 Clubs: 1 Member

14 Dundee 360 Lochee, Dundee 26 Perth 627 Kinross 42 Strathearn 955 Gartwhinzean 82 Arbroath 1019 RumblingBridge 242 Montrose 1049 Lodge Camperdown

Secretary: Frank Curran, 250 Rosemount Road, Dundee DD2 3TG

XII. Northern Scottish Counties - 13 Clubs: 1 Member

40 Aberdeen 698 Turriff 149 Elgin 723 Strathpeffer 103 336 Peterhead 733 Aberdeen Stuoy Circle 403 Fraserburgh 897 Glenbervie 458 Stonehaven 921 Northern Scottish Counties Association 470 St. Giles (Elgin) 1066 Fochabers 691 Inverness Secretary: Miss Ethel Hall, 28 Whitehall Place, Aberdeen AB2 4PA

XIII. Southern Scottish Counties - 24 Clubs: 2 Members

112 Dumfries Howff 660 The Langholm Ladies 217 Eskdale 693 Masonic, Kirkcudbright 226 Dumfries 730 Wigton 323 Kirkcudbright 818 Dalbeattie and District 393 Annan Ladies 916 Hole I' the Wa' Burns Club 401 Brig-En (Waverley) 924 S.C.T.A. 437 Dumfries Ladies 926 Rosamond 530 Southern Scottish Counties B.C.A. 985 New Galloway 536 Whithorn 999 Dumfries Round Table 562 Castle Douglas 1004 GatehouseofAeet 589 Solway 1056 Lochmaben Drouthy Neebors 629 Sanquhar 1058 Stranraer

Secretary: Donald R. Urquhart, Glebe House, 39 Glebe St., Dumfries DGl lLQ

XIV. London and South-Eastern England - 11 Clubs: 1 Member

1 BurnsClubofLondon 918 DoverandEastKent 492 Harrow Cal. Society 1032 Croydon 570 Scottish Clans Association 1047 Colchester 663 Bournemouth and Dist. Cal. Soc. 1050 Hertfordshire 719 Chelmsford and District Scottish Society 1063 Caledonian Club London 743 Romford Scottish Association

Secretary: W. A. D. Neish, 66 Galbraith Avenue, Milngavie, Glasgow G62 6E

XV. North-Eastern England - 7 Clubs: 1 Member

89 Sunderland 744 Durham and District Cal. Society 534 Bedlington and District 745 Northumberland and Durham Cal. 696 Whitley Bay Society 699 Choppington 1030 Darlington Gaelic Soc.

Secretary: A. S. Thomson, 26 The Gardens, Monkseaton, Whitley Bay

XVI. North-Western England - 14 Clubs: 2 Members

95 Bolton 754 Thornton Cleveleys and District Scottish 236 Whitehaven Society 363 Barrow St. Andrew's Society 834 St. Andrews Society (Altrincham, Sale 366 Liverpool andDist.) 417 Burnley and District 956 Nantwich and Dist. Scot. Society 436 Walney Jolly Beggars Ladies 989 HoltHill 572 Chester Cal. Association 1008 CaledonianSoc. ofW. Cumberland 618 Altrincham and Sale Cal. Society 1016 Leyland and District Burns Society

Secretary: Mrs W. G. Diggle, 18 Gorses Mount, D'Arcy Lever, Bolton, Lanes. XVII. Yorkshire - i8 Clubs: 2 Members

405 Sheffield 812 Bradford St. Andrew's Society 104 454 Rotherham 880 Otley and District 548 Leeds Cal. Society 894 Beverley and District 5Sl Scarborough Cal. Society 943 Humberside Burns Society S55 Harrogate St. Andrew's Society 945 Kirklees Highland Society 556 Doncaster 969 Huddersfield St. Andrew 718 St.AndrewSocietyofYork 972 Don Valley Caledonian Society 763 Wakefield Cal. Society 987 Hull 808 Pontefract and Dist. Cal. Society 1023 Skipton and District

Secretary: Mr Harry McGuffog, 30 South Edge, Shipley, W. Yorks

XVIII. North and East Midlands of England - 24 Clubs: 2 Members

11 Chesterfield Cal. Society 866 Heanor and Dist. Cal. Society 17 Nottingham 872 East Midlands Scottish Society SS Derby 878 Worksop Burns and Cal. Club 329 Newark and District 887 Gainsborough District 439 Barnsley Scottish Society 917 Scottish Presidents' Association 461 Leicester Cal. Society 922 Clumber Burns Club 563 Norfolk 963 Cotgrave 606 Corby 1015 Maltby 706 North Lindsey Scots Society 1037 Grimsby and Cleethorpes 720 Retford Cal. Society 1051 Northampton 822 Mansfield Dist. Cal. Society 10S3 Corby Grampian 862 Market Rasen Scottish Association 1060 Hinckley

Secretary: Mrs J. M. Cutting, Glenmoray, S6 Dean Road West, Hinckley, Leics. LElO lQB

XIX. West Midlands of England - 9 Clubs: 1 Member

167 Birmingham Society 296 Walsall 777 Nuneaton Scottish Society 5S9 Coventry Cal. Society 84S Tamo'Shanter,Coventry 661 Leamington and Warwick Cal. Society lOOS Tamworth & District Scot. Soc. 683 Stratford upon Avon and District Cal. 1036 West Midlands

Secretary: D. Jones, 23 Aynho Close, Mount Nod, Coventry CVS 7HH

XX. South-Western England - 7 Clubs: 1 Member

120 Bristol 721 Plymouth Burns Club 446 Herefordshire 791 Swindon and District 462 Cheltenham Scottish Society 9Sl Birnbeck, Weston-super-Mare S3S Plymouth and Dist. Cal. Society

Secretary: D. Jones, 23 Aynho Close, Mount Nod, Coventry CVS 7HH

XX. South-Western England - 7 Clubs: 1 Member

120 Bristol 721 Plymouth Burns Club 446 Herefordshire 791 Swindon and District 462 Cheltenham Scottish Society 951 Birnbeck, Weston-super-Mare 535 Plymouth and Dist. Cal. Society

Secretary: James Graham, 27 Collum End Rise, Cheltenham GLS3 OPA

XXI. Wales - 2 Clubs: 1 Member

444 Swansea and West Wales 940 Pembrokeshire Cal. Society

XXII. Ireland - 3 Clubs: 1 Member

lS Belfast 101 H. W. Burns Club, Belfast 1018 East Antrim Burns Association 105 XXIII. Africa - 5 Clubs: 1 Member

896 Sierra Leone 964 Gambia Caledonian Society 934 Manama Caledonian Society 1052 Escom Club (Koeberg) 962 Pretoria Caledonian Society

XXIV. Australia - 20 Clubs: 2 Members

523 N.S.W. Highland Society 965 Royal Cal. Society of S. Australia 566 ScottishSoc. and Burns Club of 977 Whyalla Australia 984 MacQuarie Stewart 711 Victorian Scottish Union 991 Cabra Vale 726 Melbourne 1002 McQuarrie Fields 864 Burnie Burns Club, Tasmania 1027 Scottish Australian Heritage Council 874 MelbourneMasonic 1038 Brisbane 882 Canberra Highland Society 1043 R. Burns Soc., ofS. Australia 890 WollongongBurnsSociety 1054 HuterValley 919 Orange and District 1056 Toowoomba 950 Drummoyne

XXV. New Zealand - 4 Clubs: 1 Member

69 Dunedin 860 Southland Burns Club 851 Auckland Burns Association 915 Canterbury Burns Club

Secretary: William Scott, 'Oakfield', Ayr Road, Larkhall, Lanarkshire

XXVI. Canada - 18 Clubs: 2 Members

197 Winnipeg 927 Tarbolton Club, Edmonton 303 Victoria (B.C.) St. Andrew's Society 946 Calgary 501 Galt 957 Ottawa 561 London (Ontario) 974 Elliot Lake 571 Edmonton Burns Club 980 Niagara Falls 710 Toronto 983 Montreal General Hospital 841 Robert Burns Association of Montreal 1009 Edmonton Scottish Soc. 842 Ye Bonny Doon, Hamilton, Ontario 1012 Edmonton Dundonald Burns Club 893 NorthBayB.C.,Ontario 1041 Nanaimo

XXVIII. U.S.A. - 18 Clubs: 2 Members

220 St. Louis 986 Annapolis 238 Atlanta 994 Midlands, Columbia 284 Philadelphia 1001 Mystic Highland Pipe Band 701 Detroit 1006 St. Andrews Soc. of Mexico 826 Charlotte, N.C. 1007 Rhode Island 870 Massachusetts 1017 SouthwickBurnsClub 941 San Diego 1035 Kansas City 958 Toledo 1045 Heather and Thistle Soc. 966 Clan Rose Soc. of America 1068 Central Kentucky 978 Dickeyville 1070 Milwaukee 981 Berkshire, Mass.

Secretary: Alan Booth, 2251 Riva Road, Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A.

XXIX. Near and Middle East - 4 Clubs: 1 Member

959 Bangkok St. Andrew Society 1033 Java St. Andrews Soc. 1020 Kuwait Caledonians 1048 HongKong

XXX. Europe - 2 Clubs: 1 Member

106 727 The St. Andrew Society of Denmark 1061 Brussels Palace Theatre Annual Conference London Road Kilmarnock 13 Sept 1986 Clubs represented (as listed) The President, Mr Wilson Ogilvie, welcomed the delegates to the Annual Conference. 0 Kilmarnock Burns Club (2) 578 Lanarkshire Association of Burns Clubs 1 London Burns Club (3) (3) 14 Dundee Burns Club (2) 581 Cumbernauld & District Burns Club (2) 21 Greenock Burns Club (3) 606 Corby Stewarts & Lloyds Burns Club (2) 26 Perth Burns Club (3) 627 Kinross Jolly Beggars Burns Club (1) 37 Dollar Burns Club (2) 630 Coalsnaughton Burns Club (2) 40 Aberdeen Burns Club (1) 632 Symington Burns Club (3) 55 Derby Scots Assoc. & Burns Club (2) 681 Kilmarnock Cronies Burns Club (1) 89 Sunderland Burns Club (3) 696 Whitley Bay & District Society of St. 95 Bolton Burns Club (3) Andrew(!) 112 Dumfries Burns Howff Club (2) 699 Choppington Burns Club (2) 124 Ninety Burns Club (1) 701 DetroitBurnsClub(l) 167 Birmingham & Midland Scottish Society 718 St. Andrew Society of York (1) (2) 726 Robert Burns Club of Melbourne (1) 169 Glasgow & District Burns Association 763 Wakefield Caledonian Society (3) (1) 769 Robert Bruce Burns Club (1) 192 Ayrshire Association ofBurns Clubs (3) 791 Swindon & District Caledonian Society 217 Eskdale Burns Club (2) (2) 226 Dumfries Burns Club (3) 803 Bowhill People's Burns Club (3) 252 Alloway Burns Club (2) 809 AllantonJolly Beggars Burns Club (1) 263 Glasgow Masonic Burns Club (2) 842 Ye Bonnie Doon, Hamilton, Ont. Burns 275 Ayr Burns Club (2) Club(2) 310 Mauchline Burns Club (1) 845 Coventry Tam o' Shanter Burns Club (3) 336 Peterhead Burns Club (1) 872 East Midlands Assoc. of Scottish 349 HowffBurns Club, Kilmarnock (3) Societies (2) 356 Burnbank & District Masonic Burns 878 Worksop Burns & Caledonian Club (1) Club(l) 887 Gainsborough & District Caledonian 360 Lochee Burns Club, Dundee (2) Society (3) 366 Liverpool Burns Club (3) 916 Hole i' the Wa' Burns Club (2) 370 Dundonald Burns Club (3) 917 Scottish Presidents' Association (2) 387 Cambuslang, Mary Campbell Burns Club 918 Dover & East Kent Scottish Society (1) (3) 922 Clumber Burns Club (1) 393 Annan Ladies Burns Club (3) 926 Rosamond Burns Club (3) 405 Caledonian Society of Sheffield (1) 933 Busbiehill Burns Club (1) 417 Burnley Caledonian Society (1) 936 Irvine Lasses Burns Club (2) 437 Dumfries Ladies No. 1 Burns Club (1) 939 Griffen Burns Club (3) 454 Rotherham & District Scottish 943 Humberside Burns Society (2) Association (1) 944 Alamo Burns Club (1) 461 Leicester Caledonian Society (2) 945 Kirklees Scottish Highland Society (3) 494 Motherwell United Services Burns Club 980 Niagara Falls Burns Club (2) (2) 1000 United Glass Jolly Beggars Club (2) 501 Galt Burns Club (2) 1007 Burns Committee of Rhode Island (2) 530 Southern Scottish Counties Burns 1016 Leyland & District Burns Society (1) Association (3) 1022 Blane Valley Burns Club (1) 551 Scarborough Caledonian Society (1) 1036 West Midlands District of England (2) 556 Doncaster Caledonian Society (2) 1042 Kilmaurs Glancairn Burns Club (1) 561 London Ontario Burns Club (3) 1055 Lhanbryde Burns Club (1) 36 M~mbers of the Executive Committee. Apologies Mrs Stella Brown and Gordon Mackley of Australia, Mrs Burgoyne, Past President, Mr Bill Jackson of Coldstream. The President paid tribute to the late Alex Mciver and referred to the death of Wally Holman. The council observed a minute's silence in respect of their memory. 107 Minute Mr J. Smith, Coalsnaughton, moved adoption of the minutes of the Annual Conference of the Council held on 14th September 1985 and Rev. Alex Sutherland, Symington, seconded.

Secretary's Report The Secretary, Mr W. Anderson, reported on the growth of the Federation. New projects undertaken had necessitated the increased burdening of members of the Executive with specific tasks. Much of the new work was within the field of

1 publications. He was especially grateful to the Directors oflrvine Burns Club for the use of their premises for the distribution of the Complete Works and to George Duncan who among others had undertaken the task of parcelling and distributing this book. He also thanked Enez Logan and Sam Hannah for help in the office and Anne Gaw for undertaking the selling of advertising for the Burns Chronicle. Mrs M. Irvine, Cl umber Burns Club, moved adoption of the Secretary's report, seconded by Mrs McCaffrey, Rosamond Burns Club. Financial Report The Finance Convener, Mr T. Mcilwraith, presented the Financial Statement. He reported that the Ordinary Fund had moved from being overpent by £156.17 to a credit balance of £5.55. This improvement had been due to Peter Westwood's labour in the field of postal cover and labels and to Abe Train's production of £1000 from the 200 Club. There was a balance of £31,623.85 in the Scottish Literature Fund but the production costs of subscribed edition had still to be paid. The Convener expressed the Committee's thanks to Mr Gordon Mackley who had donated £1000 to assist with publication of the Complete Works. He also expressed the Federation's appreciation of the continued support of the Esso Petroleum Company who had once again sponsored the Schools Competitions. It was agreed that the St Giles Window Fund should now be closed. The money in the General Appeals Fund had been retained awaiting clarification regarding the ownership of the National Memorial and Cottage Homes. The Reserve Fund had a balance of £23.21 at the beginning of the year but this had been increased to £3400. 74 by the magnificent surplus received from the London Conference Fund. The Jock Dyall Bequest showed a balance of £1475.57 in treasury stock. Interest from the investment is transferred to the Overseas Visit Fund. Adoption of the Financial report was moved by Mr D. Urquhart of Dumfries HowffBurns Club seconded by Mr J. Little, Hamilton Burns Club. Editor's Report The Editor Mr James Mackay submitted the following report. This has been the most momentous year for me since I took over almost ten years ago. Inevitably the task of seeing the Complete Works of Burns through the press has been my major preoccupation; but at the same time a great deal of time has been spent on the implementation of the plans for the Chronicle, outlined in last year's report. After all the expectations envisaged last year, however, you will see that the Chronicle is the mixture as before. Negotiations with Scottish and Universal 108 Newspapers made good headway, and a provisional agreement was reached whereby SUN undertook to produce 60,000 copies of a freesheet tabloid entitled 'The Burnsian' which was to be given away three times a year to all interested parties. I must pay tribute to Peter Westwood for all the effort he put into producing the dummy for the first issue. The project foundered when we realised that it would be the Federation's responsibility to distribute each issue-amounting to some four tonnes of paper! Clearly we as an organisation do not have the facilities to distribute a magazine in ! that manner. 1 Furthermore, enquiries of Professor Ross Roy in America regarding the claim ! that 3000 academic institutions in North America would automatically take the new-look Chronicle shorn of the Club content, proved that this claim was without. substance. As time was marching on, I had no alternative but to go ahead with the 1987 Chronicle in the same format as before. You will note, however, that we have down graded the quality of the paper used. I hope that this has been without any loss of definition. Binding costs continue to rise sharply, and we therefore had to try and contain this by keeping the Chronicle below 270 pages. This has meant cuts in club reports -some minor, some more drastic. I must ask Club Secretaries to confine their reports to a maximum of 300 words. One Club submitted almost three pages of the Chronicle-yet on enquiry, I find that the said Club only purchases two copies. I have not lost sight of our intention of splitting the Chronicle. My motive for doing so is that, aside from the costs of production which are rising at a horrific rate, I feel that as the Chronicle is the life line of the Federation, providing an essential link with the affiliated societies, it is not sufficient to maintain interest in the Federation all year round. At present the only tangible and regular form of communication is provided by the Newsletter sent from the Headquarters three times yearly. Ideally I would like to see a thrice yearly newspaper containing Club Reports and other news of a more social nature. It would be feasible to produce say 5000 copies of such a publication for around £600 a time. Peter and I feel that it would be possible to cover that outlay by advertising revenue, so the only cost would be postage. I must emphasise that we are still very much at the drawing board stage, but it is helpful to get some idea of potential response. There are many other ideas which we are currently exploring for improving the quality of the Chronicle, both in appearance and content. I would like to thank Anne Gaw for her splendid efforts yet again in getting the advertisements for the Chronicle. We have a long uphill struggle on this matter, and this is another area which we must give more thought and effort to. Thanks to Anne, there has been a big improvement in the past two years; but there is no room for complacency on our part and this is a matter which we now regard as of extreme urgency. Once more I apologise to contributors whose valuable and much needed articles have not yet appeared in print. I have reduced the backlog, and assure you that everything now on file will be published this year. Please continue to submit articles as well as short items of news, with good black and white photographs where possible. . Finally I would urge you all to support the Chronicle in the most effective manner by purchasing a copy. We print 3000 each year and if we sold them all we would have no worries at all. Sadly sales continue to fall despite all our efforts; but the remedy lies in your hands. It was agreed that the Editor continue to pursue the publication of a quarterly 109 magazine. The Editor said he would aim at having the first edition out by November 1986. Mr C. Kennedy moved adoption of the Editor's Report seconded by Mrs M. Rennie.

National Burns Competition The National Burns Competition in verse and song for Scottish Schoolchildren held at Glenrothes on 22nd June, 1985, is fully reported elsewhere. Organised on a Federation District basis, this initial venture was a success despite some unexpected difficulties, and the children performed magnificently. The McLauchlan Trophy was won by the Tayside team and the winners in each of the four sections received individual trophies supplied by the Glenrothes Development Corporation. The winners and runners up also received medallions provided by the Federation, and all finalists were awarded certificates of achievement. The Federation Executive appreciates the considerable material and financial assistance given by Glenrothes Development Corporation, special mention being made of the excellent service given by the Public Relations Officer, Mr Tom Johnston. There is growing evidence of much highly commendable activity in Burns Clubs and Associations overseas with the aim of the spreading of knowledge of Robert Burns by organising Burns Competitions in their particular area. Several most interesting letters have been received giving details of the work in progress. Dr Gordon C. Greig, President of the Robert Burns Society of South Australia, wrote to say that as a fledgling Burns society they were making their mark in Adelaide and were hoping to encourage the study of poetry and songs of Robert Burns in the schools there. He asked for assistance in tackling this project and a list of suggestions was sent which it was hoped would be useful. Mr Sandy MacKintosh, Hon. Secretary and Treasurer ofNanaimo Burns Club, British Columbia, said that he and his wife had attended the Burns Federation Centenary Conference in London and had been much impressed by the efforts being made through the Schools Competitions to promote the study of Robert Burns and his philosophy. The undernoted are sincerely thanked for the interesting reports submitted and complimented on the valuable work being done in their respective districts:- Allanton Jolly Beggars Club. Alloway Burns Club. Ayr Burns Club. Ayrshire Association of Burns Clubs. Ayrshire Writers and Artists Society. A' the Airts Burns Club, Stonehouse. Balerno Burns Club. Bowhill People's Burns Club. Busbiehill Burns Club. Edinburgh District Burns Clubs Association. Howff Burns Club, Kilmarnock. Irvine Lassie's Burns Club. Lanarkshire Association of Burns Clubs. Logangate Burns Club. Renfrewshire Association of Burns Clubs. Southern Scottish Counties Burns Association. Symington Burns Club. West Kilbride Burns Club. Schools Competitions Report Convener James Glass presented the following report. The protracted campaign of industrial action in schools led predictably to a drop in the number of competitors in the 1986 competitions. There was still a heartening response from primary schools, but the returns from Secondary Schools were disappointing. The number of schools participating was 679, a short fall of 104 (24 \Of these Secondary Schools) from last year's record figure of783. Thankfully a settlement in the educational dispute was reached at long last, and it is earnestly hoped that next season will see normal harmonious working resumed. 11 o There was the usual constant flow of friendly correspondence with schools, many of the letters containing late applications or requesting additional or replacement merit certificates. The reasons for the requests were varied, but the most original one stated that the school ceiling had collapsed, destroying the certificates already supplied. The Burns Federation greatly appreciates the vital contribution made to the successful operation of the Schools Competitions by Directors of Education and their administrative staff and by Headteachers and the Teaching Staff. It is most reassuring to know that despite the long period of industrial unrest in schools the spirit of friendly co-operation is still very much in evidence. Statistics Recitation 82,988 Scottish Literature (Written) 9 ,934 Singing 21,387 Accompanying 437 Scottish Music (Instrumental) 3, 765 Individual Project Work 5,355 Total No. of Competitors 123,866 No. of Schools 679 No. of Certificates 11,962 The Recitation and Singing sections of the competitions still prove the most attractive options for schools, although surprisingly enough the number competing in the Scottish Music section rose by 654, in spite of the fall in the number of competing schools. Next session it is intended to introduce a new section for secondary schools Individual Project Work. This will enable them to employ a thematic approach to Scottish studies, the theme being the work of Robert Burns or some aspect of Scottish Literature, life or culture. The Federation is greatly indebted to the Esso Petroleum Company for once again sponsoring the Schools Competitions and donating the sum of one thousand, five hundred pounds for that purpose. The Hon. Treasurer has expressed the gratitude of the Executive to the Company for this most generous gift. Art Competition The 1986 Art Competition was well supported by the Primary Schools, 738 entries being received from 38 schools, but unfortunately no entries were sent by Secondary departments. Many of the strikingly attractive paintings displayed a vivid imaginative treatment and a degree of artistic skill truly remarkable for such young pupils. The alternative subjects set were 'The Work of a Famous Engineer, Doctor, Scientist, Writer or Explorer' and a 'Daring Rescue'. The paintings depicting a rescue showed victims being brought to safety from a variety of hazardous situations at sea, in the air or on land. A considerable number of the children opted for the alternative subject, and had obviously carefully researched their chosen subject before putting brush to paper. Here again the paintings showed a surprising variety of activities, the famous Scots names including those of James Young Simpson, Alexander MacKenzie, David Livingstone, Alexander Fleming, James (paraffin) Young, William Symington, Thomas Telford, Robert Burns, J.M. Barrie, Walter Scott, Alexander Graham Bell and the geologist Charles Lyell. The winning school was Blackness Primary School, Dundee, which takes possession of the 'Toshio Namba' Art Trophy for one year in addition to receiving a prize of ten pounds to be used to purchase books for the Scottish section of the 111 School library. Book tokens were awarded to the individual prize winners and to those commended, and merit certificates were also provided for the pupils whose entry reached the standard set by the adjudicators. Prize Winners lst Graeme Booth Blackness Primary School, Dundee 2nd Kay Kellas Arduthie Primary School, Stonehaven 3rd Miranda L. Bradshaw Dunard Street Primary School,Glasgow 4th Corrie Dee Whaite Belmont Primary School, Stranraer Sth Susan Sneddon Belmont Primary School, Stranraer Commended Lysette Bogle George Watsons College, Edinburgh Laura McDonald Glenburn Primary School, Prestwick John Mitchell George Watsons College, Edinburgh Billy Rice Longhaugh Primary School, Dundee Susan Wallace Lochgelly West Primary School No. of entries: 738 In conclusion I should like to express my appreciation of the support and encouragement given to me by the President, the Hon. Secretary and the members of the Schools Competitions Committee. Convener James Glass presented the following report. Mr Gowans, Lochee Burns Club, said his Club was disappointed in the number ofregions taking part in the National Competition. He reported that his Club would contribute a trophy to mark their Centenary Year. Dr Connor reported that London Ontario Burns Club had instituted an annual competition at both Junior School and University level. Mr Stoddart moved adoption of the Schools Competitions Report seconded by Mr A. Gowans, Lochee Burns Club. Memorials Committee Report Convener Sam Gaw submitted the following report. This report is written at a time when the Scottish Tourist Board proclaims tourism as the growth industry of Scotland and a body of hoteliers claim the Chairman to be like the Captain of the Titanic ignoring the icebergs, the empty hotel rooms. The Burns Heritage trail appears to be in limbo. No promotions or enthusiasm emanating from the Board yet the undernoted success of Dumfries's efforts should convince them of the untapped potential. DUMFRIES. The combination of existing monuments refurbished and improved with the addition of the new Mill-House Visitor Centre has seen a startling increase in visitors to the town. In little over a fortnight over 7 ,OOO people visited the Mill-House Museum. The importance of this can be judged by noting that the published figure for visitors to Burns Cottage, Alloway, has never reached 100,000 in any year. ELLISLAND. A sense of relief emanated from this popular shrine at the opening of the lavatory block. The direction road sign depicting a historical house is being replaced with a smiling head of Burns. BURNS HOUSE. The display is much improved and worthy of revisiting. WELL DONE DUMFRIES!! 112 GLASGOW. The Glasgow Garden Festival of 1988 presents an opportunity to present the Federation to its expected four million visitors. Douglas Burgess of Glasgow District is pursuing the design and manning of a pavilion and garden depicting the Alloway Kirk, Brig and Tam's hectic getaway. In addition it is proposed to hold a convention weekend at the Exhibition, Civic Reception, programme ofevents, etc., in the weekend 9th-llth September 1988. The Doon Valley District Council have agreed to turn the Tower into a Museum and enquiries would be made as to what grants were being received for the houses. The Relics and Memorabilia in the Tower have been contributed by Burnsians mainly through the efforts of the Federation over the century. And it was hoped that they would receive good care and attention. MAUCHLINE & IRVINE. The improvements at the Burns House Museum in Mauchline and the Burns Heckling & Lodging Houses in Irvine are increasingly attracting visitors and school parties. The Mauchline Museum was still in need of funds. The individual members of the Committee have been busily engaged in organising local commemorative events. The Wauchope Cairn near Hawick, Leglen,· Brow Well, Covington Mains in Lanarkshire and in Kilmarnock the function recording the printing of the Kilmarnock edition at the burial place in the high Kirkyard of John Wilson. A special mention should be made of the ceremony and hospitality received from Greenock Burns Club at the unveiling of a plaque at the local house in which Mary Campbell died. Scottish Literature Committee Report Convener Wilson Ogilvie presented the following report. Despite a continuing shortage of funds we have had one major success story this year. Appropriately-as requested in Stirling by the Bowhill People's Burns Club -we have published our prestigious Bicentenary Edition of the Bard's works, edited by Jim Mackay. Subscribers were found for the 2,000 first presentation edition, while the ordinary edition will shortly be available to the public. The former is a most impressive work and we hope it becomes a definitive one, possibly gaining in value as some editions do. On the subject of seeking subscribers, I commend to the Federation the truly Trojan efforts of Past President John Inglis. A less successful project is our Centenary History, written by Jim Mackay. Despite the excellence of this book, its value for money and its attractive presentation, it has sold badly, thus draining us of much needed financial resources. Please purchase and publicise it as this is a must for every Burnsian's bookshelf. Veitch's delightful little book on the life of Burns-published by our Ayrshire Association who figure largely in this report-has sold well, while a new edition of the Burns Song Book is now available. Our main remit continues to be the Chronicle with its standard, we believe, higher than ever before. Escalating printing costs and poor sales even within the federation continue to capse us concern. . Special thanks go not only to our much respected editor James Mckay, but to his band of Ayrshire helpers including Anne Gaw whose efforts to seek advertising are particularly appreciated. ~ · By courtesy of Peter Westwood, a good friend of our committee, an eyecatching poster will also be available. Ross Roy's recent edition of the Letters of Burns continues to attract attention though I am disappointed that it had to be priced at £45 a volume, somewhat 113

H much for a huge majority within our movement. Ensure, however, that your library service has purchased it. Regarding contemporary Scottish Literature generally, there has been considerable activity. One complaint, however, is that many very competent poets find it very difficult to have collections of their work published. Still, the 'Big Guns' are doing well, with the considerable sales for the Shorter Scottish Dictionary and Lorimars New Testament in Scots. Both I strongly commend to you. Interest in James Hogg (The Etterick Shepard) continues to rise most satisfactorily. There is much Hogg Scholarship, and expanding James Hogg Society and an outstanding 150th Anniversary Hogg Festival was held in the Borders last Autumn. Another of Scotland's (underestimated) literary giants will be to the fore this summer when the Centenary celebrations take place to honour Allan Ramsey. Amongst other places there is an exhibition in the village of his birth-Leadhills. A feather in the cap for Lanarkshire. I close, during a delightful busy presidential year, by thanking my committee for its courtesy and enthusiasm as well as its constant support. Thanks also to the hard work done by Secretary Bill Anderson and Assistant Secretary Rita. Despite the fact that we are unable to do many things we would love to, all is not gloom on the Scottish Literature front. Following the success of the Complete Works the council instructed the Editor to proceed with the publication of the Letters of Robert Bums. Mr Charles Kennedy moved adoption of the Scottish Literature Report seconded by Mrs Freda Buddie. Burnsian Homes and Haunts. Book required Questions on this subject are frequent and various-'where is the burial place of the Bonnie Lasso' Ballochmyle'? etc. This prompted discussion and the committee will seek to have published a volume on the subject ofBumsiana. (The lass was buried in Inchinnan Kirkyard; the kirk was removed to allow the lengthening of Glasgow Airport runway and no other information known.) The Convener thanked his hard working Committee to whom responsibility for their own area is devolved. Mrs Irvine suggested that a tour of the Heritage Trail might be arranged for a week before Conference. Adoption of the Memorials Report was moved by Mr E. Murray, Edinburgh, seconded by Mr S. Hannah, Kilmarnock Howff. Publicity Officer's Report Mr P. Westwood reported that it had been an extremely busy year with the two hundredth Anniversary of the printing of the Kilmarnock edition of Poems and the publication of the Complete Works. Other events were the dedication of the Highland Mary Plaque in Greenock, the commemoration service at the grave of John Wilson at the Old High Kirk, Kilmarnock, and an exhibition in the Paisley Library to mark the 200th Anniversary. The National Schoolchildren's Competition had been a great success and had received both local and national press coverage. Mr John MacKay had designed the Burns Poster which was now available. A reprint of the Burns Federation Song Book had been sponsored by the J. J. Munro Trust (copies now on sale) and initial work to have a Burns Calendar produced had been undertaken. It was hoped that this could be achieved for 1988. 114 In addition to postal covers produced during the year envelopes wo~ld be produced commemorating the bicentenaries of the death of Highland Mary and of the Poet's arrival in Edinburgh. It was suggested from the floor that Peter Westwood should be elected to the STB. Mr Westwood declined a suggestion that he should be paid an honorarium in recognition of his contribution to the work and finances of the Federation. Approval of the Publicity Report was moved by Mr J. Inglis, Irvine, seconded by Mrs M. Irving, Greenock. 200 Club Report . Mr Train reported that he was still unable to get 200 members for the 200 Club. In order to increase the prizes to 40 per year the cost had been raised to £12 (i.e. £1 per month) and payment is now acceptable by bank standing orders. He appealed to delegates to encourage their members to support the 200 Club. Mr W. Neish, London Bums Club, moved adoption of the report, seconded by · Mr J. Campbell. The President expressed the Federation's thanks to Mr Train for the efficient runningofthe200 Club. Election of Office Bearers The following office bearers were duly elected: President: Dr J. Connor, London, Ontario. Senior Vice-President: Mrs Enez Logan, Kilmaurs. Junior Vice-President: Mrs Anne Gaw, Girdle Toll, Irvine. Hon. Secretary and Treasurer: William A. Anderson, Stewarton. Assistant Secretary: Mrs Margaret G. Turner, Troon. Schools Competitions: James Glass, Ayr. Editor: James A. Mackay, Dumfries. Hon. Presidents: James Glass, Ayr. George Irvine, Rotherham. Gordon Mackley, Sydney, Australia. Miss Yvonne Stevenson, Victoria, B. C., Canada. Allan Stoddart, Ayr. Motion North and East Midlands of England-'that on page 3 of the Constitution and Rules, item 3-Membership, paragraph (C) the last line be amended by the deletion of the word 'without' and insertion of the word 'with'. Mr J. Campbell in proposing this motion reported that its purpose was to give Federation members voting rights. They considered that the increase to £10 in subscriptions for Federation members merely for a copy of the Chronitle and Bulletins was too high when th1

Bring Yourself ABreath Of Scotland Every Month BURNS Take out a subscription to CRYSTAL THE Unit a, Station Yard SCOTS MAUCHLINE KA5 5BR MAGAZINE Telephone: Mauchline 50155 You'll Be Impressed Writeto:- Mon.-Fri. 9.00 a.m.-5.00 p.m. The Subscribers Department, Sat., Sun. 9.30 a.m.-4.00 p.m. The Scots Magazine, (Seasonal) Bank Street, Dundee DDl 9HU, Scodand. 116 ALPHABETICAL LIST OF CLUBS No.

417 Burnley 112 Burns Howff No. 933 Busbiehill 543 Abbey Craig 946 Calgary 40 Aberdeen 991 Cabra Vale 733 Burns Study Circle 993 Cambusbarron 1064 Aftongrange 387 Cambuslang Mary Campbell 20 Airdrie 882 Canberra Highland Society 516 Airts Burns Club 915 Canterbury Burns Club (Inc.) 944 . Alamo, Paisley 562 Castle Douglas 2 Alexandria 1068 Central Kentucky 809 Allanton Jolly Beggars 826 Charlotte, N.C. 252 Alloway 719 Chelmsford 618 Altrincham Caledonian Society 462 Cheltenham 393 Annan Ladies 572 Chester Caledonian Association 986 Annapolis 11 Chesterfield 82 Arbroath 699 Choppington 1062 Ashburn House 966 Clan Rose 238 Atlanta 646 Clear Winding Devon Alva 768 Auchterderran Jolly Beggars 922 Clumber Burns Club 851 Auckland Burns Association 630 Coalsnaughton 566 Australia, Scottish Society of 1047 Colchester 275 Ayr 839 Coldstream 192 Ayrshire Association 994 Columbia 892 Ayrshire Metal Products 606 Corby 340 Balerno 1053 Corby Grampian 1013 Balmullo 963 Cotgrave 959 Bangkok 559 Coventry 439 Barnsley 845 Coventry Tam o' Shanter 363 Barrow 1040 Cowdenbeath 593 Barrmill Jolly Beggars 1031 Cramond Brig 929 Bathgate Jolly Beggars 1032 Croydon 534 Bedlington and District 581 Cumbernauld 931 Beith Caledonia 580 Cum brae 15 Belfast 45 Cumnock 725 Ben Cleuch 773 ronies 981 Berkshire, Mass. 682 'Jolly Beggars' 894 Beverley and District Cal. Soc. 62 Cu par 167 Birmingham 818 Dalbeattie and District 951 Birnbeck 179 Dailly Jolly Beggars 1022 Blane Valley 35 Dairy 95 Bolton 1030 Darlington Gaelic 911 Borestone Bowling Club 988 Darvel 663 Bournemouth 469 Denny Cross 803 Bowhill People's Club 55 Derby 812 Bradford 701 Detroit 49 Bridgeton 978 Dickeyville 401 Brig-en' (Waverley) 37 Dollar 1038 Brisbane 850 Dollar Masonic 120 Bristol 972 Don Valley 908 Brithers Be, Kilmarnock 556 Doncaster 1061 Brussels 918 Dover and E. Kent 356 Burnbank 995 Drongan 864 Burnie Burns Club, Tasmania 950 Drumoyne 117 No. No.

10 Dumbarton 59 Gourock Jolly Beggars 226 Dumfries 116 Greenloaning 999 Round Table 1059 Grangemouth, Dundas 437 Ladies No. 1 21 · Greenock 503 Dunblane 939 Griffin 14 Dundee 1037 Grimsby & Cleethorpes ,. 37(} Dundonald Burns Club· ~ 1010 .H.. &. W. Burns Club, Belfast 69 · Dunedfn N.Z.· · __ 1011 Haddington · doif Club . 85 Dunfermline 33 ·.Haggis · · - :- ' 152 1026' Duns .. Hamilton ; 744, Durham Caledonian Society · , 842 Hami!Wn, Ontario 1018 East Antrim 55j Harrogate 967 Earlsferry 492 Harrow 937 East Kilbride 239 Hawick ._: .~ .. .872 East._ Midlands ·Seottish Socier)r 866 · Heanor and District Cal. Soc, · 22 Edinburgh ~' · " ' · · 1045" · Heatherimcr Thistle> · · : ·. • 307 Ayrshire Association 446 Herefordshire Burns Club 825 · larinda Ladies Burns 1050 Hertfordshire Robert Burns Soc. 378 . District Association Club 1060 Hinckley 571 Edmonton Burns Club 916 Hole i' the Wa' 1012 Dundonald 989 Holt Hill 1009 Scottish Soc. 1048 Hong Kong 927 Tarbolton 976 Hopetoun Laddies 149 Elgin 349 Howff, Kilmarnock 974 Elliot Lake 969 Huddersfield 1065 Erskine 'Trusty Fieres' 987 Hull 1052 Escom, Koeberg 943 Humberside 217 Eskdale 1054 Hunter Valley 5 Ercildoune Burns Club 510 l.C.I. Grangemouth 997 Eyemouth Clachan 691 Inverness 126 Falkirk 173 Irvine 657 Fallin Gothenberg 859 Eglinton Burns Club 949 Fir Park Club 936 ----Lasses 1066 Fochabers 1033 Java 865 Foresters Arms Burns Club 348 Jean Armour (Newton) (Cambusbarron) 96 Jedburgh 576 Fort Matilda 979 Jewel Welfare 403 Fraserburgh 1035 Kansas 1069 Friday Night, Falkirk 784 Kelson 887 Gainsborough and District 1034 Kilbarchan 187 Galashiels 377 Kilbirnie 501 Galt 0 Kilmarnock 964 Gambia 681 ronies 982 Garno ck 996 Lodge St. Andrew 665 Gartmorn Ladies 695 Kilmaronock (Dunbartonshire) 955 Gartwhinzean 1042 Kilmaurs Glencairn 1044 Gatehouse of Fleet 1029 Kilwinning 169 Glasgow Association 627 Kinross Jolly Beggars 263 Masonic 323 Kirkcudbright 897 Glenbervie Burns Memorials 693 Masonic Association 945 Kirklees 774 Gloucester Scottish Society 1021 Kuwait 198 Gorebridge 578 Lanarkshire B.C.A. 118 430 Gourock· 660 Langholm Ladies .. No. No.

961 Larkhall 992 March bank 925 Lauriston, B.C. 862 Market Rasen and District Scottish 661 Leamington and Warwick Association . 548 Leeds. Caledonian Society 350 Markin eh 461 Leicester 870 Massachusetts 341 Leith 310 Mauchline 1016 Leyland 390 Meikle Earnock ·1055 Lhanbryde. 726 Melbourne 366 .Liverpool 874 Melbourne Masonic 360 Lochee 1028 Mercat Hotel 831 Lochgoilhead Burns Club 1006 Mexico 1044 Lodge Burns Immortal 637 Millheugh 1049 Lodge Camperdown 1070 Milwaukee 1057 Lochmaben 626 Moffat and District .·. 811 Logangate, Cumnock 841 Montreal Robert Burns Assoc. 1 London 983 Montreal General Hospital 570 tans Association 242 Montrose 106 Cal. Club 494 Motherwell United Services 561 London (Ontario) 56 Muirkirk Lapraik 1002 McQuarrie Fields 1001 Mystic Pipe Band 984 MacQuarie-Stewart 1041 Nanaimo 1015 Maltby 956 Nantwich 934 Manama 74 National Memorial 822 Mansfield Caledonian Society 1020 Netherthird and Craigens 500 New Cumnock 985 New Galloway 523 N.S.W. Highland Society 329 Newark THE HOUSE OF MACPHERSON 133 Newarthill Highland Outfitters of Distinction 293 Newcraighall 902 Newmarket ' HUGH MACPHERSON 954 Newton, Ayr ~ 1025 Newton Lads Midlothian (SCOllAND) llD. 980 Niagara 124 Ninety i 17 WEST MAITLAND smEET 563 Norfolk HAYMARKET, EDINBURGH EH12 SEA 1024 North American Assoc. (Western continuation of 893 North Bay, Ontario Princes Street) 971 North Berwick Phone: 031 ·225 4008 706 North Lindsey Scots Society 24hr Answering Service 1051 Northampton Edcath(R) 745 Northumberland and Durham Bagpipes, Kilts, Tartan Skirts, Clan Tart~ns, Premier Pipe Band Drums and all Accessones, Caledonian Society Highland Dress for Day and Evening Wear, 921 Northern Scottish Counties Pipe Band Uniforms, Evening Sashes, Dance Pumps, Tartan Travel Rugs, Mohair Stoles and 17 Nottingham Scarves, Clan Plaques, Knitwear, Scottish 777 Nuneaton Jewellery:-Gaelic and other Scottish books. 923 Old Manor Burns Club Fast delivery - Price lists by return. 'The Wandering Highlander', the fascinating 919 Orange and District autobiography of Hugh Macpherson, 205 880 Otley and District pages, 1 Bpictures, 1 Bchapters. A must for all Scots at home and abroad, Canada 10 dollars, 957 Ottawa USA 9 dollars, both inc. air post. Home £2.50 748 Ouplaymuir inc. p & p. {In aid of Research into Kidney Diseases.) 48 Paisley Everything for the Piper, Drummer and Dancer 72 Partick - NOTHING BUT THE BEST! • . 940 Pembrokeshire 119 No., No.

26 Perth 824 Stirling, Clackmannan ancf West 336 Peterhead Perth Association 284 Philadelphia North-Eastern 458 Stonehaven 721 Plymouth 907 Stonehouse 535 aledonian Society 1058 Stranraer 808 Pontefract 683 Stratford upon Avon 688 Poosie Nansie Ladies Kirkcaldy 889 Strathclyde Bonnie Jean 212 Portobello 42 Strathearn 772 Prestwick 723 Strathpeffer 962 Pretoria 89 Sunderland 585 Queen's Park Clarinda 444 Swansea 1071 Rattlin' Squad 632 Symington 472 Renfrewshire Association 791 Swindon Caledonian Society 720 Retford 1005 Tamworth 1007 Rhode Island 810 Thirty Seven Burns Club 769 Robert Bruce (Clackmannan) 7 Thistle (Glasgow) 743 Romford Scottish Association 754 Thornton Cleveleys 926 Rosamond B.C., Gretna 740 Thorn tree 36 Rosebery (Glas.) 958 Toledo 454 Rotherham 935 Torbrex, Stirling 9 Royalty 710 Toronto 1019 Rumbling Bridge 612 Torrance Masonic 642 Rutherglen 1056 Toowoomba 13 St. Andrew's Burns Club 1014 Traditional Music & Song Assoc. 834 St. Andrew's Society 813 Tranent '25' (Altrincham, Sale and District) 274 Troon 727 St. Andrew Soc. of Denmark 1039 Ladies 671 St. Andrew's Cronies, Irvine 920 Trysting Thorn 470 St. Giles, Elgin 698 Turri ff 220 St. Louis 237 Uddingston Masonic 399 St. Ringans 1000 United Glass 973 Salsburgh 303 Victoria St. Andrew's Society 948 Saltcoats 711 Victorian Scottish Union 941 San Diego 763 Wakefield 68 Sandyford 436 Walney Ladies 629 Sanquhar 296 Walsall 426 Sauchie 968 Warrnambool 551 Scarborough 1008 West Cumberland 314 Scottish (Edin.) 664 West Kilbride 1027 Scot-Australian Heritage 1036 West Midlands 570 Scottish Clans Assoc. 895 Westerton 917 Scottish Presidents' Assoc. 930 Wheatsheaf, Falkirk 924 S.C.T.A. (Dumfries) 392 Whifflet 1067 Seton 1003 Whiteadder 405 Sheffield 236 Whitehaven 896 Sierra Leone Cal. Society 536 Whithorn 1023 Skip ton 696 Whitley Bay and District 589 Sol way 730 Wigtown 965 South Australian Royal 977 Whyalla 1043 South Australian R.B. Soc. 197 Winnipeg 530 Southern Scottish Counties 890 Wollongong 860 Southland B.C., New Zealand 553 Wolverhampton 1017 Southwick, Mass. 878 Worksop Burns and Cal. Club 120 50 Stirling 718 York St. Andrew Society LIST OF BURNS CLUBS AND SCOTTISH SOCIETIES ON THE ROLL OF THE BURNS FEDERATION (Corrected to 30th April, 1987) Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 0 Kilmarnock Burns Club 1808 1885 48 James Gibson Alasdair M. Gordon, 3 Portland Road, Kilmarnock KAl 2AN 1 The Burns Club of 1868 1885 170 Douglas D. Murray T. F. Hodge, London 42 Elmroyd Avenue, Potters Bar, Herts. EN6 2EE 2 Alexandria Burns Club 1884 1885 150 James Gallacher Brian G. Benson, 'Edelston', Smollett Street, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire G83 ODS 5 Ercildoune Burns Club 1885 1963 68 James Irvine Mrs A. Jamieson, Dubh Cnoc, Summerfield, South Earlston TD4 6EF 7 Thistle Burns Club 1882 1885 46 D. McDougall T. Murtagh, 132 Calder Street, Glasgow G42 7QP 9 Royalty Burns Club 1882 1886 279 George E. W. A. Mclagan, Davidson 42 Cunningham Drive, Giffnock, Glasgow G46 6ER 10 Dumbarton Burns Club 1859 1886 135 Archie M. Aitken James L. Hempstead, Inchyra, 10 Chapelton Gardens, Dumbarton G82 2AL 11 Chesterfield and 1886 1886 116 A. M. Spence Mrs A. Steel, District Cal. Assoc. 156 High Street, Old Whittington, Chesterfield

IRVINE BURNS CLUB Visit the Club Museum at Wellwood, 28A Eglinton Street, Irvine (Open Saturday afternoon and by arrangement)

See the Irvine Collection of Original Burns Manuscripts, the pencil drawing of the Bard by Naysmith, our beautifully bound copy of the Kilmarnock Edition, the original oil painting 'Burns In Edinburgh, 1787' by Charles M. Hardie, A.R.S.A., the priceless collection of holograph letters, the Burns Mural and many other treasures. Visit the Royal Burgh of Irvine Museum, which gives a fascinating Insight Into the history of the Royal Burgh of Irvine, and follow this up by looking round Glasgow Vennel with Its rehabilitated houses, the Heckling Shed where a slide/tape show tells the story of the Bard, flax dressing and his time In Irvine, and Burns Lodging House. Enquiries to: William Cowan, Honorary Secretary, 75 Bank Street, IRVINE Telephone: Irvine 74166 {Day) 79610 (Evening) Steward: (Telephone: Irvine 74511) 121 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

13 St. Andrews Burns Club 1869 1981 90 David Reed, 5 Cairnhill Gardens, St. Andrews, Fife 14 Dundee Burns Club 1860 1886 36 Edward Bonnar Mr Stewart, Dundee Burns Club, 37 Union Street; Dundee 15 Belfast Burns Assoc. 1886 1886 40 Miss J. E. Gillespie Alistair Gray Esq,, 7 Glenvama Court, Newtown Abbey, BT36 8JD 17 Nottingham Scottish 1871 . 1886. 184 Miss R. A. Smith D. J. Willey, 6 Moss Side, Association Nottingham NGll 7Et 20 Airdrie Burns .Pub 1884 1886 158 A. Armstr!!ng Matthew Hood, . 125 Cromarty Road, Airdrie 21 Greenock Burns Club 1801 1886 144 Mr N. MacFarlane Mrs Jane McGilp, 54 Fox Street, Greenock, Renfrewshire PA16 8QS 22 Edinburgh Burns' Club J848 1886. 32 A. S. Winton, . 12 Ventnor Terrace, Edinburgh EH9 2BL 26 Perth Burns Club 1873 1886 90 Mrs Ruth Lumsden Donald N. M. Paton, 75 Needless Road, Perth PH2 OLD 33 Glasgow Haggis Club 1872 1886 91 Murray Blair David Watson, C.A., Gillespie and Anderson C.A., 147 Bath Street, Glasgow G24SN 35 Dairy (Ayrshire) Burns 1825 1887 90 H. A. W. Adams W. D. Walker, Club 10 Braehead, Dairy, Ayrshire KA24 SEX 36 Rosebery Burns Club 1885 1887 20 Mrs Nina Spiers Mrs Nan W. McKenzie, 'Crichope', 49 St Kenneth Drive, Glasgow G51 4QF 37 Dollar Burns Club 1887 1887 100 William J. Pollock David M. Tait, Melbourne Cottage, 26 McNabb Street, Dollar FK14 7DL 40 Aberdeen Burns Club 1872 1889 51 James Smith Mrs Irene Fraser, 4 Ramsay Cres., Garthdee, Aberdeen ABl 7BN 42 Strathearn Burns Club 1889 1950 37 Mrs Mina Robertson Robin W. Rae, 'Far Hills', Abbots Walk, Crieff, Perthshire PH7 4EB 45 Cumnock Burns Club 1887 1891 120 Sheriff David B. Robin D. Hunter, 1 The Square, Smith Cumnock, Ayrshire KA181BQ 48 Paisley Burns Club 1805 1891 34 Dr. Tom R. Bone, R. Y. Corbett, 52 Balgonie C.B.E. Ave., Paisley 49 Bridgeton Burns Club 1870 1891 710 R. McDonald G. Moore, Hamilton Burns and Moore, 111 Union Street, Glasgow Gl 3TA 50 Stirling Burns Club 1886 1892 100 J. Lockhart Whiteford Henry Robb, LL.B., 3 Pitt Terrace, Stirling 55 Derby Scottish Assoc. 1890 1893 376 R. Sinclair Mrs K. Dick, 8 Greenside and Burns Club Court, Mickleover, Derby DE3 5RG 59 Gourock Jolly Beggars 1893 1893 116 John McMorland Robert Smith, 105 Kirn Drive, Burns Club Gourock PA19 lEG 62 Cupar Burns Club 1884 1893 260 James Orr, 38 St. Michaels Drive, Cupar, Fife 68 Sandyford (Glasgow) 1893 1894 350 James Whyte J. S. Steel, Burns Club 12 Hazelden Gardens, Glasgow G44 3HQ 69 Dunedin Burns Club Inc. 1861 1894 132 David Mcintosh Henry J. Horrell, MBE, 96 Cavell Street, Tainui, 122 _Dunedin, New Zealand Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

72 Partick Burns Club 1885 1895 90 A. Ronald Rae Graham Davidson, 33 Kingsborough Gardens, Glasgow G12 9NH _ 74 Nat. Burns Memorial 1888. "1895 40 Sir Claude Hagart . Alastair J. Campbell, and Cottage Hornes Alexander of do Mitchells, Roberton, Mauchline Ballochrnyle, Bt. George House, 36 North Hanover Street,. Glasgow Gl 2AD 82 Arbroath Burns Club 1888 "1896' 150 Ian Ber;\e· H. B. Wil~n; Clyd~sdale. Bank, '. ·117 High Stree't, Arbroath, Angus DDll lDP 85 Dunfermline United 1812 1896 110 The Rt. Hon. the J. Torrie, 'The Haining', Burns Club Earl of Elgin and Ferryhills, North Kincardine, Queensferry. D.L°.; J.P., M.A .. _ 89 Sunderland Burns Club 1897 1897 55 Mrs E. Ferguson Mrs M. Wilson, 9 Lingdale Ave., Sunderland SR6 BAZ 95 Bolton Burns Club 1881 1897 96 Mrs M. Greenhalgh Mrs W. G. Diggle, 18 Gorses Mount, Darcy Lever, Bolton, Lanes. BL2 lPQ % Jedburgh 1897 1897 53 Archd. Wallace John Gibson, 35 Howden Cres., Jedburgh, Rox. TDB 6JY 112 Dumfries Burns Howff 1889 1899 130 James Irving D. C. Smith, Club 22 Cargenbridge Ave., Dumfries DG2 BLP 116 Greenloaning Burns Club 1889 1900 66 Peter I. Mcintosh, J.P. 120 Bristol Caledonian Soc. 1820 1900 150 John Craig Miss M. Scally, 9 Cowper Road, Redland, Bristol BS6 6NY 124 The Ninety Burns Club 1890 1902 30 E. B. K. Murray J.C. McVittie, W.S., 4 North Charlotte St., Edinburgh EH2 4HT 126 Falkirk Burns Club 1866 1902 97 David Mackenzie, B.Sc. Malcolm McRae, 70 G.M.S. (Recordings) Ltd., Burnfoot Lane, Falkirk FKl 5BH 133 Newarthill Burns Club 1903 1904 18 William Burns Thomas Boslern, 82 Mosshall St., Newarthill, Motherwell 149 Elgin Burns Club 1901 1905 150 David C. Wm. D. G. Chalmers, Mackessack-Leitch 139 High Street, Elgin IV30 lDY 152 The Hamilton Burns 1877 1906 210 Jack Guthrie Dr. S. I. Parker, Club 25 Burnside Place, Larkhall, Strathclyde ML9 2EQ 167 Birmingham and 1888 1924 197 A. R. Woodman A. K. Scott, Midland Scottish 105 Reservoir Road, Olton, Society Solihull, West Midlands B92 SAW 169 Glasgow and District 1907 1908 15 A. McArthur Scott I. Galt, 157 Hyndland Burns Association Clubs Road, Glasgow G12 9JA 173 Irvine Burns Club 1826 1908 450 Dr. I. H. Y. Wood William Cowan, 'Norwood', 75 Bank Street, Irvine KA12 OLL 179 Dailly Jolly Beggars 1909 1909 9 J. N. Whyte Archie Howie, Club 71 Hadyard Terrace, Dailly, By Girvan KA25 9SW 123 THE CONCISE SCOTS DICTIONARY editor-in-chief Mairi Robinson NOW IN PAPERBACK 'a masterpiece ... an endless source of entertainment as well as fact' Scotsman 'beautifully produced ... buy this dictionary for the sheer delight of words' The Field The first one-volume dictionary ever to cover the Scots language from earliest records to the present day. The new work is, in the main, an up-dated distillation of the two major historical works, the Scottish National Dictionary and the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue. The Concise Scots Dictionary is simpler to use than the parent dictionaries and also guides readers to their use. 862 pp £39.50 0 08 032447 9 leather £17.50 008028491 4 cloth £9·50 0 08 028492 2 flexi MRS McLINTOCK'S RECEIPTS FOR COOKERY AND PASTRYWORK Scotland's first published cookbook, 1736 Introduction by Iseabail Macleod 186 recipes. A rich and varied collection from the Scottish kitchen of the early eighteenth century.

96pp £3·50 f 1986

THE COMPACT SCOTTISH NATIONAL DICTIONARY editors William Grant 1926-46, David D Murison 1946-76 now available in its entirety in only two volumes The Scottish National Dictionary is the standard work on the Scots language from 1700 to the 1970s. It covers all aspects of Scottish life during that period including trades, crafts, industries, the Kirk, the law, the burgh, education, military history, food and drink, games and sports, folklore, local customs and historic phrases. Original edition approx 5000 pages in 10 Volumes, price £500 for set, almost out of print. New Compact edition in two volumes, 61opp each, four original pages reproduced on one page, price £175.00 and £120.00. two volumes, cased edition £175.00 0080345182 two volumes, flexi edition £120.00 008034522 0 THE PSALMS IN SCOTS reprint of The Psalms: Frae Hebrew intil Scottis by P Hately Waddell, first published 1871 Introduction by Graham Tulloch, Flinders University of South Australia A translation from the original Hebrew text. 128pp £4·95 f THE HISTORY OF SCOTTISH LITERATURE in four volumes Volumes 2 and 4-Autumn 1987 General Editor-Cairns Craig Volume Editors: 1-R D S Jack; 2-Andrew Hook; 3-DouglasGifford; 4-Cairns Craig

Vol 1 (Medieval & Renaissance) 008 035054 2 Vol 2 (1600-1800) £16.50 o 08 035055 o hard Vol 3 (Nineteenth Century) 0 08 035056 9 Vol 4 (2oth Century) 416pp £18.50 o 08 03505 7 7 hard

124 ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY PRESS Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

187 Galashiels Burns Club 1908 1909 113 A. H. Campbell Alexander E. Hogg, 'Redcroft', 7 Glenfield Road East, Galashiels TDl 2AW 192 Ayrshire Association of 1908 1910 28 Mrs Anne Gaw Harry Bull, Burns Clubs Clubs 49 Annanhill Avenue, Kilmarnock KAI 2NX 197 Winnipeg Robert 1907 1911 64 J. King Jack Jackson, Burns Club 115 Handyside Avenue, Win- nipeg, Manitoba, Canada R2M OMS 198 Gorebridge Burns Club 1906 1911 205 Archd. Lochrie A. Law, 41 Newhunterfield, Gorebridge, Midlothian, EH23 4BD 212 Portobello Burns Club 1892 1913 50 J. Stanley Cavaye, Robert Mackay, M.A., J.P. 'Quardene', 8 Bryce Avenue, Edinburgh !j:H7 6TX 217 Eskdale Burns Club 1886 1913 100 Arthur N. Elliot Mrs Sheena ,Elliot, 5 Academy Place, Langholm, Dumfriesshire DG13 OBA 220 Burns Club of St. Louis 1905 1913 40 Robert I. Patrick Robert E. Burns, 619 West Polo Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 63105, U.S.A. 226 Dumfries Burns Club 1820 1913 100 Rev. J. Pagan John A. C. McFadden, 37 George Street, Dumfries DGl lEB 236 Whitehaven Burns Club 1914 1914 40 J. McLauchlan George Young, Colington, Egremont Road, Hensingham, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 8NQ 237 Uddingston Masonic 1914 1914 24 G. Mason J. Polson, 4 Watson Street, Burns Club Uddingston, Glasgow G71 7JU 238 Burns Club of Atlanta 18% 1914 100 Donald Mangerie Harold T. Daniel Jr., 238 Camden Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309, U.S.A. 239 Hawick Burns Club 1878 1914 1248 Alex Martin Ronald Purves, Hawick Burns Club, 5 Ancrum Court, Hawick, Roxburghshire 242 Montrose Burns Club 1908 1915 120 G. C. Nisbet A. L. Macfarlane, 'Westlands', Redfield Cres- cent, Montrose, Angus 252 Alloway Burns Club 1908 1919 109 Rev. J. W. McGinty, James Glass, M.A., B.A. 31 Glenconner Road, Ayr KA7 3HF 263 Glasgow Masonic 1919 1919 60 D. Turnt>ull Frank McAdam, Burns Club 34g Glenacre Road, North Carbrain, Cumbernauld G67 2PA 274 Troon Burns Club 1920 1920 85 Peter Howie James Adam, C.A., 318/319 Bridgegate House, Irvine KA12 8DG 275 Ayr Burns Club 1886 1920 116 A. MacPherson Mrs M. McKellar, 125 Hillfoot Road, Ayr KA7 3LD 125 Johnnie Walker Born 1820-still going strong 126 ' Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

284 Philadelphia North- 1896 1921 15 Douglas Mackay eastern Burns Club 293 Newcraighall Welfare 1921 1921 30 David Robertson Robert Henderson, Poosie Nansie Burns 17/2 Klondyke Street, Club Newcraighall, Mussclburgh 296 Walsall and Dist. 1900 1922 55 Dr. C. D. E. J. M. McMillan, 192 Aliens Scottish Society Morris Lane, Pelsall, Walsall, W. Midlands WS3 4JP 303 Victoria St. Andrew's 1849 1922 190 George Mackay Jack C. Pinkerton, and Caledonian Soc. 2315 Blanshard Street, Victoria B.C., B8T 4J4, Canada 307 Edinburgh Ayrshire 1914 1922 87 Mrs G. Innes Mrs C. J. Mejka, 7 Cobden Association Crescent, Edinburgh EH92BG 310 Mauchline Burns Club 1923 1923 60 K. Blair D. l. Lyell, M.A., F.S.A. (Scot.), 9 East Paris Ave., Mauchline KA5 5BS 314 Scottish Burns Club, 1920 1923 42 David Blyth Mrs Ellen Bruce, Edinburgh 9 Victor Park Terrace, Edinburgh 323 Kirkcudbright Burns 1918 1924 95 Gynne Shackleton Adam Gray, lngleston, Club Borgue, Kirkcudbrightshire DG64UA 329 Newark and District 1923 1924 125 Mrs G. M. Mrs Elizabeth Hamilton, Cal. Soc. Mcintyre 27 Macauley Drive, Balderton, Nr. Newark, Notts. 336 Peterhead Burns Club 1826 1925 238 D. W. Ogilvie, J.M. M."Smith, 13 Broad M.A., F.S.A. (Scot.) St., Peterhead, Aberdeenshire AB4 6JA 340 Balerno Burns Club 1881 1965 100 Edward McCue William R. Shanks, 15 Deanpark Grove, Balerno, Edinburgh EH14 7EA 341 Leith Burns Club 1826 1925 Gerald T. Farmer, C.A., A.C.I.S., 34 Cramond Park, Cramond, Edinburgh EH4 6PR 348 Newton Jean Armour 1924 1925 47 Mrs J. Hughes Mrs S. Kean, Burns Club 14 Woodland Crescent, Cambuslang, Glasgow G72 8RB 349 The Howff Burns Club 1925 1925 25 Sam Hannah Enez Logan, 6 Hugh Watt Place, Kilmaurs, By Kilmarnock 350 Markinch Burns Club 1899 1925 86 Rev. Ian Gordon, Archibald Mitchell, L.Th. 'Mo Dhachaidh', 11 Sweet- bank Drive, Markinch, Fife KY7 6BH 356 Burnbank and Dist. 18;26 1926 20 Andrew Smith Mrs Olive Smith, Masonic Burns Club 'Feathers', Hallside Road, Dalton, Cambuslang 360 Lochee Burns Club 1926 1926 500 George S. Beattie Thomas Young, 4 Wiston Pl., Dundee DD2 3JR 363 Barrow St. Andrew's 1878 1926 50 G. R. Wilkinson Geoffrey C. Hewitt, Society 6 West Avenue, Barrow-in-Furness LA13 9AX 127 As a reader of the Burns Chronicle or as a member of a Burns Club, you will appreciate more the genius of Burns by visiting BURNS COTTAGE and MUSEUM BURNS MONUMENT, ~.LLOWAY

On view

BURNS'S FAMILY BIBLE KILMARNOCK EDITION OF THE POEMS (a perfect copy) Most of our 139 manuscript letters and 175 poems, including AULD LANG SYNE TAM 0' SHANTER - A TALE Graham of Fintry letters and p9ems The Afton Collection The Stair Collection, etc.

See Our New Presentation . Robert Burns His Times, His Life & His Work

The admission charge covers entry to both Burns Cottage and (when open) The Monument. School Parties Welcomed; worksheet for pupils provided. Book of Burns Poems given as class prize. A limited number of club party evening visits (for about 30 people) can be arranged during the winter months by contacting: The Curator, Burns Cottage, Tel: Alloway 41215 128 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

366 Liverpool Burns Club 1924 1926 76 Mrs W. Napier Miss Ethel M. Griffin, 45 Glendyke Road, Liverpool LlS 370 Dundonald Burns Club 1963 1964 100 Russell Williamson Robert Kirk, Parkstone, Ploughlands Road, Dundonald, Ayrshire KA2 9BY 377 Kilbirnie Rosebery 1906 1927 S6 John Jeffrey Ronald G. Thomson, Burns Club 3 Craigends Road, Glengarnock, Ayrshire KA14 3AE 37S Edinburgh Dist. Burns 1925 1927 24 Mrs C. J. Mejka Gordon Innes, W.S., Clubs Association Clubs LL.B. 6 South Park, Trinity, Edinburgh EH6 4SN 3S7 Cambuslang Mary 1965 1965 14 Mrs M. Rennie Mrs I. Chapman, Campbell Burns Club lS Deans Avenue, Halfway, Cambuslang, Glasgow 392 Whifflet Burns Club 1923 192S 60 John A. Kirk R. W. Marwick, 'Ardvohr', 9 Dunbeth Avenue, Coatbridge MLS 3JA 393 Annan Ladies' Burns 192S 192S so Mrs M. Crossley Mrs Sally Knight, Club 17 Greenlea Road, Annan_, Dumfriesshire DG12 SLB 39o Meikle Earnock Jolly Jim Haddow, Beggars Burns Club 2 Hiltonbank Street, Hamilton 399 St. Ringans Burns 19S5 19S5 50 G. Ferguson F. Agnew, Club 2 Murrayshall Road, St. Ninians, Stirling 401 Brig-en' (Waverley) 1S76 192S 35 Dr. W. D. Balfour R. Agnew, 'Restalrig', Burns Club, Dumfries 5 Greystone Avenue, Dumfries DGJ lPE 403 Fraserburgh Burns Club 192S 192S 269 W. J. Smith Mr Donald Thomson, Gateway Building Society, 19 Broad St., Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire AB4 SAE 405 Cal. Soc. of Sheffield 1S22 1929 340 L. K. Barker R. A. Coghill, 37 Norton Park View, Sheffield SS SGS 417 Burnley and Dist. Cal. 1924 1929 73 W. Black Mrs I. Smith, 9 Mount Society Road, Burnley, Lanes. BB112LA 426 Sauchie Burns Club 1929 1929 65 R. Snaddon Ronald Noble, 4 Hill Place, Alloa, Clackmannanshire FKlO 2NJ 430 Gourock Burns Club 1887 1929 115 Donald Ritchie John K. Scott, 102 Manor Crescent, Gourock, Renfrewshire 436 Walney Jolly Beggars 1929 1930 135 Mrs I. Broadbent Mrs L. ·Nicholson, Ladies' Club 14 Orontes Avenue, Walney Island, Barrow- in-Furness, Cumbria 437 Dumfries Ladies' Burns 1930 1930 100 Mrs R. Lockerbie Mrs E. Haining, Club 74 Laghall Court, Kingholm Quay, Dumfries DGl 4SX 439 Barnsley and District 1930 1930 47 Robert Murdoch L. Gibson, 147 Pogmoor Scottish Society Road, Barnsley, S. Yorks S70 6PT 129

J BURNS HOUSE DUMFRIES

Visitors to Dumfries should not fail to visit the old Red Sandstone House in Burns Street, in which the Poet lived and died. The House is open to visitors and contains many interesting relics of Burns and his family. The House is one minute's walk from St. Michael's Churchyard where the Poet is buried within the Burns Mausoleum.

OPEN: Open All Year 10.00 a.m.-1.00 p.m., 2.00 p.m.-5.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday 2.00 p.m.-5.00 p.m. Sunday (Closed Sunday and Monday, October to March) ADMISSION TO HOUSE: Adults 50p Concessions 25p 130 Mem- No. Name //IS(. Fed. bers President Secretary

444 Swansea and West 1921 1931 66 Neil McGregor R. M. Forbes, Wales Cal. Society 5 Woodlands Terrace, Swansea 446 Herefordshire Burns 1910 1931 79 James Thomson D. J. James, 'Four Winds', Club 11 Lower Thorn, Bromyard, Herefordshire HR74AZ 454 Rotherham and District 1924 1931 54 Mrs J. Jeavons William Ingram, Scottish Association 10 Mortain Road, Rotherham, South Yorks S60 3BX 458 Stonehaven 1926 1932 65 Alfred Smith Mrs Elizabeth Petrie, (Fatherland) Burns 23 Slug Road, Stonehaven, Club Kincardineshire AB3 2EX 461 Leicester Cal. Society 1877 1932 292 R. Callender Mrs J. M. Cutting, 56 Dean Road West, Hinckley, Leics. LElO lQB 462 Cheltenham Scot. Soc. 1929 1932 210 Bob Naysmith Mrs Ann Warburton, 10 Alma Road, Hatherley, Cheltenham GL51 SPZ 469 Denny Cross Burns 1932 1932 40 David Blair W. Beveridge, 72 Little Club Denny Road, Denny, Stirlingshire FK6 SAT 470 St. Giles' Burns Club 1924 1932 85 James Taylor George Peterkin, 24 Pansport Road, Elgin, Moray IV30 lID 472 Renfrewshire Assoc. of 1929 1932 11 Dr. H. McGilp Mr William Williamson, Burns Clubs Clubs 30 Ivanhoe Road, Paisley 492 Harrow and Dist. Cal. 1928 1934 310 Mrs Sheila Dr. Ian White, 32 Daymer Society McGuinncss Gardens, Pinner, Middlesex 494 Motherwell United 1934 1934 100 Thomas Brown Stevenson Naismith, Services Burns Club 77 North Orchard St., Motherwell, Lanarkshire MLl 3JL 500 New Cumnock Burns 1923 1934 230 W. A. McHastie Wm. A. McHastie, Club 16 Greenbraes Drive, New Cumnock, Ayrshire KAIS 4AB 501 Galt Burns Club 1907 1935 60 Tom Milne Mrs Greta Hanley, C.I.M. 448 Waterloo St., S., Cambridge, Ontario, Canada N3H 1N9 503 Dunblane Burns Club 1923 1935 20 Arthur Lesk William Faichney, Cross Cottage, Dunblane FK15 OAQ 510 I.C.I. Grangemouth 1935 1935 150 G. J. Richards A. Sinclair, c/o I. C.I. Burns Club Grangemouth Recreation Club, Earl's Road, Grangemouth, Stirlingshire FK3 8XG 516 Airts Burns Club, 1934 1936 50 R. Carrol Walter M. Muir, Preston pans 89 Gardiner Road, Prestonpans, East Lothian EH32 9QR 523 Highland Soc. of New 1877 1936 150 Allan Mills Mrs D. A. McKenzie, South Wales P.O. Box 1130, Parramatta 2150, NSW, Australia 131 WE'RE CREATING A FESTIVAL THAT'S OUT OF THIS WORLD.

At the 1988 Glasgovv Garden Festival, everything vvill be out of this vvorld. From the endless family entertainment to the phenomenal number of plants and flovvers.

Set vvithin the six, astonishing theme parks listed belovv, this vvill be a festival that's like nothing on earth. So don't miss its many star attractions, from 28th April, 1988 onvvards.

1'.::::·'':.:>t.VP..t'~1t/$~;'MA~lti.Mr£ /::_.:,'·j !£:;-.:: Rg<;~g:ATiOI\(~ ·Sf!9.Rl"'·".,:i-.:I l./:~ND~A.fF;. ~·:·~c~w~R.Y.,.;:j p::::,/::-;;·,_'·'._P,4\Nrs.:::&,· 'f.Q9P.: '\\':'-:i.' l ft;}i~At,i'.j:f.~.\N,El,V:8E.1Nq_;·,':·:j li$'.i::fH:~N<:t;;?~::;t§<::HN9t9GY::·:·I For further details, contact: Marketing Department, GF6, Glasgow Garden Festival 1988, Princes Dock, Glasgow G51 1JA. Telephone: (041) 429 8855 Telex: 265871 MONREF G

A DAY OUT OF THIS WORLD. 132 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

530 Southern Scottish 1937 1937 24 David C. Smith Donald R. Urquhart, Counties Burns Clubs Glebe House, 39 Glebe Association Street, Dumfries DGl 2LQ 534 Bedlington and District 1934 1937 47 Dr. John Brown James K. Stewart, 2 East Burns Club Riggs, Bedlington, Northumberland NE22 5SH 535 Plymouth and District 1927 1937 50 John Swan Mrs E. Pay, 25 Waterloo Caledonian Society Street, Stoke, Plymouth PLl 5RP 536 Whithorn and District 1937 1937 45 James Edgar, William Rae, B.L., Burns Club M.R.C.V.S. 58 George Street, Whithorn, Newton Stewart DGS SPA 543 Abbey Craig Burns 1935 1938 120 Ian Collie Robert Innes, Club Continuing Education Dept., University of Stirling, Stirling FL9 4LA 548 Leeds Caledonian Soc. 1894 1938 220 Dr. John Hamilton Mrs Jaqueline Johnstone, 21 Calverley Drive, Leeds, West Yorks LS13 3LN 551 Scarborough Cal. Soc. 1934 1938 104 T. L. Alexander Mrs P. M. McNaughton, 10 Trafalgar Road, Scarborough, Yorks 553 Wolverhampton Dist. 1938 1983 100 Mrs S. Thomson Mr L. S. Craigie, Cal. Soc. 434d Penn Rd., Penn, Wolverhampton WV4 4DQ 555 Harrogate St. Andrew's 1921 1938 270 Fergus S. Mrs C. Fairs, Society Donaldson 23 Rudbeck Crescent, Harrogate, N. Yorks HG2 7AQ 556 Caledonian Society of 1883 1938 28 Gordon Elliot W. Leighton, 13 Norman Doncaster Drive, Hatfield, Doncaster 559 Coventry and Dis!. Cal. 1911 1938 200 Mrs C. Slater Mrs W. R. Laing, Society 354 Middlemarch Road, Radford, Coventry, West Midlands CV6 3GR 561 London (Ontario) 1938 1939 108 Mr J. Mann Mrs Magdaline A. Erdos, Burns Club 31 Wakefield Crescent, London, Ontario N6X 1Z6 562 Castle Douglas Burns 1930 1939 80 Dr. T. M. Donald J. C. McLatchie, 43 Robb Club Place, Castle Douglas 563 Norfolk Caledonian 1934 1977 400 Mrs Lorna Mrs V. M. Walker, Society Sheridan 52A Portersfield Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 3JX 566 Scottish Soc. and Burns 1939 1939 200 Stuart L. Miss May Dickie, Flat No. 8, Club of Australia Henderson 26 The Crescent, Manly, N.S.W. 2095, Australia 570 Scottish Clans Miss M. Holmes, Association 15 Appolohouse, 14 Broadlands Road, Highgate, London N64AT 571 The Edmonton Burns 1921 1971 30 Alex. Mair R. M. Allen, 32 Greer Club Crescent, St. Albert, Alberta TSN lTS 572 Chester Cal. Assoc. 1884 1939 98 W. J. Norman T. S. Lea, Kirkton House, Hunter Street, Chester 133 Melville, Dundas & Whitson ... major contributors to the high quality building scene in Scotland .l"""""'-.....-ui-~~....

A MEMBER OF THE LILLEY GROUP

Melville, Dundas & Whif:Son Ltd. Building & Civil Engineering Contractors, 21 BlythswoodSquare, Glasgow G2 4KI'. Tel 041-248 2681. Tekx 779707 and 32 Albany Street, Edinburgh EHl 3QH. Tel: 031-557 1375

134 Mem- Secretary No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President

576 Fort Matilda Burns 1934 1940 48 Dugald S. G. Gay, 9 Binnie St., Club Robertson Gourock, Renfrewshire PA19 578 Lanarkshire Assoc. of 1924 1942 23 Robert Scott Miss Ann Pickering, Burns Clubs Clubs 95 Dyfrig Street, Dykehead, Shotts 580 Cumbrae Burns Club 1896 1942 186 G. Wallace James Meechan, 3 Copeland Crescent, Millport, Isle of Cum brae 581 Cumbernauld and Dist. 1943 1943 65 Thomas L. Tom B. Myles, 7b Wallace Bums Club Birkmyre House, Berryhill Road, Cumbemauld, Glasgow G671LU 585 Queen's Park Bowling 1930 1943 130 John Watson J. A. Dargavel, 31 Garry Club Clarinda Bums Street, Glasgow Circle 589 Solway Burns Club 1921 1978 90 W. McNairn Mrs Irene Grant, 'The Cottage', 6 Newlands Rise, Annan, Dumfriesshire DG12 SHT 593 Barrmill Jolly Beggar 1944 1967 55 J. Peat James L. Conn, Bums Club 48 Houston Crescent, Dairy KA24 4BJ 606 Corby Stewarts & 1944 1945 30 J. Robb D. McDonald, 7 Bury Lloyd's Bums Club Close, Cottingham, Market Harborough, Leics. 618 Altrincham and Sale 1945 1945 so T. Marriot-Moore J. Mcfarlane, 9 Kipling Caledonian Society Close, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 5HS 627 Kinross Jolly Beggars 1888" 1946 150 D. N. M. Paton Gordon Y. George, Bums Club 14 Muirpark Road, Kinross KY13 7AT 629 Sanquhar Black Joan 1945 1946 60 T. A. Johnston T. A. Johnston, 42 High Club Street, Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire u 630 Coalsnaughton Burns 1945 1946 150 R. Harrower John Smith, 3 Muircot Club Place, Coalsnaughton 632 Symington Burns Club 1946 1946 53 Harry Bull Mrs M. Hume, 101 Lammermuir Road, Bellfield, Kilmarnock KA13UE 642 Rutherglen Burns Club 1976 1978 27 Robert Edwards Mrs Allison Brown, 2 Blairtum Drive, Rutherglen, Glasgow G73 3RY 646 The Clear Winding 1946 1947 30 Mrs M. Burt Mrs Janet Snaddon, Devon Alva Burns 44 The Nebit, Alva, Club Clackmannanshire FK12 5DH 657 Fallin Gothenberg 1947 1947 56 John Nicol Jack Milroy, 28 Lamont Bums Club Crescent, Fallin, Stirlingshire FK7 7EJ 660 Langholm Ladies' 1947 1947 45 Mrs Turk Mrs Elaine Anderson, Bums Club 2 Mary St., Langholm, Dumfriesshire DG13 OAL H. B. Nesbit, 661 Leamington and 1947 1947 90 Mary Masters Miss Close, Woodloes Warwick Caledonian 54 Crane CV34 SHB Soc. Park, Warwick 135 LAND O' BURNS CENTR'E, ALLOW AV (Entrance alongside Alloway Church)

This Visitor and Tourist Centre is located in the heart of Burns Country, opposite 'The Auld Haunted Kirk' where Tam o' Shanter roared on the cantrips of Cutty Sark, and five minutes walk from the Brig o' Doon where poor Maggie lost her tail. With such distinguished neighbours our Centre has to be something special, and it is. /. The Audio Visual Theatre with multi-screen projection offers an insight into the man Burns, with a scenic tour of the Burns Country. This new programme makes an excellent starting point for visits to the Burns Heritage Trail Sites. There is an attractive shopping area offering the discerning visitor the best of Scottish craft, including exquisite jewellery, glass and pottery, leather and woollen goods and well stocked bookshelves. Set in beautiful landscaped gardens, there are ample car and coach car parks, with attractive picnic areas. Our new tea room is a welcome addition to the facilities already offered. The staff will treat you with a courtesy which will please you and they will thank you for calling, because they believe that the most important people at the Centre are you, our visitors. May we look forward to meeting you. THE CENTRE IS OPEN 7 days a week all year round. HOURS: Oct-May 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (7 days) June&Sept 10a.m.-5.30p.m. (?days) July&August 10a.m.-6p.m. (?days)

Enquiries to the Manager: Mr Tom Raffel at Alloway 43700 Props: Kyle & Carrick District Council 136 --- ·~,;p;.

Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 663 Bournemouth and Dist. 1907 1947 170 George Cameron- Mrs Helen S. Hardwick, Caledonian Society Smith 20 Hesketh Close, St. Ives, Nr. Ringwood, Hants. BH24 2LA 664 West Kilbride Burns 1947 1947 93 K. Bills Mrs Mary B. Milne, Club 2 Woodside, West Kilbride, Ayrshire KA23 9JB 665 Gartmorn Ladies' 1947 1948 40 Mrs Jessie Pert Mrs J. Pert, 137 Main Burns Club Street, Sauchie, Alloa, Clacks. FKlO 3JX 671 St. Andrew's Cronies 1947 1948 140 Colin J. Campbell Andrew Richmond, Burns Club 26 Frew Terrace, Irvine KA12 9EA 681 The Cronies Burns 1948 1948 58 Mrs Jean Mrs E. Brady, 8 Haining Club, Kilmarnock McMillan Avenue, Bellfield, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire 682 Cumnock 'Jolly 1945 1948 45 Mr Wm. Hall Mr Wm. Hall, Beggars' Burns Club 8 Glencairn, Cumnock 683 Stratford-upon-Avon 1947 1948 100 Mrs R. M. Baker Mr G. R. Forbes, and Dist. Cal. Soc. 63 Hunts Road, Stratford- upon-Avon CV37 7JJ 688 Kirkcaldy Poosie 1939 1949 21 Mrs Hazel Mrs Betsy C. Rodger, Nansie Ladies' Burns Weierter 10 Durham Cres., Lower Club Largo, Fife KY8 6DN 691 Inverness Burns Club 1949 1949 100 David Caldwell Mr C. J. D. Silver, 53 Holm Park, Inverness IV2 4XU 693 Masonic Burns Club 1949 1949 40 Alexander John Middleton, Kirkcudbright Kirkpatrick 8 Dovecroft, Kirkcudbright DG6 4JS 695 Kilmaronock Burns 1949 1949 60 J. Blain Mrs K. Liston, Rock Club (Dunbartonshire) Cottage, Gartocharn, By Alexandria, Dunbartonshire 6% Whitley Bay and Dist. 1930 1949 168 Mrs Ada Wilson Mrs E. W. Gregson, Soc. of St. Andrew 17 Kew Gardens, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear NE26 3L Y 698 Turriff Burns Club 1920 1949 60 Albert Gatt Charles Calder, Cruachan, Johnston Park, Turriff 699 Choppington Burns 1948 1949 110 J. Brady John E. Godden, Club 181 North Ridge, Bedlington, Northumbria NE22 6DG 701 The Detroit Burns Club 1876 1949 68 J. McDougall John Philliben, 6327 Calhoun, Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.A. 48126 706 North Lindsey Scots 1927 1949 130 Mrs M. Chambers Mrs H. Condron, Soc. 12 Linton Rise, Burton upon Stather, South Humberside 710 Burns Society of 1896 1950 285 Mr Sandy Wyness Heather Schwarzkopf, Toronto Dawson Wyness 198 Sandringham Drive, Downsview, Ontario M3H 1E3 Canada 711 The Victorian Scottish 1905 1950 33 Mr D. Findlay G. McNaughton, Union SOC. 301 Francis St., Yarraville, Victoria, Australia 3013 718 The St. Andrew Society 1894 1950 137 R.H. Robb Mr Alex C. Layhe, of York 61 Eastfield Avenue, Haxby, 137 York Y03 8EZ THE BURNS FEDERATION Dick Institute, Elmbank A venue Kilmarnock KAl 3BU

Associate membership Ladies or Gentlemen, whether or not they are members of a federated Club or Society, may become Associate Members of the Burns Federation by applying in writing to the Hon. Secretary. The subscription is £10 per annum. Associate Members are entitled to a free copy of the Burns Chronicle and all editions of The Burnsian, a copy of the minutes of the Executive Committee and to attend the Annual Council of the Federation. New Publications The Complete Works of Robert Burns (one volume) Souvenir Edition £9.95 Full colour poster (Nasmyth portrait surrounded by scenes from his life and work) 20"x 28" £2.00 Member's price £1.50 Publications, etc., available from Headquarters: Burns Chronicle (1987) paperbound £4.50 clothbound £7.00 Burns Federation Song Book £2.00 The Life of Robert Burns (for children) £1.25 A Scots handsel £2.25 Bairnsangs £1.45 Robert Burns, the Man and his work (Hans Hecht) £6.95 Robert Burns and Edinburgh £1.00 The Burns Encyclopedia (Maurice Lindsay) £14.95 Poems and Songs of Robert Burns (James Barke) £4.95 paperback £2.95 Twenty Favourite Songs and Poems of Robert Burns (Gourdie) £1.50 Johnnie Walker's 'Burns Supper Companion' (Hugh Douglas) £4.85 Diplomas (club membership cards) 15p Burns Federation Centenary Badges £1.00 Burns Check Ties £3.50 Burns Check Bow Ties £3.00 Greetings Cards-Burns at the Plough 30p 'Wha's Like Us' Greetings Cards 35p Tea Towels with hanging clips £2.99 Shopping Bags £3.50 BurnsandBible(G. H. Paton) £4.95 Burns Federation 1885-1985 (Centenary Book) £7.50 Member's price £5.00 '200 Club' The Burns Federation 200 Club is open to members of affiliated Burns clubs and Scottish Societies and to Associate members of the Burns Federation. The Charge for membership is £12 to be paid between lst May and 30th June annually. There are ten consecutive draws each of which pays out £30, £20 and £10. In addition £125 will be paid out four times per annum when all 200 memberships are taken up. Proceeds of the 200 Club go to assist the work of the Burns Federation. 138 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 719 Chelmsford and Dist. 1934 1950 120 T. F. A. Martin D. A. Hodge, Scottish Society The Sheiling, White Hart Lane, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex 720 Retford and Dist. Cal. 1949 1950 70 F. J. Isaacs Mrs K. Beardsall, 5 Trent Society Street, Relford, Notts. DN22 6NG 721 The Plymouth Burns 1948 1950 22 R. Johnstone Joseph B. Main, 42 Clinton Club Avenue, Lipson, Plymouth PL4 7HA 723 Strathpeffer Burns Club 1920 1950 90 A. W. Arnot D. S. MacDonald, 'Strathlene', Heights of Brae, Strathpeffer, Ross-shire 725 Ben Cleuch Burns Club 1936 1950 80 W. McAdam Douglas F. McEwan, 18 Auchinbaird, Sauchie, Alloa, Clacks. 726 The Robert Burns Club 1950 1951 50 I. Paterson Mrs C. Lewin, of Melbourne 778 Station St., Box Hill, Victoria, Australia 727 The St. Andrew Society 1949 1951 220 Hamish Barclay Zita Thomsen, 3 Mulvad, of Denmark 2800 Lyngby, Denmark 730 Wigtown Burns Club 1905 1951 110 T. Shaw Ian M. Thin, Tramerry, Wigtown, Wigtownshire DG8 9JP 733 Aberdeen Burns Study 1951 1974 15 David Duncan George F. Watt, Circle 109 Smithfield Drive, Middlefield, Aberdeen AB27XD 740 Thorntree Mystic 1949 1952 65 A. Honneysett William Nisbet, Burns Club 81 Gardiner Road, Prestonpans, East Lothian EH32 9AJ 743 The Romford Scottish 1931 1952 98 Miss Joyce White Miss Jane Trott, 15 Castle Association Road, Hadleigh, Benfleet, Essex SS7 2AY 744 Durham and Dist. Cal. 1950 1952 168 William Nicol J. Stewart Tait, 98 Grange Society Road, Belmont, Durham DHl lAQ 745 Northumberland and 1924 1952 220 Jim Watt Miss D. Hossent, Durham Cal. Society f 106 Haydon Close, Fawdon, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE32BZ 748 Ouplaymuir Burns Club 1936 1953 32 Dr. J. McGregor J. W. Wright, Waterside, Uplawmoor, Glasgow G78 4AA 754 Thornton Cleveleys and 1951 1953 120 Alex Campbell Mrs Maureen F. Forsyth, Dist. Scottish Society 64 Garstang Road West, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lanes. FY6 7SN 763 Wakefield Cal. Society 1953 1953 100 Mrs A. Dobson Mrs E. Young, 76 Silcoates Lane, Wrenthorpe, Wakefield WF2 ONY 768 Auchterderran Jolly 1912 1954 112 Thomas Alex Holmes, 17 Orebank Beggars Burns Club Mcintyre Road, Bowhill, Cardenden, Fife 769 Robert Bruce Burns 1953 1954 70 Robt. Fraser Wm. M. Dawson, Blendon, Club 7 Cattlemarket, 139 Clackmannan FKlO 4EH :.~_\. on the Burns Heritage Trail · ·GLASGOW VENNEL·HECKLING SHOP·BURNSCLUB MUSEUM· ·BURNS LODGING HOUSE·AYRSHIRE WRITERS AND ARTISTS·

mne Development Corporation Information Centre 121 High Street Irvine Tel 0294 72431

140 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers Preside/I/ Secretary 772 Prestwick Burns club 1954 1954 60 W. Lyon Ian Moffat, 11 Westbourne Gdns., Prestwick KA9 lJE 773 Cumnock Cronies 1910 1954 100 John Graham Eric Love, 89 Barshare Burns Club Road, Cumnock, Ayrshire KA18 lNN 774 Gloucester Scottish 1937 1983 100 John Robertson James M. Laurie, Society 5 Howard Place, Hucclecote, Gloucester GL3 3RZ 777 Nuneaton and Dist. 1949 1954 57 R. Ward B. W. Crosbie, Scottish Society 'Woodlands', Stapleton Lane, Kirkby Mallory, Leicester 784 Kelso Burns Club 1872 1955 140 R. Alistair Brooks Robert Donaldson, 2 Abbotseat Road, Kelso TDS 7SL 791 Swindon and Dist. Cal. 1929 1955 189 Jack Beattie, Mrs B. Beattie, Society O.B.E., M.A., 18 Greyweathers Avenue, B.Sc. Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 lQF 803 Bowhill People's Burns 1940 1957 80 Hugh Docherty Charles Kennedy, Club 101 Dundonald Park, Cardenden, Fife KYS ODG 808 Pontefract and Dist. 1956 1957 50 Mr J. Sutcliffe F. Hiorns, 15 Maple Ave., Cal. Society Hardwick Road, Pontefract WF8 3QN 809 Allanton Jolly Beggars 1957 1957 26 David Lightfoot Mrs Helen Waddell, Burns Club 56 Allershaw Tower, Wishaw, Lanarkshire ML2 OLP 810 Thirty-seven Burns 1957 1973 37 Duncan McLean Jack Gardner, Club, Shotts 12 Clyde Drive, Shotts, Lanarkshire ML7 SLY 811 Logangate Burns Club 1957 1957 60 David Clark Walter Hall, 5 Paterson Ave., Logan, Cumnock, Ayrshire KA18 3HR 812 St. Andrew Society of 1886 1957 130 Mrs Irene Dr. J. M. Davidson, Bradford Anderson The Gables, Apperley, Lane, Apperly Bridge, Nr. Bradford 813 Tranent '25' Burns Club 1892 1958 46 Peter Thomson George Murdoch, 49 Bankpark Grove, Tranent, E. Lothian EH33 lAH 818 Dalbeattie and District 1958 1958 40 William McK. Ewen C. Mair, do Messrs Burns Club Barrowman Hewats, Clydesdale Bank Buildings, Dalbeattie, Stewartry District 822 Mansfield Dist. Cal. 1952 1959 35 Mrs E. M. Lake Mr Michael Lake, Society Delamere Drive, Mansfield, Nous. NG18 4DE 824 Stirling, Clackmannan 1946 1959 30 J. B. Yates Ken Crozier, New and West Perthshire Clubs Cottage, 21 Campbell Assoc. of Fed. Clubs Street, Dollar, Clackmannanshire 825 The 'Clarinda' Ladies' 1959 1959 25 Mrs Davina Baird, Miss Mary Aytoun, Burns Club, Edinburgh M.B.E. M.B.E., 31 Willowbrae Avenue, Edinburgh 826 The Burns Society of 1955 1987 131 Roger Wood Dr. David S. Humphries, Charlotte, N.C. 2119 Ferncliff Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28211, U.S.A. 141 GLASGOW DISTRICT LIBRARIES THE MITCHELL LIBRARY Burns Collection lt ~~ Housed in the Department of Language & Literature, this is probably the largest Burns collection in the world. It contains over 3,500 items including - 900 editions of the works; Translations into 26 languages; Full set of Burns Chronicle and indexes; Newspaper cuttings and index; Burns clubs reports and programmes; 10 original manuscript letters and poems; Index of illustrations of poems and songs; sound recordings of poems and songs; All forms of printed Burnsiana.

Telephone and postal enquiries undertaken.

THE MITCHELL LIBRARY North street, Glasgow G3 7DN.

Monday-Friday 9.30 am-9 pm

142 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 831 Lochgoilhead Burns 1960 1960 40 Dr. J. R. R. Holms Donald McGregor, The Club Schoolhouse, Lochgoilhead, Argyll 834 St. Andrew's Society 1960 1959 95 Mrs Joyce Allen H. E. Crowther, 78 Sylvan (Altrincham, Sale and Avenue, Timperley, District) Altrincham, Cheshire WA15 6AB 839 Coldstream Burns Club 1888 1961 114 James M. Davidson, William Jackson, B.Sc. Homestead, Hirsel, Coldstream, Berwickshire TD12 4LW 841 Robert Burns Assoc. of 1955 1961 175 Robert McKenna Richard Jewkes, Montreal, Canada 7215 Boyer St., Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2R 2R6 842 'Ye Bonnie Doon' 1932 1961 40 John Little Mrs Bessie Little, Burns Club, Hamilton, 22-26 Bristol Street, Ontario, Canada Hamilton, Ontario, Cana.da LBL 2T8 845 Tam o' Shanter, 1959 1961 1790 George Mudie Jas. McCaw, Tam o' Coventry Shanter Club, Heriford Pl., Coventry, Warwickshire CVl 3JZ 851 Aukland Burns Assoc. 1959 1962 36 Rev. Wayne Mrs J. Little, Brodeur 7/14 Blockhouse Bay Rd., Avondale, Aukland 7 New Zealand 859 Eglinton Burns Club 1960 1963 150 G. Stevenson S. Robertson, Eglinton Irvine Arms Hotel, High Street, Irvine 862 Market Rasen Scottish 1960 1963 105 C. B. Grant C. B. Grant, Field House, Association Wickenby, Lincoln LN35RB 864 Burnie Burns Club, 1962 1970 40 F. D. J. Taylor Mrs Eris Tunbridge, Tasmania 147 David Street, East Devonport, Tasmania, Australia 7310 865 Foresters Arms Burns 1961 1963 32 William Young J. T. Grahamslaw, 8 The Club Brae, Cambusbarron, Stirling 866 Heanor and Dist. Cal. 1955 1963 35 Mrs Sheena Mercer A. Chapman, 9 Vernon St., Society Cotmanhay, Ilkeston, Derbyshire 870 Scottish Burns Assoc. 1962 1964 175 Peter Stewart Miss Margaret Laird, of Massachusetts 189 Forest Street, Arlington, Massachusetts 02174, U.S.A. 872 East Midland's Assoc. 1949 1964 6 J. D. MacFarlane Mrs N. Wood, of Scottish' Socs. Socs. Abington Lodge, Northampton 874 Melbourne Masonic 1963 1964 30 Chieftain Keith Ian R. Hawkins, J.P., Burns Club, E. Dodd 138 Elm Street, Victoria Northcote 3070, Victoria, Australia 878 Worksop Burns and 1965 1965 150 Mr R. B. Jardine T. H. English, Cal. Club 166 Raymoth Lane, Worksop, Notts. S81 7DY 880 Otley and Dist. Cal. 1960 1965 120 D. Griffin Mrs J. Blackburn, Soc. 84 The Gills Carr Bank, Otley, West Yorks 882 Canberra Highland Soc. 1924 1966 850 Ronald K. Charles C. Taylor, P.O. and Burns Club Drummond Box 69, Kingston, 143 Canberra A.C.T. 2064, Australia THE BURNS HOUSE MUSEUM, MAUCHLINE

On the upper floor is the room in which Burns began his married life, while the gallery contains many pictures and items of Burns' interest. Another room is devoted to a Curling Exhibition donated by Kelvingrove Art Gallery. A large display of Mauchline Boxware attracts many visitors. The Kirkyard with its strong Burns connections is nearby. Parties are welcome; guides are available and teas can be arranged. Evening visits could occupy a syllabus meeting. Opening hours - Easter to 30th September, 11.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m. and 1.30 p.m.-5.30 p.m. Sundays 2.00 p.m.-5.00 p.m. Visits outwith hours and season by arrangement - phone Mauchline 50045. D. I. Lyell, M.A. , F.S.A. Scot., 9 East Park Avenue, Mauchline 144 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 887 Gainsborough and Dist. 1952 1967 30 Lew Reid Angus McLarty, Caledonian Society 'Cruachan ', 5 Vicarage Lane, Beckingham, Nr. Doncaster, S. Yorks DNlO 4PN 889 Strathclyde 'Bonnie 1959 1967 20 John Brown R. B. Cleland, Jean' Burns Club 16 McClurg Court, Motherwell MLl lXH 890 The Wollongong Burns 1966 1967 36 Tom Newan W. C. Scott, 4 Moore Society Street, Gwynneville, N.S.W., 2500, Australia '893 North Bay Burns Club 1967 1968 48 Ron Coyne Mrs Jemima S. Boyle, Ontario 122 Strathcona Drive, North Bay, Ontario, Canada PlA 2N3 894 Beverley and Dist. Cal. 1967 1968 50 Gavin Maynard Mrs B. Ward, 26 Alpha Society Ave., Molescroft Beverley, N. Humberside HU17 7JE 895 Westerton Burns Club 1968 1968 40 Thomas Heggie John Neill, 5 Muirpark Gardens, Glenochil Village, Tullibody, Clackmannanshire FKlO 3AJ 896 Sierra Leone Cal. Soc. 1957 1968 36 Frank Macleod Mrs C. Moir, P.O. Box 575, Freetown, Sierra Leone, W.A. 897 Glenbervie Burns 1947 1969 20 L. R. Burness, George F. Watt, Memorials Assoc. F.R.G.S., F.S.A., 109 Smithfield Drive, (Scot) Middlefield, Aberdeen AB2 7XD 902 Newmarket Burns Club 1959 1970 35 Tom B. Myles Alex. Corbett, 25 Manor Street, Falkirk FKl lNH 907 Stonehouse Burns Club 1971 r, 1971 45 Alan Robertson Duncan McKechnie, 4 Cander Avenue, Stonehouse, Lanarkshire ML9 3ND 908 'Brithers Be' Burns 1971 1971 16 Thomas Howie Mrs Anne Mcintyre, Club 21 Wallace Street, Kilmarnock KAl lSB 911 Borestone Bowling Club 1947 1972 100 George Simpson George Simpson, 13 Weaver Row, St. Ninians, Stirling FK7 9AS 915 Canterbury Burns Club 1971 1972 80 Mr W. Hunter Miss N. M. Hill, P.O. (Inc.) Box 33119 Barrington Christchurch 2, New Zealand 916 Hole i' the Wa' Burns 1964 1972 50 George Perry Neil McKeand, Club 49 Greenlea Crescent, Collin, Dumfries DGl 4PR 917 Scottish Presidents' 1958 1972 80 Angus McLarty Lew W. Reid, Lea Rig, Assoc. 152 Lea Road, Gainsborough, Lines. DN21 lAN 918 Dover and East Kent 1887 1973 124 Major J. Mrs Dorothy MacFarlane, Scot!ish Society MacFarlane (Retd.) 169 Elms Vale Road, Dover, Kent CT17 9PW 919 Orange and District 1944 1973 100 Stan Maybin Mrs Anne Brown, Scottish Assoc. 372 Lords Place, Orange and Burns Club NSW, Australia 2800 920 Trysting Thorn Burns 1971 1973 40 Jack Steel John Prott, 145 Club 8 Hannahston Avenue, Drongan, Ayrshire

K Enjoy the story of Robert Burns and his life in the South of Scotland at the

. --:- ~·-:--~~~I'..:;: ---l-L ROBERT BURNS CENTRE DUMFRIES * Multi-Projector Audio Visual Theatre *Exhibition with Diorama and Scale Model of Dumfries Town in the 1Bth Century · * Book Shop * Cate OPEN APRIL - SEPTEMBER Monday-Saturday, 10-8 p.m., Sunday, 2-5 p.m. (October-March, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-1 p.m., 2-5 p.m.) ADMISSION FREE (AV Theatre Charge: ADULTS, 50p CONCESSIONS 25p) ROBERT BURNS CENTRE MILL ROAD, DUMFRIES Tel. (0387) 64808 146 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 921 Northern Scottish 1972 1973 36 WilliamR. Miss Ethel Hall, 28D Counties Assoc. of Murray, M.A. Whitehall Place, Aberdeen Burns Clubs AB2 4PA 922 The Clumber Burns 1973 1973 11 Mrs A. Kelton L. Jeavons, 36 Brunswick Club Road, Broom Valley, Rotherham, S. Yorks S60 2RH 923 Old Manor Burns Club, 1969 1973 50 A. G. Gourlay James Boyle, 28 Cawder Bridge of Allan Road, Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire 924 S.C.T.A. (Dumfries 1939 1973 49 James McKenzie S. K. Douglas, Branch) Burns Club 18 Mossdale, Heathhall, Dumfries 925 Laurieston Burns Club 1970 1974 130 A. Grant Hunter James Hunter, 'Cromdale', 66 Redding Road, Laurieston, Falkirk FK2 9JU 926 Rosamond Burns Club, 1973 1974 32 Mrs A. Merry Mrs Mary Wilson, Gretna Green 8 Falcon Drive, Gretna CA6 5JU 927 The Tarbolton Club, 1967 1974 16 Dr. Ian Scott Robert M. Allan, 32 Greer Edmonton Cres., St. Albert, Alberta, Canada TSN 1T8 929 Bathgate 'Jolly Beggars' 1974 1974 40 John Mackay Wm. Hamilton, Burns Club 36 Marchwood Crescent, Bathgate, West Lothian EH481DA 930 The Wheatsheaf Burns 1974 1974 50 Kenneth McLeod T. Weir, 46 Bantaskine Club, Falkirk Drive, Falkirk, Stirlingshire FK15HS 931 Beith Caledonia Burns 1974 1974 30 I. Garret Jack G. D. Robertson, Club Eglinton Kennels, Kilwinning, Ayrshire 933 Busbiehill Burns Club 1974 1974 47 Felix Todd James F. Craig, 9 Parkhill Avenue, Crosshouse, Kilmarnock KA2 OJF 934 Manama Cal. Society 1956 1975 197 W. A. Woods A. Colquhoun, P.O. Box 580, Bahrain, Arabian Gulf 935 Torbrex Inn Burns Club 1975 1975 45 George Simpson James Kinnear, 5 Donaldson Place, Cambusbarron, Stirling FK74EN 936 Irvine Lasses Burns 1975 1975 55 Mrs Betty Herbetson Mrs Rosalind Keyte, Club 8 Thornhouse Avenue, Irvine, Ayrshire KA12 OLT 937 East Kilbride Burns 1973 1975 220 James Hamilton Iain A. MacPherson, East Club Kilbride Development Corpn., Atholl House, East Kilbride G741LU 939 Griffin Burns Club, 1975 1975 80 Wm. Adair James L. Chalmers, Gartcosh 39 Cardowan Drive, Stepps, Glasgow 940 The Pembrokeshire Cal. 1948 1975 90 Mrs Moira Lewis R. F. Graham, Orion, Society 20 Steynton Road, Milford Haven, Dyfed 941 Robert Burns Club of 1975 1975 32 Paul Goinfriddo Robert B. Carlyle, San Diego c/o Colonial Inn, 910 Prospect Street, La Jolla, California, 147 U.S.A. 92037 'that greatest of benevolent institutions established in honour of Robert Burns'. - Glasgow Herald. The National Burns Memorial Homes, Mauchline, Ayrshire Created for Deserving Old People - as the most fitting Memorial to Robert Burns

EIGHTEEN of these comfortable houses, built at Mauchline, in the heart of the Burns Country, are occupied by deserving old folks, carefully selected from all quarters. Many of the Cottagers left tied houses on retirement with nowhere else to stay. There are no irksome restrictions. They have their own key, their own furniture if they so desire, come and go as they please, and have . their own friends calling on them as they wish . The whole aim and object of the scheme is to allow the Cottagers to continue the enjoyment of the quiet comfort of their 'ain fireside' in ideal surroundings. The amenities of the Homes are constantly being improved and added to, and for this purpose MONEY IS ALWAYS REQUIRED WILL YOU PLEASE HELP by sending a donation to:- A. J. Campbell, Secretary, Mitchells Roberton George House, 36 North Hanover Street, Glasgow G1 2AD Tel. 041 ·552 3422 148 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 943 Humberside Burns Soc. 1970 1976 64 Mr H. Mann Graham Harley, 4 Strathmore Avenue, Beverley High Road, Hull, Humberside, 8U6 7HJ 944 Alamo Burns Club, 1973 1976 40 J. Murray James Fisher, 5 New Paisley Inchinnan Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire 945 Kirklees Scottish 1974 1976 25 L. Ferguson Mrs E. J. Medlen, Highland Society 34 Thorpe Lane, Almondbury, Huddersfield, Yorkshire HD58TA 946 Calgary Burns Club 1976 1976 34 N. Stewart Andy Hay, 2 Brandy Lane, 10401-19 Street S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2W 3E7 948 Saltcoats Glencairn 1975 1976 25 John Davidson William Stewart, Masonic Burns Club 31 Sidney Street, Saltcoats, Ayrshire 949 Fir Park Club, Burns 1976 1976 29 J. F. Good A. Carbray, 78 Shields Section Drive, Motherwell MLl 2DX 950 Drumoyne and District 1932 1976 120 Colin Wilson Mrs Shirley Wilson, Scottish Soc. and 11 Innes Street, Five Dock, Burns Club NSW 2046, Australia 951 Birnbeck Burns Club, 1975 1976 100 Sqn. Ldr. E. H. William C. Le Breton, Weston-s-Mare Harris (Retd.} 7 Mendip Edige, Bleadon Hill, Weston-s-Mare, Avon BS24 9JF 954 Newton Burns Club, 1962 1977 60 Robert Diamond Alex Baird, Ayr 215 Whitletts Road, Ayr 955 Gartwhinzean Burns 1968 1977 140 James King Henry S. Kinnaird, Club Middleton of Aldie, Fossoway, Kinross KY13 7QJ 956 Nantwich and District 1958 1977 71 John Stewart Mrs Sally F. Staples, Scottish Society 'Orcadia', 8 Westfield Drive, Westaston, Crewe, Cheshire CW2 SES 957 Ottawa Burns Club 1977 1977 60 Stuart Jardine Sandra Wilson, 209-2865 Cedarwood Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, KlV 068 958 Clan McGregor Lodge 1924 1977 80 Stephen Singlar Kenneth E. McCartney, 271, Toledo, Ohio 827 Continental Blvd., Toledo 959 Bangkok St. Andrew 1977 22 Ian Fleming J. R. Lumsden, The Soc. Chartered Bank, P.O. Box 320, Bangkok, Thailand 961 Larkhall Burns Club 1976 1977 38 William Mcintosh Andrew K. S. Taylor, 1 Devonport Park, West Wood, East Kilbride G75 SPU 962 Caledonian Society of 1892 1977 160 Peter Millar Mrs Rosemary Millar, Pretoria P.O. Box 971, Pretoria, 0001, Republic of South Africa 963 Cotgrave Burns Club 1977 1978 40 R. Aitken Mrs Elizabeth Ferns, 4 Flagholme, Cotgrave, 149 Notts. NG12 3PE AYRSHIRE AND BURNS COUNTRY for GOLF 15, including 3 Championship courses SWIMMING With a choice of 4 indoor heated pools or miles of safe sandy beaches FISHING Sea, river or loch BOWLING On first class greens HORSE RACING At Scotland's Premier Racecourse CASTLES - GARDENS - THEATRE - CINEMA AND SO MUCH MORE! The scenic splendour of the area is unequalled anywhere in the world. Whatever time of year you choose to visit, you can be sure of something happening, whether it be one of the Festival Weeks, or one of the major events which are held in the area throughout the year. For further information and full colour brochures contact: AYRSHIRE AND BURNS COUNTRY TOURIST BOARD 39 SANDGATE AYR TEL. {0292) 284196 (24-hour answering service) 150 Mem- Secretary No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President 964 The Gambia 1954 1977 100 Miss Blyth Brown Jennifer Phimster, P. 0. Caledonian Society Box 981, Banjul, The Gambia %5 Royal Caledonian Soc. 1977 R. M. Verrall, 7 Warrego of S. Australia Crescent, Linden Park, South Australia 5065 %6 Clan Rose Society of 1970 1977 186 Edwin B. Rose Col. John B. Rose, Jr., America USAF (Ret'd), 21 Linwood Road, Fort Walton Beach Fl 32548 967 Earlsferry Burns Club 1975 1977 30 John F. Robertson G. Walsh, Earlscross, USA Earlsferry, Elie, Fife %9 Huddersfield St. 1884 1977 80 J. Goodman R. L. Ashford, Andrew Society 6 Thistle Close, Birkby, Huddersfield HD22FN 971 North Berwick Burns 1899 1978 185 Mrs Marjorie Mrs Margaret Ann Club Whytock Crawford, 'Atholl Lodge', 13 East Road, North Berwick, East Lothian EH39 4LF 972 Don Valley Caledonian 1971 1978 90 Mr G. Conroy R. J. Smith, 6 Carr Society View Avenue, Doncaster DN48AY 973 Salsburgh Miners Burns 1978 1978 32 Henry Leckie Catherine Gardner, Club 58 Carvale Ave., Salsburgh, Shotts ML7 4NQ 974 Elliot Lake Burns Club 1978 1978 57 Mrs Margaret Glynis Nolan, .Sargent 8 Canberra Crescent, Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada P5A 976 Hopetoun Laddies 1977· 1978 30 T. Jeffry C. Young, 45 George Burns Club Crescent, Ormiston, Tranent, East Lothian EH35 5JB 977 Whyalla St. Andrew 1974 1978 100 David Kirk Jock Dewson, P.O. Box Society 2086, Whyalla, Norrie 5608, South Australia 978 Burns Appreciation Colin McKenzie, 5111 Society of Dickeyville Witheredsville Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21207, U .S.A. 979 Jewel Welfare 'Holy 1978 1979 42 J. Allan W. Alexander, Willies' Burns Club 118 Magdalene Gardens, Edinburgh 980 Niagara Falls Burns 1926 1979 26 Bill Molloy Mrs Betty Freeman, Club 40 Old Orchard, Williamsville, New York 14221 981 Berkshire Burns Club, 1978 1979 25 Inez S. Moore Gladys Davidson, Massachusetts P.O. Box 134, Lenox, Mass., U.S.A. 01240 982 Garnock Burns Club 1868 1979 36 R. Johnston W. A. Law; 25 Balfour Avenue, Beith KA15 lAW 983 Montreal General 1%1 1979 21 C. F. D. Ackmon S. G. Maclsaac, Hospital Burns Society Department of Urology, 1650 Cedar Ave., Montreal H3G 1A4, Quebec, Canada 984 MacQuarie-Stewart 1979 1979 40 •Des Taylor Edward McCoglan, Town Burns Club House 22, 4 Trafalgar Place, Marsfield, N.S.W., 151 Australia 2124 A visit to the Land of Burns should include a visit to the Tam O' Shanter Inn. This historic building, the starting point of 'Tam's' immortal ride to Alloway Kirk, is now open to the public as a Museum, containing many interesting exhibits connected with Robert Burns and his epic story of 'Tam O' Shanter'. Open daily (except Sunday) April to September 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. October to March 12 noon to 4 p.m. During June, July, August, Sundays 2.30 p.m. till 5 p.m. Admission: Adults 35p School Children 20p 152 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

985 New Galloway Burns 1979 1979 44 Leslie A. Young G. Lindsay, Mansefield Masonic Club House, St. Mary Street, Kirkcudbright DG6 4EL 986 Robert Burns Society 1978 1979 120 John Dodds Roddie Brunston, P.O. Box. of Annapolis, Ltd. 4185, Annapolis MD21403-6185 U.S.A. 987 Hull Scots Society of 1910 1979 140 Mrs M. I. C. Webb Mrs E. I. S. Jowitt, St. Andrew 270 Hull Road, Anlaby Common, Hull NU4 7RR 989 Holt Hill Burns Club 1979 Keith Cleary Mrs F. Graham, 29 Carlaw Rd., Prenton, Birkenhead, Merseyside 991 Cabra Vale Burns Club 1967 1979 James McSavaney Margaret McSavaney, 24 Foxlow Street, Canley Heights, NSW 2166, Australia 992 Marchbank Burns Club 1959 1980 46 Jim Tait Alan Forrest, 'Ercildoune', 11 Pentland Avenue, Colinton, Edinburgh 993 Cambusbarron Social 1956 1980 1000 George Smart Mrs Greta McAllister, Club 16 Bruce Terrace, Cambusbarron, Stirling 994 Robert Burns Society of 1978 1980 120 Joe T. Jenkinson Mrs Helen McLendon, the Midlands Columbia Strachan P.O. Box 1953 Columbia, S.C. 29202 U.S.A. 995 Drongan and District 1950 1980 74 James Keirs Peter McPhee, Working Men's Burns 16 Mainsford Ave., Drongan, Club Ayrshire KA6 7DH 996 Lodge St. Andrew, 1980 1980 James McDowall R. Ghee, Inglewood, Kilmarnock Moscow, Ayrshire 998 Eyemouth Clachan 1959 1980 32 Henry Collin Thomas Wilson, SA Paxton Burns Club Terrace, Eyemouth, Berwickshire 999 Dumfries & District 1952 1980 19 Jim McCambley Brian Petrie, Benlochy, Round Table Burns Kelton, Dumfries Club D414UA 1000 United Glass Jolly 1977 1980 20 J. Harrower J. Smith, 3 Muircot Beggars Burns Club Place, Coalsnaughton, Clackmannanshire FK13 6LP 1001 Mystic Highland Pipe 1980 1981 130 George Fraser Charles R. Cyr, 60 Elm St., Band Burns Club Stonington, Connecticut, U.S.A. 06378 1002 McQuarrie Fields 1980 1981 70 J. Sutherland J. McDougall, 6 Sulman Scottish Club Road, Cabramatta, N.S.W., Australia 1003 Whiteadder Burns Club 1952 1981 56 James Guthrie J. S. Walker, 44 Newfields, Berwick on Tweed TD15 lST 1004 Gatehouse of Fleet 1952 1981 90 Jim W. Finlay George McCulloch, Burns Club Fleetwood, Gatehouse of Fleet DG7 2EH 1005 Tamworth & District 1959 1981 142 Mrs E. Masson Mrs A. Wardle, Scottish Society 5 St. Margarets Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire 1006 St. Andrews Society of 1893 1981 144 Mrs Muriel John McNab, Sierra Mexico Mcintosh Ventana 745, Lomas Chapultepec, Mexico lODF, Mexico 153 From Alaska to Zambia, Scottish Ambassador delights subscribers with its 120 lavishly illustrated pages of the real Scotland.

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Refund guaranteed if not delighted with first copy. E5cottis~ AMBASSAD@R CEUO MIJ.F. FAll.TF. - A HUNDRED THOUSAND WEI.COMES 5 Dunira Street, COMRIE, Perthshire PH6 2LJ. Scotland. 154 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

1007 Burns Anniversary 1963 1981 12 John C. Maclean Mrs E. S. Maclean, Committee of Rhode 88 Boxwood Avenue, Island Cranston, Rhode Island 02910, U.S.A. 1008 Caledonian Society of 1968 1981 110 I. Bennett George L. Goode, West Cumberland 1 Meadow Grove, Cockermouth, Cumbria CA13 9PB 1009 The Edmonton Scottish 1938 1981 850 R. M. Allen D. Ferguson, P.O. Box Society 801, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2L4 Canada 1010 H. & W. Burns Club, 1981 1981 160 James Jamieson James Heron, 2 Harland Belfast Park, Belfast, N. Ireland 1011 Haddington Golf Club 1974 1981 450 Ian Gibson T. Shaw, St. Ann's Place, Haddington, E. Lothian 1012 The Edmonton 1975 1981 100 Frederick ·G. R. Devine, 9738 - 154 St., Dundonald Burns Club Bookham Edmonton, Alta. T5P 2G3, Canada 1013 Balmullo Burns Club 1980 1982 70 James D. Cameron Robert Munn, 35 Park View, Balmullo, St. Andrews, Fife 1014 The Traditional Music 1982 Hamish Henderson Irene Riggs, 27 Croft Cres., & Song Assoc. of Markinch, Fife Scotland 1015 Maltby and District 1982 1982 60 K. M. Beech D. J. Brennan, 23 Cripps Burns Society Close, Maltby, Nr. Rotherham, S. Yorks S66 7JP 1016 Leyland and District 1981 1982 25 Brian E. Walker B. E. Walker, Burns Society 35 Longmcanygate, Leyland, Preston, Lancashire PR5 3P A 1017 Southwick Burns Club 1982 1982 20 Inez S. Moore Heydon A. Moore, 154 Vining Hill Road, Southwick, MA, 01077, U.S.A. 1018 East Antrim Burns 1979 1983 35 William Dennison Sam Cross, Association 42 Glenvale Park, Glynn, Lame BT40 3EZ 1020 Netherthird and 1982 1983 35 William Pender Craigens Burns Club 1021 Kuwait Caledonians 1978 1983 180 Ronnie Sinclair Peter Robertson, P.O. Box 58, Safat, Kuwait 1022 Blane Valley Burns 1980 1983 27 George Eastcroft Malcolm McLean, Balvie Club Bank, Drymen Road, Milngavie, Glasgow 1023 Skipton and District 1957 1983 140 James Kentley Francis W. Clark, Caledonian Society 17 Barnwood Crescent, Earby, Colne, Lanes. BBS 6PD i.024 North American 1980 1983 Humphrey Mrs M. Kozakiewicz, Association of MacDonald 5933 Lafayette Federated Burnsians Dearborn Heights MI 48127, U.S.A. 1025 Newton Lads Burns 1983 1983' 26 George William Riddell, 31 Arthur Club, Midlothian Montgomery View, Danderhall, by Dalkeith, Midlothian 1026 Duns Burns Club 1955 1983 45 James Aitken Robert J. Glover, 21 Castle Street, Duns, Berwickshire 155 Celebrate 'l\ NIGHT WI' BURNS" in the Soviet Union BURNS CELEBRATION TOURS (January 1988) Direct from Glasgow Airport 7 nights, visiting Leningrad and Moscow. Holiday includes: *all transportation, full board accommodation in first class hotels, * school visits, * concert with Soviet and Scottish artistes, *traditional Burns Supper with Soviet guests, * excursion programme, * services of English speaking guide. Costs have not yet been finalised but should be in the region of £300+. r-ro":sc':r~~~~NCE REGISTRATION- - , 8 Belmont Crescent, Glasgow G12 BEU. Plea~e register me for ...... places on the Burns Celebration Tour and I I let me know the cost and other details as soon as they are available I ~~~u'..~~'.i.~·~·t'.~~~:...... I .I ~·~-~~~~~.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::·~~~~~·~~~·.·.·.·.·.·.:::::::::: I • Block Capitals please .... 156 ------Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 1027 The Scottish Australian 1981 1983 250 W. F. F. Mrs J. M. Samois, Heritage Council MacLennan 'Rosemount', 410 Edgecliff Road, Woolahra, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2025 1028 Mercat Hotel Burns 1975 1983 40 John Noble George Allan, 21 McTurk Club Court, Cumnock 1029 Kilwinning Burns Club 1982 1983 103 Charles Speirs William Stewart, 12 McGavin Avenue, Kilwinning, Ayrshire 1030 Darlington Gaelic 1968 1983 93 Mrs M. Griffiths Mrs Iris Dingwall, Society 66 Bates Avenue, Darlington, Co. Durham DL3 OTU 1031 Cramond Brig Burns 1983 1983 68 Robert Brown Duncan Foggon, Club 4 Braepark Road, Cramond, Edinburgh EH4 6DN 1032 Croydon Burns Society 1983 Michael J. Buckingham, 71 Wellesley Rd., Croydon CRO 2AJ 1033 Java St. Andrew 1919 1983 175 Hon. Secretary, c/o Society Chartered Bank, Wisma Kosgaro, J. L. M. H. Thamrin, Jakarta, Indonesia 1034 Kilbarchan U.C. Burns 1970 1984 23 James P. A. Logan Ian M. Campbell, 18 Park Society View, Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire 1035 Kansas City 1914 1984 525 G. Morrison Karen L. Spaith, 12307 St. Andrews Society West 79 N. Terrace Lenexa, Kansas 66215 1036 West Midlands District 1984 D. Jones, 23 Aynho of England Close, Mount Nod, Coventry CV57HH 1037 Grimsby & Cleethorpes 1983 1984 80 Mr James Black Mrs J. Littlejohn, Scots Soc. of 38 Humberstone Avenue, St. Andrew Humberstone, Grimsby 1038 Brisbane Caledonian 1892 1984 500 T. C. Campbell The Secretary, P.O. Box 46, Society & Burns Club East Brisbane, 04169, Australia 1039 Troon Ladies Burns 1983 1984 23 Mrs Rita Turner Mrs M. Brown, Club 19 St. Meddans Street, Troon, Ayrshire 1040 Cowdenbeath Scots 1984 1984 18 Robert R. Malcolm Main, Wha' Hae Burns Club Campbell 10 Glenfield Gardens, Cowdenbeath 1041 Nanaimo Burns Club 1984 1984 18 Wm. Glenlogan Alexander G. Mackintosh, 3708 Howden Drive, Nanaimo, BC, Canada V9T 3V9 1042 Kilmaurs Glencairn 1981 1984 38 Robert Beattie Mrs May Beattie, Burns Club 34 East Park Crescent, Kilmaurs, Ayrshire 1043 The Robert Burns 1984 1984 29 B. H. J. Hoyle Mr D. McLeod, Society of South 11 Harvey Street, Australia Woodville, South Australia 5011 1044 Lodge Burns Immortal 1984 1984 David Steele Robert Wasson, 4 Monteith Place, Blantyre, Glasgow 1045 The Heather and 1952 1984 350 Chieftain T. Alex Munro, 7127 Thistle Society Murphy Hartland, Houston, 157 Texas 77055 JEAN ARMOUR BURNS HOUSES MAUCHLINE, AYRSHIRE

The Glasgow and District Burns Association who manage the Jean Armour Burns Houses seek your support towards the upkeep of the eleven houses on the historic farm of Mossgiel, near Mauchline. Increasing charges, especially for heating and lighting, are adding to their costs and they ask you keep this fact in mind. Please help this worthy cause by sending your donation now to: Scott I. Galt, LL.B., Secretary and Treasurer, 157 Hyndland Road, Glasgow G12 9JA

158 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary

1047 The Caledonian Society 1928 1984 163 H. Fairly Mrs Ann Fairley, Park of Colchester & District Farm, Great Bromley, Colchester 1048 Hong Kong 1881 1984 600 Chieftain A. R. S. Cameron Sloan, St. Andrews Society Hamilton c/o Lower Ringham and Matthews, 22nd Floor, Princes Building, Hong Kong 1049 Lodge Camperdown 371 1984 1984 Albert Mitchell Angus Stuart, 32 Dykehead Place, Dundee D04 6TC 1050 Hertfordshire Robert 1986 1986 20 Henry Cochrane Dudley Sizeland, c/o Bums Soc. Red Lion Hotel, Gt. North Road, Hatfield, Herts. 1051 Northampton Town and 1924 1985 Mrs Nora Wood Mrs Margaret McKee, County Scottish Soc. 15 Milverton Crescent, Abington Vale, Nortliampton 1052 Escom Club (Koeberg) 1984 1985 36 Dr. Brian M. McPherson, Scottish Activities Fitzpatrick 7 Foxcroft Crescent, Section Melkbosstrand 7405, Cape Town, RSA 1053 'Burns Club' Grampian 1984 1985 37 William Brown John Marriott, Corby Association 14 Bognor Road, Corby, Northants NN18 OPX 1054 Hunter Valley Scots Club 1980 1985 William J. Ball M. McMullen, 5 Nooroo Close, Windale, NSW 2306, Australia 1055 Lhanbryde Burns Club 1985 1985 32 Ian Park William Duncan, 50 Kilbagie Street, Kincardine, Alloa, Clackmannanshire 1056 Toowoomba 1911 1985 284 Malcolm Leslie Mrs Margaret McMullen, Caledonian Society and 11 Mary Street, Burns Club Toowoomba, Australia 1057 Lochmaben Drouthy 1983 1985 50 David Shankland, J.M. Dickie, Neebors Burns Club M.B.E. 46 Barrashead, Lochmaben, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire 1058 Stranraer and District 1985 1985 72 N. MacDonald, Lewis Kelly, Bums Club M.A. 20 Royal Avenue, Stranraer, Wigtownshire DG9 SET 1059 Dundas Burns Society 1985 1986 50 John Dennis Matthew Gilbert, 282 Kersiebank Avenue, Grangemouth FK3 OBS 1060 Hinckley and District 1970 1986 50 Douglas Clifford Mrs Eleanor Clifford, Scottish Society 17 Glebe Road, Hinckley, Leics. LElO lHF 1061 Caledonian Soc. of 1953 1986 120 A. Gibbons Mrs V. Hynes, Brussels Sternebeeldlaan, 7, 1900 Overijse, Belgium 1062 Ashburn House Burns 1986 1986 35 Thomas Riddock Robert Mitchell, Club 19 Argyll Street, Alloa, Clackmannanshire 1063 The Caledonian Club, 1891 1986 1621 Earl of Airlie Commander C. M. London G.C.V.O. Bagguley, R.N., Caledonian Club, London, 9 Halkin Street, London 159 SWlX 7DR Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 1064 Aftongrange Burns 1985 1986 16 G. Croft-Smith Anne Adamson, Atholl Club Cottage, 8 Alloway, Ayr KA? 4PY 1065 'The Trusty Fieres' 1986 1986 3 J. T. Logan Kenneth Cairns, Erskine Burns Club 4 Rashiewood, Erskine, Renfrewshire 1066 Fochabers Burns Club 1982 1986 50 David Clark William K. Barclay, 'Tor-Na-Gar', Fochabers, Moray 1067 Seton Burns Club 1986 1986 Tom Davidson, Cockenzie & Port Seton Bowling & Recreation Club, King George V Playing Field, North Seton Park, Port Seton, East Lothian 1068 Robert Burns Society of 1986 Vicky S. Goodloe, Central Kentucky P.O. Box 394, Midway, Kentucky 40347, U.S.A. 1069 Friday Night Burns 1987 George Thomson, Club, Falkirk 95b Grahams Road, Falkirk 1070 Robert Burns Club of 1986 1987 41 William Kerr William Olson,. 8162 North Milwaukee Seneca Road, Milwaukee, Wis. 53217, U.S.A. 1071 'The Rattlin Squad' 1980 1987 34 J. McKay C. J. Rollie, 21 Burnock Street, Ochiltree, Ayrshire

160

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Burns in Edinburgh, January, 1787- The historic painting of 1887 by Chas. M. Hardie, ARSA DINWIDDIE'S of DUMFRIES offer a wide range of BURNS AND SCOTTISH TABLE STATIONERY MENU CARDS . PLACE CARDS Burns or St. Andrew's Cross NAPKINS Burns quotation (4 designs) ; Thistle; Tartan CHRISTMAS CARDS Burns in Edinburgh (pack of five) FLAGS of all nations 6" x 4" art silk (for table) or large bunting TARTAN PAPER Royal Stewart - s heets or rolls ROBERT BURNS POEMS AND SONGS Robert Burns Teaspoons; Keyrings; Matches Your enquiries welcome~ Write or Telephone: ROBERT DINWIDDIE & CO. LTD. (MRS MARY GRIERSON) 34 Great King Street, Dumfries DG 1 lBD Telephone (0387) 55249 Established 1846