RBWF Burns Chroncle 1976

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1976 The digital conversion of this Burns Chronicle was sponsored by

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. BURNS CHRONICLE AND CLUB·· ~DIRECTORY

INSTITUTED 1891

FOURTH SERIES: VOLUME I / i CONTENTS

Editorial 4 Burns, Revolutionary or Patriot? Robert G. Kiddie 6 James Veitch-A Tribute C. C. E. 17 150,000 Children Do Fred's Competitions Alex MacMillan 18 With Burns Clubs 'Down Under' 20 'Doughty Deeds' J. L. Hempstead 24 In Search of Willie Wastle R.A. D. 29 Poems Douglas Fraser 32 Burns in Italy Pierluigi Simonini 34 The Man at the Tam o' Shanter Museum Alex MacMillan 38 Burns as the Poet of Love Jane Burgoyne 41 The Sound of Scots Robert Peel 49 A Call from Edmonton T. Gemmell Campbell 50 Burns Night in.Moscow 54 Autobiography of a Haggis William B. Hooper 59 Helen B. Cruickshank-A Tribute Jane Burgoyne 60 Sir Robert Burns 7 Farquhar McKenzie 62 Thoughts at the Brow Well 67 Book Reviews 68 They WERE Amused I 75 Mr Dingle's Dilemma Hilton Brown 76 In Tam's Footsteps Dorothy K. Haynes 83 and K. M. Andrew 'Practise Verses' The Editor 86 Burns Federation Office-bearers 92 Annual Conference 103 Club Reports 114

Published by the Burns Federation, Kilmarnock. Printed by Wm Hodge Co Ltd, Glasgow. Price £1.00 paper bo~nd-£1.25 cloth bound. The CHRONICLE and the FUTURE

BY THE EDITOR

IN the last issue of the Burns Chronicle pages of insert. James Veitch wrote hop.efully of The use of this paper has resulted changes designed to widen its appeal. in a Chronicle which is slimmer in Unhappily, he did not live to make the a,p,pea,rance. There is, ,however, no attempt. His tenure as Editor ended· diminution in the amount of reading with his untimely death only a few offered. On the contrary, this is weeks after the 1975 Chronicle had greater than before, a situation made made its appearance. possible by the new format of two His passing is doubly lamented, columns to a page. This, it is hoped, since it left the Federation the poorer will make for an easier "read". It has for a man who had so much to con­ .also the advantage of facilitating the tribute to friendship; and the Chronicle introduction of photographs. without an Editor at the very time plans So much for the present issue. If were urgently needing to be laid for the Chronicle of future years is to extend the basis of the next issue. its appeal then some change of direction It was in such circumstances that .is necessary. . the writer was invited to take over the This must not be done by alienating position James Veitch had held for readers and contributors who value the 20 years. His qualifications were that Chronicle for the informed, scholarly he was a professional magazine journal­ comment on the life and work of Burns ist, and that having recently retired after which it has so long offered. This 26 years' editorship, he was available! aspect-as James Veitch emphasised in · Without knowing entirely what might his last editorial-must remain an be entailed he agreed to see the 1976 important· one. Nevertheless, there is Chronicle through the printers, since no escaping the fact that the literary any gap in continuity would be regretted and critical function of the Chronicle throughout the Burns Federation, even is not greatly valued by the majority of by those whose regard for it did not members of the Burns Federation. impel them to read it. So, while continuing to attach import­ Obviously, the first prerequisite was ance to the scholarly type of contri­ to see that there was a 1976 Chronicle bution it may be that the time has and the fact that these words are in arrived when its dominance must be print is a proof of that minimum success. diminished. More and shorter articles It has been possible to incorporate a might be a useful guideline for the few changes which, one hopes, also Chronicle's content in general. qualify as improvements. A request has been made on various With the whole-hearted support of occasions for more news and inform­ Mr. W. B. Scott, our printer, we have ation about the activities of the 338 been able to go over to an art paper, Clubs gathered under the umbrella of the which allows us to print photographs Burns Federation. ·in any part of the journal, instead of as The fact, unfortunately, is that previously, being restricted to a few while the Clubs generally function in 4 a way entirely agreeable to their mem­ 1891 that aim has been steadily pursued bers, few, in the course of a year, and the Chronicle has gained an enviable step outside the accepted routine of reputation. It has also fulfilled a wider Burns Supper, St. Andrew's Day cele­ purpose as a link between Scots the bration, Hogmanay party for the world over. children, visit to the Burns country, One hears asked frequently, however, golf outing and so on. Or, if other the question: "What is there new to activities do take place, these normally be said about Burns?" The answer, are not drawn to the attention of of course, is that figures such as Burns officials of the Federation. and, to give another instance, Mary, While it is the intention of the Queen of Scots, become the more Federation to continue the issue of intriguing the more closely they are forms for the recording of Club studied. . Nevertheless, there is some activities, Club officials are also urged truth in the accusation that the water to write to the Editor in greater detail is being overfished, that the Chronicle (and as early in the year as possible) has become over-occupied with minutiae about anything which the Club or relating to Burns. individual members have done, which When the writer was invited to see merits wider publicity than Club Notes. this issue through the press and to . For instance, in this issue appears suggest possible ways of widening the an account of a visit to Australia and appeal of the journal, the critical New Zealand, by Mr. and Mrs. Alex question confronting him was-"Burns Bruce, of Edinburgh, undertaken with and What Else?" the main purpose of visiting Burns Some more attention to present-day Clubs in these countries. The visit was writers perhaps? A short story, an an unqualified success. We feel that article on travel in Scotland, with good the account will interest a wide circle illustrations? More space for poetry by of readers, both in this country and present-day writers? overseas, and we would welcome news These are all possible lines of develop­ of similar activities. Readers who may ment. A correspondence column and feel a certain diffidence about putting a feature of topical comment are both pen to paper can be assured of any non-starters because of the time lag. · professional help that is in our power. There must be scores of men and Since we are now in a position to ·women within the Federation who print many more photographs, we have something worthwhile to say would ask Club officials to include about the country they live in and such if possible, when sending Club about its people, past and present. Notes and other material. It would seem to the present Editor If sufficient photographs are forth­ that the future of the Chronicle lies in coming, we might even be able to the greater involvement of such people. run a section devoted to Club officials. We very much hope to hear from So, presidents, secretaries and them. But may we make one plea! committeemen, do not let natural The Editor of the Chronicle is his own modesty stand in your way, but send secretary and while he would like us a photograph of some outstanding nothing better than to engage in long member of your Club, accompanied by and friendly correspondence, time is brief comments on whom he or she is. never on his side. The Burns Chronicle was founded One final word, and this time of to promote study of the life and work thanks, to the colleague who volunteered of Scotland's greatest poet. Since , to prepare th~ Club Notesfortheprinter. 5 BURNS Revolutionary or Patriot? by Robert G. Kiddie

Robert G. Kiddie's thesis on Burns and the French Revolution won glowing reports from his masters at the University of Dundee. A young man of twenty­ seven, he began his teaching career in Dundee in August, 1975. He tells us that in research required for his thesis, he owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. C. W. Black, of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, and to Mr. J. F. T. Thomson, Hon. Secretary of The Burns Federation. · The thesis is a well-documented piece of work, comprising three chapters and appendices. The three chapters are "Ideas and Challenge", "Reaction and Aftermath" and "Revolutionary or Patriot?". The appendices include ten revolutionary poems by Burns: parallels between A man's a man/or a' that and Tom Paine's Rights of Man; Cato's letter to the Edinburgh Gazeteer 1792,.and the Oath of the Royal Dumfries Volunteers, 1795. The main theme is contained in the first sentence of the introduction to the thesis: "Robert Burns was a political poet who gave expression to the main controversies of the age". Having nailed his colours to the mast, Mr. Kiddie's arguments are developed under the three headings above. Questions of space prevent us from printing the whole of the thesis, but Mr. Kiddie has given us permission to print his third chapter-"Revolutionary or Patriot?", in which the quality of his work may be savoured. He shows in this chapter that Burns was both revolutionary and patriot, but put patriotism first.

BURNS has been claimed by both Directory".2 (One exception to this Right and Left as their own. The rule was William Blake, the other former would have him as the patriot major contemporary plebeian poet, who deserted the Revolution as soon as who only became disillusioned after the his country was threatened by invasion.1 onset of Bonapartism.3) Burns seems This Tory Burns never existed. (But it to have conformed to this pattern for must be said at the same time that the he approved of the shedding of even Left's view of the poet as "Burns the Royal blood, · as he wrote to Mrs. Revolutionary" requires a certain degree Dunlop in January, 1795 :- of modification.) Perhaps the key to "(Dr. Moore) has paid me a pretty the· Right's misinterpretation is its compliment, by quoting me, in his last apparent disregard of the course of publication,4 though I must beg leave events in France. to say, that he has not written this last The Jacobins had already fallen in work in his usual happy manner. Entre July, 1794; and this had meant the nous, you know my Politics, & I cannot effective end of the Revolution itself approve of the honest Doctor's whining for most radicals in Britain. As over the deserved fate of a certain pair Professor G. A. Williams has percep­ of Personages. What is there in the tively noted: "It was not the Terror delivering over a perjured Blockhead which disenchanted these men, but the & an unprincipled Prostitute to the 6 This unflattering illustration of Burns in Volunteer uniform may be intended to bear out Cunningham's description of Burns's "indifferent dexterity in the handling of arms," a description not supported by other references. It appeared in Keith Henderson's "Burns-by Himself" (1938). We can trace no contemporary illustration-Ed.

hands of the hangman, that it should arrest for a moment, attention, in an eventful hour, when, as my friend Roscoe gloriously expresses it:S When the Welfare of Millions is hung in the scale And the balance yet trembles with fate!6 Even the patriotic ballad Does Haughty Gaul Invasion Threat,1 in­ variably cited as proof of his conversion, has been misunderstood. Allan Cun~ ningham, one of his friends, claimed that "hills echoed with it; it was heard in every street; and it did more to right the mind of the rustic part of the population than all the speeches of Pitt meant principally freedom from foreign and Dundas or the Chosen Five-and­ domination: Forty (i.e. the number of Scottish M.P.s at Westminster)."8 However, Be Britain still to Britain true, heard Amang oursels united, one must wonder how many who For never but by British hands it were aware of what Burns was really Must British wrongs be righted. saying. In the first line Burns refers to the In the final verse Burns manages affinity of post-Thennidorean France subtly to combine his own sentiments with the Gaul of old. Therefore, it was with those of a more traditional kind' to only at this time that the poet began to show to those who understood, where believe in the conclusions he had drawn his feelings really lay:- in his letter to Graham of Fintry in January, 1793 on France's "avidity foi: Who will not sing, God save the King conquest". Thus the poem could con­ Shall hang as high's the steeple; of liberty" But while we sing, God Save the King, tinue with the "rhetoric We'll ne'er forget the People! which, as E. P. Thompson has noted,9 The Loyalists were singing God Save the King alright, but they were not just they were actually Thermidor-Month in French Revolution­ forgetting the people, ary calendar during which Robespierre was oppressing them. Burns was no ordin­ deposed by the Moderates in 1794. ary poetaster. 7 His jommg the Royal Dumfries all were found guilty and sentenced to Volunteers in January, 1795 was, there­ fourteen years transportation. It would, fore, not out of step with his principles. therefore, have been completely point­ He had believed that the French Revolu­ less for the radicals to draw up such a tion marked the beginning of a Golden strategy to prevent their own sup­ Age for mankind (although it is incon­ pression when it had already happened. ceivable that he could ever at any time (It could conceivably be that MacDiar­ have succumbed to anything like the mid is actually referring to the under­ Pantisocracy of Southey and Coleridge), ground activities of the Society of but after the fall of Robespierre he saw United Scotsmen, but they only really the ancient forces of selfishness and became a force in the Spring of 1797,13 aggression capture the revolutionaries. i.e. after Burns's death.) Thus his enlistment involved more than the mere protection of his liveli­ * *· * hood, although there was possibly an A more general left-wing approach to element of this in it. The Volunteers, explain why the poets changed their after all, marked "the first appearance mind on the Revolution is given by of private citizens in uniforms and E. P. Thompson who suggests that army" in Scotland.10 And, as Professor "there commenced, for an intellectual Williams has commented, the move­ generation, that pattern of revolution­ ment was "carefully selected and purged ary disenchantment which foreshadows as regularly as any sans-culotte society the shoddier patterns of our own . . . it was to be the Establishment century".14 Perhaps there is something under arms."11 in this as regards Southey, Coleridge Hugh MacDiarmid has suggested a and Wordsworth who eventually moved rather original explanation12 which is a to the High Church, and high Toryism sort of left-wing revenge for Oliver the with the inegalitarian view that the Spy and Alexander Richmond. Burns, political influence of the individual seemingly, enlisted as part of a national should depend upon his property. Or plan by the Friends of the People to James Mackintosh, the author of infiltrate the ranks of the Volunteers in Vindiciae Gallicae (a reply to Reflections order to thwart any attempts to sup­ on the Revolution in France), who press the radicals. In lieu of any con­ became an adulator of Edmund Burke. clusive evidence-or rather any evidence This was not true of Burns (or, of at all !-for this remarkable theory it is course, Blake). In the same month as sufficient to note that the radical associ­ he joined the Volunteers he wrote his ations had disintegrated following their most famous revolutionary poem Is tussles with authority in 1793. there for honest poverty? (or A Man's a The third-and last-British Conven­ man for a' that) which had marked tion of November, 1793 in Edinburgh parallels with Tom Paine's Rights of had been followed by the trials of Skir­ Man.15 This "Marseillaise of Equality" ving, Margarot and Gerrald in which has been described by Anna Elistratova as "a democratic manifesto of pro­ gressive social thinking in Scotland at

Pantisocracy-Return to nature movement envisaged by Southey and Coleridge. "Reflections on the Revolution in France" Oliver the Spy and Alexander Richmond written by Edmund Burke in 1790, strongly were 19th century government informers­ disapproved of the course of events in English and Scottish, respectively. Paris. 8 Revolution by 1795 the time" )6 It emphasises firstly, because the French as the poet was con­ equality:- was over as far cerned. What Mr. Thompson has done The rank is but the guinea's stamp, the left-wing error of for a' that. is to commit The Man's the gowd assuming that a country which under­ And secondly, internationalism:­ goes a revolution must remain ipso facto lt's comin' yet for a' that, in the vanguard of the revolutionary That man to Man the world o'er, cause. Shall brothers be for a' that. The actions of Thermidorean France surely belie Moreover, it did seem that there was a and Stalinist Russia must the "Terror" at home with the this proposition, and, in fact, a con­ thaw in forward acquittals of Hardy, Horne Tooke, vincing argument could be put and Holcroft in December, that they became the centres of counter­ Thelwall which 1794. As Burns reflected:- revolution. But the historicism "Thank God, these London trials underlies all Marxist writings makes us a little more breath, & I such an admission impossible, and so have given and imagine that the time is not far distant the Left end up distorting history when a man may freely blame Billy impugning men's motives. being called an enemy to Burns did not forsake the revolution­ Pitt, without stance his Country."17 Mrs. Dunlop, on a ary principles, just France. His to London, perhaps encouraged was inevitably nationalist or patriotic, visit the Left's such thoughts:- but this just happens to be "I, have been now a month. I can · blind spot. James Connolly, the Irish say in London for I am like socialist and revolutionary, realised hardly shot in you only a kind of borderer, being, I this shortly before he was a little beyond the liberties of Kilmainham jail. believe, you the town, but not beyond the freedom He asked his daughter, "Have of conversation, which I daily hear seen any socialist papers?" She replied stretched far beyond those limits Scots she had not. "They will never under­ allows. Indeed it is ordinary stand why I am here," he remarked. decorum lrish­ to send our Premier to Coventry with "They will all forget I am an ease and as little ceremony as man."19 as much this you could do any other man who went The Left have never understood half seas over every morning by the phenomenon of the revolutionary breakfast amongst sans cul­ patriot20 of which Burns is another hour of for it ottes." example. Nor could they try to was the last letter Mrs. Dun­ would mean rejecting their theories of (This George lop sent Burns before his death for international socialism. As she still had to read his remarks about Orwell has noted, "Patriotism is usually "a perjured Blockhead & an un­ stronger than class hatred, and always It is therefore stronger than any kind of internation­ principled Prostitute". not significant in this context that she alism.21 (Although they would "We are the very pink ofloyalty, admit it, the English Left are themselves added, termed and hate every word that fancy can victims of what Orwell has connect with independence."18) "transferred nationalism".21) Burns Yet Burns, revolutionary and demo­ had long recognised this essential crat, joined the Royal Dumfries Volun­ duality which forms so much of human However, it was not "revolution­ nature, and had expounded on this teers. the Rt. ary disenchantment" which made him theme in his Sketch: inscribed to do it, but, as has been suggested, Hon. Charles James Fox:- 9 Reports of scenes such as the above and that on right, struck terror into the hearts of the British Establishment. Above is a representation of the storming of the Bastille in Paris, a building that typified tyranny. (From M. A. Thier's Histoire de la Revolution Francaise (Paris, 1845) ) Good lord, what is man! for as simple he He remembered that his forefathers looks, did not have "illustrious Honors or vast Do but try to develop his hooks and his Properties" to lose in the Forty-Five, crooks but they had left their humble cottages With his depths and his shallows, his good and his evil, to follow their leaders. "What they All in all , he's a problem must puzzle the could they did, and what they had they devil. lost: with unshaken firmness and un­ * * * concealed Political Attachments, they For spite of his fine theoretic position shook hands with Ruin for what they Mankind is a science defies definitions. esteemed the cause of their King and their Country. "23 Anticipating Orwell, Burns had con­ Burns, then, was a revolutionary cluded, "With all reverence to the cold patriot provided certain qualifications theorems of Reason, a few honest are introduced and certain assumptions Prejudices & benevolent Prepossessions made explicit. While many are content are of the utmost consequence, and give with the picture of "Burns the demo­ the finishing polish to the illustrious crat", the poet never at any time wanted characters of Patriot, Benefactor, Father to "set the Mob above the Throne". & Friend."22 He had never had much faith in the 10 "foolish, headstrong, credulous, un­ says I, that its affairs are administered Mob", and in several of his so ill! They talk of REFORM-My God! thinking the letters expressed a belief in the efficacy What a reform would I make among of men! of government by rational, informed Sons, and even the Daughters go Fools people:- Down immediately, should "It is on such individuals as I, that from the high places where misbegotten Clearly for the hand of support & the eye of Chance has perked them up."25 intelligence, a Nation has to rest. The one emotion could easily replace another he uninformed Mob may swell a Nation's in Burns's thinking. And if anything sans­ bulk; & the titled, tinsel Courtly throng was more Robespierrist than may be its feathered ornament, but the culottist in his !~veiling intentions. must number of those who are elevated Similarly, patriotism in Burns as enough in life, to reason & reflect; & not be confused with Toryism, for yet low enough to keep clear of the with Orwell (vis-a-vis Conservatism), venal contagion of a Court; these are a the former was "devotion to something is felt Nation's strength."24 that it always changing and yet But there can be no doubting his revolutionary intentions. "Why, amid my generous enthusiasm, must I find Sans-cullotism- egalitarian moverrent of myself a poor, powerless devil, incap­ the French menu peup!e (i.e. artisans, shop­ able of wiping one tear from the eye of keepers and journeymen- the common Misery, or of adding one comfort to the people in English). Robespierre was more Friend I Jove? Out upon the world! elitist in his democratic beliefs.

II mystically to be the same" .26 Accord­ of the past, half menace of the future; _ ingly, the poet would not have consid­ at times, by its bitter, witty, and incisive ered it a dilenuna to have agreed with criticism, striking the bourgeoisie to the Burke that "next to the love of parents very heart's core; but always ludicrous for their children; the strongest instinct in its effect, through total incapacity both natural and moral which exists to comprehend the march of modern in man is the love of his country-We history" .31 all know that the natal soil has a sweet­ The trouble with this. view is that ness in it beyond the harmony of Burns never "sold out" to the aristo­ verse."27 cracy, or for that matter the bour­ Burns felt this way primarily about geoisie. It was just that he held the Scotland, but at times this was sub­ conunonsense view that it would be merged in a British patriotism as foolish to attempt to set the "revolu­ expressed in Does Haughty Gaul In­ tionary proletariat" (or the mob) "above vasion Threat, or when he declared his the Throne". Moreover, as has been oath for the Royal Dumfries Volun­ noted, the historicism underlying the teers "to protect tpe lives and properties Scottish Enlightenment had seemingly of ourselves and our fellow-subjects given him an insight into the "march from every attempt of the ambitious of modern history". It was just when and turbulent who threaten to overturn things went wrong in France during 1794 the laws of our country."28 that he lost faith in this dialectical Many Dumfries loyalists - opposed process, and so joined the Royal Burns's move when he joined with Dumfries Volunteers. Syme and Maxwell-and rightly so­ However, the politicisation Burns for the poet could not have had any had undergone since the start of the intention of sticking to the spirit of such French Revolution did not go into a profession. William Ferguson has reverse, but was modified to suit existing suggested that "many disillusioned or circumstances. This is shown by a com­ nervous reformers, like the poet Burns, parison of his differing attitudes to expiated their past errors in the finery elections in 1790 and 1795. In the first of the volunteers". 29 But the loyalists year he was virtually an a-political by­ of the time knew there was more to the stander, verging on a mild Toryism, and Bard's "conversion" than this, although only reluctantly providing an escort for they could never put their finger on it. one of the candidates, just to please his That is why it is important to see Burns landlord.32 By the 1795 election (for the as a revolutionary and a patriot with a Stewartry of Kirkcudbright) he was a perfectly sane and natural philosophy partisan Whig writing the Heron Ballads (however much this might puzzle Right in support of the Whig candidate, and Left alike), for only then do his Patrick Heron. actions become fully comprehensible. He was drawn into the campaign by Dr. David Craig, however, from his the Earl of Selkirk, one of the few Marxist viewpoint finds the explanation Whig peers, and took an active part in in purely class terms: "Burns, like any­ the electioneering. "In order to bring one else in any class, was committed to my humble efforts to bear with more relations with the ruling class, with the effect on the foe I have privately aristocracy and bourgeoisie. With printed a good many copies of both them he had to do business" _30 Thus ballads and have sent them among Burns becomes a victim of "feudal friends all about the country."33 In the socialism" defined by Marx as "half Ballads Burns identified the French lamentation, half lampoon, half echo Revolutionary doctrines (as outlined in 12 office for speaking publicly Left-Henry Erskine, Dean of the Faculty, who was voted out of National Portrait Gallery) . against the "Two Bills" (Reproduction by courtesy the Scottish of the Scottish Bar, Right-Robert Dundas, " Pious Bob," representing the Tory majority of Mrs. Dundas-Bekker who replaced him. (Reproduced from the Raeburn portrait, by courtesy of Arniston).

Is there for honest poverty) with the gate junto, which has not only outraged , Whig cause : virtue, but violated common decency which, spurning even hypocrisy as To paughty Lordlings shall we jouk, paltry iniquity below their daring; to And it against the law, that: unmask their flagitiousness to the For even a Lord m1y be a gowk, such over to kings and a' that broadest day- to deliver Tho' sprung frae surely not merely For a' that and a' that, their merited fate-is Here's Heron yet for a' that; innocent, but laudable ; is not only A Lord may be a lousy loun, propriety, but virtue. You have already, Wi ' ribband, star and a' that.34 as your auxil iary, the sober detestation of mankind on the heads of your One of the main ideas in the poem is opponents; and I swear by the lyre of support for the reformist programme of Thalia to muster on your side all the the Left-wing Whigs:- votaries of honest laughter and fair, !" 35 and sold, candid ridicule We are na to be bought Heron managed to win Like nowte, and naigs, and a' that. The fact that the election must have encouraged believed that the Tories had Burns, but the elation could only have Burns of to offer, as he wrote to Patrick been temporary. By the beginning nothing out - 1796 Henry Erskine had been voted Heron: for "To pillory on Parnassus the rank of his office as Dean of Faculty in Edin­ reprobation of character, the utter speaking at a public meeting Bills. On 12 dereliction of all principle, in a profli- burgh against the Two 13 Janu~ry, 1796 the Tory majority of the condition and mood of the people Scottish Bar opposed his reappoint­ during early January in a letter he ment as Dean which he had held since wrote to Mrs. Dunlop while seeking a 1786, and so the vote went to "Pious reconciliation: Bob" Dundas, the Lord Advocate, by '.'I know not how you are in Ayr­ 123 votes to 38.' In The Dean of shire, but here, we have actual famine Faculty Burns commemorated the event & that too in the midst of plenty. Many in a savage satire:- days my family, & hundreds of other families, are absolutely In your heretic sins may ye live and die, without one Ye heretic Eight and thirty! grain ?f meal: as money cannot pur­ But accept, ye Sublime Majority; chase 1t. I{ow long the Swinish Multi­ My congratulations hearty. tude will be quiet I cannot tell: they With your Honers and a certain King threaten daily." And indeed there were In your servants this is striking serious food-riots in Dumfries during The more incapacity they bring; March. The more they're to your liking. Burns, however, was already gravely ill, and could only witness events from Britain as a whole was no better his sickbed. off:- He suffered and died in July, 1796, from subacute Billy Pitt, infective (Unlucky boy!) endocarditis, not alcoholic excess as is with wicked wit, often suggested.39 Has gagg'd old Britain, drained her coffer, As butchers bind and bleed a heifer.36 His most recent biographer40 has concluded: "Any effort to produce an Matters on the economic front were orderly, consistent Burns must fail. He just as bad for Burns himself. As far was not a man of doctrine or dogma. back as December, 1793 he had com­ Like most of us, he had some loosely plained about "a stagnation of trade qentred strong feelings which he ex­ from the epidemical complaint of the pressed variously to different people in Country w ANT OF CASH" ,37 This was different circumstances. And like most due fo the effects of the war which made of us he tended in his opinions to gratify money tight and prices rise sharply. his ego and relieve his distress.'' Trade was also much reduced. Burns Even allowing for this, there is a was, therefore, left with just his basic central theme which dominated all his salary as his perquisites depended upon writings. This was his love of liberty. the buoyancy of trade. But a liberty derived from the actual In early 1795 he bemoaned "these conditions of life of the Scottish accursed times (which) by stopping up peasantry. It, therefore, lacked the Importation, have for this year at least Pantisocratic tendencies of other revolu­ lopt off a full third part of my tionary poets such as Southey or Coler­ income."38 That year the harvest was idge, or the visionary millenarianism of poor which meant that the winter of Blake. Burns's poetry was down to 1795-96 was one of famine. Burns has earth without the rari:fied, intellectual left a rather vivid impression of the appeal, based on abstraction, of these other poets: Thou, Liberty, thou art The my theme; Two Bills of 1796 proposed that incite­ Not such as idle Poets dream, ment to hatred or contempt of King con­ Who truck thee up a heathen stitution goddess and government was treaso~· and That a fantastic cap and rod has: no meetings of more than 50 people ~ould Such stale conceits are poor and be ht(ld without silly; permission. I paint thee out, a Highland filly.36 14 Angellier has commented: The poet, therefore, had no time for As Auguste blinded "Ce n'est plus celle de la meditation, that "humanistic pose" which et larges narrations de Words­ the upper classes to the brutal world ,of les belles was able worth; ce n'est plus celle de l'enthusi­ the lower orders. Thus Burns l' ode philisophique to capture the essential pulse of this asme intellectuel, the de Coleridge. C'est la forme courte, revolutionary age which drove ardente, la chanson populaire peasant and sans-culotte to Revolution pressee, to the faite pour etre chantee par la foule, et in France, and, conversely, led une marche de revolte." Here eventual acceptance of the status quo by rhythmer it was a one immediately thinks of Scots Wha the lower classes (although Hae or A Man's a Man for a' that. begrudging docility) in Britain:- And although he knew "the most "lt is however some kind of miser­ cordial believers in a Future State have able good luck; that while De-haut-en­ ever been the Unfortunate,"41 he did bas rigour may depress an unoffending claim on their behalf to any wretch to the ground; it has a tendency not lay in his plans for improving the world. It was to rouse a stubborn something being the victim of poverty bosom which, though it cannot heal just that least an he resented the way the privileged the wounds of his soul, is at casually accepted this state of affairs. opiate to blunt their poignancy."42

NOTES Memorials of His Times, p. 71. 1 See Burns Chronicle reports of Burns Day 10 Cockburn: especially during the two World 11 Williams, op. cit., p. 105. speeches Grieve): Poets and Lord Rosebery's commemorations 12 Hugh MacDiarmid (C. M. Wars Independence: 1890s. Angellier also adheres to this can show the Way to in the Glasgow Herald, view, Vol. II, pp. 206-7. Scottish Nationalism II: 1967. The present writer has 2 G. A. Williams, Artisans and Sans-Culottes, 14 March, been unable to obtain any inform1tion from p. 76. the "evi­ Erdman:-Blake: Prophet Against Dr. Grieve's source concerning 3 David V. been made. p. 313. dence" upon which this claim has Empire, F.L.A., During a Residence in France Mr. J. F. T. Thomson, M.A., 4 Journal Federation, com­ which was unsympathetic to the Revolution. Secretary of the Burns Song "O'er the vine­ ments "Regarding the Friends of the People, s William Roscoe: material and gay regions of France: not only do we not hold any primary coloured hills and research for the purpose of being recited on but never, in all my indexing Written across any such the anniversary of the 4th August, 1791 ". into Burns, have I come or affiliation". (Letter to the 6 Letters (Ed. J. De. Lancey Ferguson), R. B. relationship Mrs. Dunlop, 12 Jan. 1795, Vol. II; No. author 23 May, 1973.) to History of the Working 649; pp. 281-2. Dr. James Currie omitted 13 Tom Johnston: the letter from his biography Classes in Scotland, p. 231. this section of Chambers because, as De Lancey Ferguson 14 Thompson, op. cit., p. 193. J. D. of the poet his review "such outspoken sympathy with (History Vol. 51; 1966, p. 185), in conunented, Working Class'', the French Revolution was not safe language of "Making of the English has rightly questioned the use of the word in 1800". of the in the Edinburgh Evening "shoddy" in respect of the poets 7 First published who are old 4 May, 1795. 1930s. "Perhaps those of us Courant or even shared in Burns Chronicle, 1912, "Burns on Peace enough to have witnessed s the 'disenchantment' and War": Andrew McCallum, p. 49. it might ask whether people as George Orwell, Day Lewis, 9 P. Thompson, Making of the English-­ of such E. host of others with Working Class, p. 86. Stephen Spender and a 15 the monumental villainies of Stalin could be 24 See letter to William Robertson, described as 'shoddy'." "the father This must equally of the Scotch County Reform," apply to the poets Letters, of the 1790s. · Vol. II; No. 600; p. 220 15 See Appendix which expresses 2. T. Crawford: Burns-A the same sentiments (3 Dec., Study of the 1793). poems and songs. 25 Letters, R.B. to Miss Deborah 16 Studies in Duff Davies, Scots Literature, Vol. II; 1964; Apr. 6, 1793; Vol. p. 161. II; No. 556A; pp. 164-5. 26 Orwell: The Lion and the Unicorn, 17 See footnote p. 127. 6. 27 The Works and Correspondence 18 Dunlop, Correspondence, of Edmund Mrs. Dunlop to Burke, Vol. VIII; p. 300 R.B., 12 January, Thursday, June 5, 1795. 1794; Trial of Warren Hastings-Fourth 19 C. Desmond Greaves:-Life and Times of Day of Reply. James Connolly, p. 420. 28 See William Will: R.B. as a 20 This concept is Volunteer, p. 43, defined_ in The Crystal Note B, for full text of oath. Spirit (A Study of George Orwell) :-George 29 W. Ferguson :-Scotland: 1689 to the Pres­ Woodcock, Part Three, pp. 179-225. Orwell, ent, pp. 260-61. himself, is an outstanding example of this 30 David Craig:-Scottish phenomenon. Literature and the See especially My Country Scottish People 1680-1830, Right or Left in The p. 81; p. 84. Collected Essays, 31 Marx and Engels: Basic Writings-Ed. Journalism and Letters (hereafter cited as Lewis Collected S. Feuer Manifesto of the Communist Essays) Vol. I, pp. 587-592, and Party, p. 30. The Lion and the Unicorn Collected Essays, 32 Letters, R.B. to Mrs. Vol. II, pp. Dunlop, 9 July, 1790; 74-136. Vol. II; No. 403; p. 28. 21 Orwell:-The Lion and the Unicorn, p. 84. 33 Letters, R.B. to In this essay Patrick Heron, March, Orwell also provides a clue as 1795, Vol. II; to why the No. 660; p. 292. English Left especially fail to 34 Wham Will understand We send to London Town. patriotism. "In intention, at 35 See footnote 33. any rate, the English intelligentsia are 36 A Fragment: Europeanised. On Glenriddel's Fox Breaking They take their cookery from his Chain. Paris and their opinions from Moscow. In 37 Letters, R.B. to Mrs. the general patriotism Dunlop Dec. 14, 1793; of the country they Vol. II; No. 605; p. 224 . form a sort of . island of dissident thought. 38 Letters, R.B. to England is Mr. William Stewart, Jan. perhaps the only great country 15, 1795; Vol. whose intellectuals II; No. 652; pp. 284-5. are ashamed of their own 39 Burns Chronicle, nationality. 1946: "The disease That Killed R.B.": "In left-wing S. Watson Smith, pp. 4-5. circles it is always felt that 40 R. T. there Fitzhugh, R.B.-The Man and The is something slightly disgraceful in Poet, p. 16. being an Englishman and that it is a duty 41 See footnote 32, p. 26. to snigger at every English institution, from 42 Letters, R.B. to Mrs. Maria Riddell, horse racing to suet puddings . . . 12 Almost January, 1794, Vol. II; No. 611; p. 230. any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during 'God Save the King' than of stealing from a poor box." (p. 95). Or, in Canning's phrase, the English Left-winger is "the Friend of every country but his own." For "transferred nationalism" see Col­ lected Essays Vol. III; Notes on Nationalism, p. 423 onwards. Aspects of this compli­ Club Reports cated topic are covered in David Caute, The Fellow Travellers. Will Club officials when sending these, 22 Letters, R.B. to Mrs. Dunlop, 21 June, 1789, please make their signatures legible. Some Vol. I: No. 350; p. 342. names have had to be omitted from 23 Letters, R.B. to Lady Winifred Maxwell reports in this Chronicle because the Constable, 16 Dec. 1789; Vol. I; No. 377, identity of the writer was a dark secret I p. 376.

16 JAMES VEITCH-a Tribute

(Editor of the Chronicle for twenty years, James Veitch died suddenly on January 6)

When the Literature Committee met While I had not known him all his for the first time after the untimely professional life, our connection and death of James Veitch, Editor of the latterly warm friendship spanned the Chronicle, the convener, Mr. Alex. greater part of the period since the MacMillan, was unable to be present. last war. We were linked as fellow Called to the chair, I paid tribute to scribes; and in that connection more Mr. Veitch, but, I fear, inadequately. closely through the fact that Jimmy's Then I said, and repeat now, that firm for a considerable part of his there are many people within the Burns early career, both in Glasgow and Federation who had little idea of the Dundee, is the one with which I am tremendous job he did in producing associated. the Chronicle year by year. Editorship By one of those strange twists of imposes difficulties and complexities fate one of the publications he wrote hard to appreciate from the outside. for, and that so well-as witness two Hence I feel some never fully appreci­ recent articles dealing with the con­ ated the sum of his services to our struction of the branch line to the Talla organisation. This I say in no sense of reservoir and the search for the location disrespect, but simply because Jimmy of Linkumdoddie, both in his beloved Veitch was the last person in the Borderland-was The Scots Magazine, world to seek publicity. whose former Editor has come tirneously If he must be summed up in a phrase to our aid in taking over the lion's or two it would be these. As journalist share in producing Jimmy's own Burns and writer, he was a superb craftsman. Chronicle. As an Editor, he could handle people James Veitch, as my tribute tried to as well as he could literary material. stress, is going to be gravely missed. And that's saying a lot. He made the job look so easy. If Who could ever forget the pawky there is one lasting memorial to him content of his reports on the Chronicle, it's the 20-odd issues of the Chronicle irrespective of whether delivered to that he had the pleasure, and what the Literature Committee, the Exec­ one feels sure he would have regarded utive, or the Federation annual con­ as the honour, of editing. A glance ference? To Jimmy Veitch a spade was back will confirm his great skills as just that. There was never any beating a writer; his deep knowledge and about the bush with the man.­ appreciation of Scottish literature; and whether the subjects under review were surmounting all, his lifelong admiration poor sales, the standard of editorial for the man, Robert Burns, and his content, or various rather unjustified immortal works. criticisms to which he was at times At this time, we remember, in exposed. Suffice to add that he never sympathy, his wife. To her we would fell out with anybody who had spoken wish to be allowed to offer our sincere his mind. Jimmy was fit match for condolences. all. He could speak his! C.C.E. 17 Photo: Wilson S. Groat. Edinburgh Fred Belford, of whom it can be said without exaggeration, that he has introduced generations of bairns to their native Scots tong.ue. The photograph, excellent though it is, shows Fred perhaps more solemn than his wont! 18 150,000 CHILDREN DO FRED'S COMPETITIONS FRED. BELFORD, of jovial coun- from Edinburgh at or around the 25th tenance and merry smile, is, we January, you may see Fred with his suppose, the best-known man in the well-worn travelling-bag, trudging up Burns Federation. He was educated at the platform, looking for a kindred George Heriot's and Edinburgh Uni­ spirit with whom to while away the versity, and held headmasterships in time on the journey, for he will be on Peeblesshire, Banffshire and Midlothian, one of his many excursions to propose and, as far back as 1928, was honoured the "Immortal Memory". for his services to education. Why is this man so popular? Because During the First World War he he has a fund of stories accumulated served with the Royal Scots and was throughout the years of his long life; severely wounded at Ypres in 1917. because he has a complete knowledge He was appointed Honorary Secre­ of the Poet; because he has a most tary of the Schools Competitions in retentive memory; and because he has Scottish Literature by the Burns Federa­ a most endearing personality. His tion in 1934, and has seen this side of audience chuckles with him, and ends the Federation's services to Scotland up by loving him. grow until now Fred is distressed if less Not only is he the doyen of Burns than 150,000 schoolchildren take part Club speakers, but he has contributed !n these competitions. They extend many articles on the National Bard to throughout the length and breadth of magazines, and stalked the country Scotland and in recent years have with his couthy talks on Scottish reached down into Scottish communi­ Humour. He is Scottish Humour; ties in England. he is the Burns Federation's Laughing No one can tell how many thousands Cavalier! through the years owe a debt of grati­ Fred's enthusiasms are not confined tude to Fred for their introduction to to Burns topics. He has in his day Scots when they were bairns, through been climber, golfer and bowler. A the Federation's competitions. In little-known side of his personality is recent years, because of the great his artistic ability. In Edinburgh his increase in the work involved, and the tapestry work is knowQ. among the growth of the competitions in Art, discerning and has been on exhibition. Fred has had as a colleague in the work, Regarded by most as an Edinburgh Mr. Albert Finlayson. man, Fred Belford was in fact' born in Fred's work for the Federation was Gordon, Berwickshire. When was he recognised in 1959-why so long await­ born? Ah well, all Burnsians know that ing?-when he was appointed Presideµt. Fred is ageless, but for the record, our He himself is particularly proud, among Fred was born in the year of our Lord his many honours, to be an honorary 1886. He celebrated his diamond member of two Masonic Clubs of which wedding in 1971. He has a son, a Burns was a member, Tarbolton St. doctor, and a daughter, a concert James No. 178, and Canongate Kil­ pianist. Long may he be with us, to winning No. 2. "Charm or instruct the future age." If yon are joining the train South ALEX MACMILLAN 19 The 25,000 mile journey of Alex and Jessie Bruce. With Burns Clubs 'Down Under'

WHEN Alex Bruce· and his wife He now began to demonstrate his Jessie, of 9 Victor Park Terrace, organising abilities. Edinburgh, found themselves flying out First of all, entirely on his own initi­ of Gatwick on a Jumbo Jet in March of ative, he wrote to a number of secre­ this year, they were probably still taries of clubs listed in the Chronicle wondering why they were there! outlining his idea. He received replies For they had never before been out from Perth, Adelaide, Tasmania, Mel­ of the British Isles and they were now bourne (two), Sydney and Auckland­ on the first leg of a 25,000-mile round­ quite sufficient to convince him that the the-world flight. journey would be worthwhile. They weren't (to quote Alex) "going Now, how to introduce himself? for the scenery". They had no relatives Written introductions had their merits, in Australia and New Zealand, where but the spoken voice would have an they were to spend most of the time. immediacy, an ability to bridge gaps, They weren't a well-to-do couple spend­ such as no other medium could provide. ing just another expensive holiday. On So he bought a cassette tape recorder the contrary (this is Alex speaking and began to assemble the voices he again) "the aim was always what was wished to take to the other side of the cheapest and best, all things con­ world. sidered". Mr. Mcintyre Hood, president of Probably the germ of the idea lay in Mr. Bruce's own club, was a natural a few words spoken at the Burns con­ choice for one. Born in Aberdeen in ference in Edinburgh, last year (1974) 1911, he emigrated to Canada as a lad by a man from the other side of the and spent fifty years working there world, Alex Johnstone, a delegate from before coming home to Scotland-to Australia. He told the Conference how Edinburgh-to spend his retirement. much members of the many Burns Mrs. Jane Burgoyne and Mr. John Clubs overseas welcomed visits from Gray, stalwarts of the Burns movement, members of clubs in the homeland and were among others who spoke messages made a plea for more. of goodwill for Burns-lovers at the other The appeal struck a responsive chord side of the world. Tapes of Edinburgh in Alex Bruce. Though not sponsored children singing Burns songs, made for in any way he began to examine the him by some friends, were to delight practicability of a journey that would audiences, as was a recording of poems allow him to make contact with clubs by Burns, Fergusson, Scott and others. in Australia and New Zealand desirous To complete his credentials Alex of such a visit. invited Mr. J. F. T. Thomson, Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Bruce are very active Secretary and Treasurer of the Burns members of the Edinburgh Scottish Federation, to write a message. He Burns Club and Alex is known as a man described Alex as "an ambassador in with a flair for producing new ideas. the cause of fellowship and friendship, 20 which are the essence of the Burns his listeners a message in rhyme to Federation". introduce the Burns Federation. He Mr. Thomson spoke the literal truth. has an "Immcrtal Memory" in rhyme For in the next three months Alex which, he says, covers Burns's life in ten Bruce and his wife visited thirteen Burns minutes. Clubs and five Masonic Lodges and had Perth - Melbourne - Adelaide - Tas­ many private gatherings. The hospi­ mania; on the Bruces travelled, all the tality was boundless, from the moment while Jessie Bruce taking notes for an when they arrived in Perth to be met­ account of the journey. Having read and this at three o'clock in the morning! this not inconsiderable journal, one -by Mr. and Mrs. David Cockburn and must be allowed to compliment her on Mrs. Janet Russell, of Perth Burns Club. her eye for detail and for the feeling of They were driven immediately to the pleasure she communicates. Cockburn home, setting a pattern that At Adelaide the visitors were met by was to last throughout the coming Mr. Benger, of the Adelaide Burns Club. weeks. At Melbourne they had three different Alex Bruce "rhymes for fun", though hosts in turn, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney as he says, his efforts are more after the Graham, Mrs. Stella Brown and Mrs. "McGonagall style". On three occasions Lewin. In Sydney the Bruces met two he was invited to do a two-minute sisters from the Burns Begg family. broadcast. Two minutes leaves little Contrasts there were in plenty. At time to develop a theme ~ o Alex gave Canberra the Bruces met the Burns

Alex and Jessie Bruce, of Edinburgh Scottish Burns Club. Mrs. Bruce is Club Secretary. R. J. Allan

2i Club members in the ultra-modern bury Burns Club Scottish concert. premises of the Highland Society and Jn Dunedin, the visitors were im­ Bums Club. The membership here is a pressed by the Scottishness of the street most impressive 1400. In this city, too, and other names. The first minister of the Bruces had the pleasure of coming the First Church of Otago was Rev. face to face with Alex Johnstone of Thomas Burns, nephew of the Poet. Sydney, whose remarks at the Edin­ Dunedin has a handsome statue of burgh Conference had probably been Robert Burns. the spark that started the journey. They Crossing to North Island the Bruces were later to be his guests in his home­ made the long journey to Auckland by town. the Silver Fern train. The trip is re­ At the other end of the scale they garded as one of the scenic marvels of found Burnie, in Tasmania. Burnie the world. It passes through twenty­ Burns Club, founded in 1862, has a five tunnels, over twenty-three bridges, membership of 25 but enthusiasm out across a succession of deep gorges and of all proportion to numbers. Every rivers and at all times the scenery is year they have nearly 100 guests at their magnificent. supper, the price of which is expressly Waiting for them at Auckland were pitched low to keep it within the means members of the Burns Club, including of pensioners. their host and hostess, Jack and Nan Mrs. Bruce noted that in many ways Walker. The secretary of the club, Burnie resembles Scotland. The main George Peddieson, suggested a visit to industry is paper-making, and Burnie the famous geysers and hot springs of claims to be the only place in the world Rotorua. "The springs, in a setting of which has perfected the making of ferns and trees were quite beyond paper from the eucalyptus tree. The description" wrote Mrs. Bruce. They district is rich agriculturally and exports saw too, the excavations of the village dairy produce. which was buried under ash when From Burnie the Bruces brought back Tarawera Mountain erupted in 1886. taped messages for the Burns Federa­ Since no Burns functions were being tion. Alex Duff, the president, left held in Auckland at this time of the Musselburgh twenty-four years ago to year, two meetings were arranged for make his home in Tasmania. Eris the visitors, one at the Walkers' home, Tunbridge, secretary of the Club, is and the other at the home of the presi­ Tasmanian born and bred. Alex Duff dent of the Club, Frank Hogsden. In says proudly, she has a love of Burns ·Auckland the Bruces called on Mrs. that would put most Scots to shame. Goldie, sister of Mrs. Jane Burgoyne, Both of them were happy and proud and played her a tape from Jane. The that their club was receiving a visit sisters had not met since 1931. from representatives of a Scottish Club, On May 12th the Bruces left New bearing messages for them from the Zealand on the first stage of the long Homeland. Burnie, they said, had felt voyage home, via Fiji, Mexico, the very isolated, and this had been their Panama Canal and Miami. Mrs. Bruce first contact with friends from any other notes: Burns Club. "We left Miami in beautiful weather, To return now, to the Bruces' odys­ but when we got into the Atlantic con­ sey. After their month in Australia ditions suddenly changed and the they flew to New Zealand. At Christ­ temperature dropped forty degrees in church they stayed with old friends one day." from Scotland and attended the Canter- Back home, on June 9th, with 25,000 22 miles behind them, Alex Bruce began to have strong ties with Scotland and take stock of their experiences. Had it large numbers of us revisit the Old been all worthwhile, he asked himself. Country and receive the hospitality of "We certainly were guests of honour our kin-but all too seldom can we everywhere we went, greeted by friends repay in kind. Several of us exchange and well-wishers, with pipers to play us correspondence with officials of various in. The kindness and hospitality were Burns Clubs in Scotland, but to meet overwhelming. representatives face to face, in our own "The Scots are a clannish lot. They meeting rooms, is a completely different group together and form Caledonian and inspiring experience. · and other societies. It is just possible "We feel that the goodwill generated · we might have been acceptable under by these visits cannot be measured ... any Scottish banner. There is however, these personal contacts have helped us some magic in the name of Robert to appreciate that we really belong to Burns and the fact that we represented the Burns Federation." the Burns movement and had travelled Perhaps Mr. Bruce's one-man cam­ 12,000 miles to meet people seemed to paign of friendship may have wider mean something. repercussions than he ever imagined. "If the Burns movement is to keep its place a publicity officer is required in Australia, New Zealand and Canada and other places where Scots are to be found. There are many Scottish socie­ ties and it is from these societies that recruitment could come. I would Art Competition 1975 certainly like to lead a discussion on how to increase membership." Prizewinners were as follows, and Editor's Note:- in addition 32 certificates of Merit It may be that Mr. Bruce has under­ · were awarded:- estimated the long-term effects of his Senior IV-VI-Ken McClymont, visit. Letters from Fred Lang of Stonelaw High School, Gallowflat, Melbourne and George A. Peddieson Rutherglen; of Auckland suggest how much this Senior 1-111-lst James Gilgannon, meant. Let me quote what George Kingsridge Secondary School, Drum­ Peddieson (secretary of the Auckland chapel, Glasgow; 2nd-Gary Hunter, Club) has to say: Milne's High School, Fochabers. "In May this year we had a visit Primary 1-Benison Solomon, Park from Mr. and Mrs. Alex Bruce, of the Place School, Dundee; Scottish Burns Club, Edinburgh. We 2-Derek Steele, Alloway were extremely pleased to have this School, Ayr; opportunity of entertaining fellow 3-Mairi Morrison, Oxgangs Burnsians from overseas. On only two School, Edinburgh; previous 'occasions have we had the 4-Anna Faulkner, Vester privilege of being hosts to visitors from School, Gifford; Scotland in an official capacity-when 5-William Martin, Alloway the late Mr. Tom Dalgleish and Mrs. School, Ayr; Dalgleish, and Mr. and the late Mrs. 6-Donald . McLean, Priors­ Dan Mclldowie toured this part of the ford School, Peebles. world. Special Award-Jill McAulay, Port "We Scots who have emigrated still Ellen School, Islay. 23 'Doughty Deeds' by J. L. HEMPSTEAD

JN a letter to his friend, Peter Hill, And he that bends not to thine eye the Edinburgh bookseller, dated 2nd Shall rue it to his smart. February, 1790, Burns wrote: "Does Then tell me how to woo thee, love; Mr. Graham of Gartmore ever enter 0 tell me how to woo thee! your shop now? He is the noblest For thy dear sake, nae care I'll take, instance of great talents, great fortune, Tho' ne'er another trow me. and great worth that ever I saw in If gay attire delight thine eye, conjunction." I'll dight me in array; Robert Graham of Gartmore was I'll tend they chamber door all night, a cousin of the fourteenth Earl of And squire thee all the day. Glencairn, Burns's patron, and it is If sweetest sounds can win thy ear, more than likely that he was introduced These sounds, I'll strive to catch; to the poet by the Earl. His name is Thy voice I'll steal to woo thysell, on the list of subscribers to the 1787 That voice that nane can match. Edinburgh edition of the poems. A. F. Then tell me how to woo thee, love; Tschiffely, 0 tell me how to woo thee! biographer of Robert For thy dear sake, nae care I'll take, Graham's famous descendant-R. B. Tho' ne'er another trow me. Cunninghame Graham ("Don Roberto"), claims that "Fox, Burns But if fond love thy heart can gain, and Sir Walter Scott often stayed as I never broke a vow; honoured guests at Gartmore". While Nae maiden lays her skaith to me, this may be true of Fox and Scott, I never loved but you. there is no documentary evidence to For you alone I ride the ring, prove that Burns For you I wear the blue; was ever a guest For you alone I strive to sing, there. Indeed, from what is known of 0 tell me how to woo! his journeys it is difficult to see when 0 tell me how to woo thee, love; such a visit could have taken place. 0 tell me how to woo thee! Robert Graham possessed "great For thy dear sake, nae care I'll take, talents," being poet, politician, laird Tho' ne'er another trow me. and successful merchant in Jamaica. Perhaps he is best remembered, how­ Exactly when he wrote the lyric ever, for the lyric that has found a is not known, although it probably place in almost every anthology of was between the years 1780 .and 1790. English verse: Sir Walter Scott, in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border under the head, If doughty deeds my ladye please, "O Tell me how to Woo thee," says: Right soon I'll mount my steed; And strong his ann, and fast his seat, The following verses are taken down from That bears frae me the meed. recitation and are averred to be of the age I'll wear thy colours in my cap of Charles I. ' Thy picture in my heart; They have indeed much of the romantic 24 Scottish National Portrait Gallery

great talents, great Robert Graham of Gartmore-according to Burns " the noblest instance of by David Martin). fortune and great worth that ever I saw in conjunction". (From the portrait

25 expression of passion common to the those days for the sons of landed poets of the period whose lays still reflected gentry the setting to seek their fortune either in beams of chivalry, but since India or Jamaica their publication in the first edition of and many West of this work the Editor has been assured Scotland families, who later boasted a that they were composed by the late Mr. "lang pedigree," were merchants, Graham of Gartmore. trading to Jamaica or planters on the island. In 1749, following three years At first Scott was inclined to the at Glasgow University, where he was opinion that the verses had been well grounded in, the Humanities, written by the famous James Graham, · young Robert Graham (he was barely Marquis of Montrose, hence the reason seventeen years of age) decided to push why he placed them in the reign of his fortune in Jamaica. Within a year Charles I. Others thought they were of landing on the island, and largely the work of the Cavalier poet, Richard through family connections, he was Lovelace, who belonged to the same installed as Receiver-General of Taxes, period. It is a striking tribute to their a post which he discharged faithfully merit to have been attributed to either and wisely until 1764, despite his tender source. years. In 1765 he was elected to the To all Robert Graham's descendants· Assembly for the district of St. David's. he has been known as "Doughty Throughout his life he embraced the Deeds," the title of this single lyric Liberal politics of his family. His that has placed his name among the liberalism is evident in many of his immortals. letters and particularly so in one which He was born at Gartmore House, he wrote on 31st March, 1766 to Perthshire in 1735, and could trace his Major-General David Graeme, Secre­ descent from Robert II. He was the tary to His Majesty (perhaps a kins­ second son of laird Nicol Graham of man). Gartmore, who was a close friend of It is true I am one of those who in a Walpole and a staunch adherent of Land of Slaves, struggle for liberty. I the Hanoverian succession. The estate am not ashamed of it and on the contrary of Gartmore lay within the district of I glory in it, and wherever I am I hope I Menteith and bordered on the Highland shall retain so much of the Brittain as to Line. It was a short distance to the show a dislike of oppression and a mountainous country where willing though a weak hand to mob the lawless tyranny. McGregors preserved a defiant inde­ · pendence and from which the notorious In 1770, the state of his wife's health Rob Roy had conducted his cattle­ obliged him to return to Scotland, thieving raids on the lowland country­ where he took up residence on the side. estate of Ardoch, near Dumbarton, Rob Roy was scarce five years which had been entailed upon him in dead when Robert Graham was born. 1757 by a kinsman, Mr. Nicol Bontine. As a boy he must have heard many Under the will of the testator, he was tales of the noted freebooter (tradition required to assume the name of Bon­ has it that his father captured the tine. His elder brother, William, died McGregor on one occasion but he in 1774 and, as he left no sons, Robert escaped) and he would no doubt became heir to Gartmore. About this witness the measures taken by his father time he reassumed the family name of to defend the countryside against those Graham and within a few months old who supported the Stuart cause. Laird Nicol died at the venerable age It was a fairly common practice in of eighty. 26 Robert Graham now found himself your silence as a mark of disapprobation a great landed proprietor, with the two of the proposed application to Parliament. In I wish to account for it from the attention, estates of Ardoch and Gartmore. variety death, he you must necessarily bestow on the 1796, a year before his of business incident to your situation. inherited the estate of Finlaystone on But although this may apologise for the the death of the fifteenth and last little regard you have thought proper to Earl of Glencairn, and took the name pay to solicitations of a numerous and ot" Cunninghame in addition to his respectable body of citizens, oppressed own. Finlaystone in Renfrewshire with grievances unheard of in a free .ay on the south bank of the Clyde, country, I should certainly be wanting across the river from Ardoch. His in the proper discharge of the duty I owe to the Burgesses of Scotland if I entire property extended to well over you on in Perth­ could hesitate in again addressing 10,000 acres and was situated a subject in which their interest and shire, Stirlingshire, Dumbartonshire wishes are so nearly concerned .... As I and Renfrewshire-great fortune persuade myself that the papers which I indeed! formerly transmitted to you are still in He seems to have taken a warm your possession, I shall not detail you by interest in his old alma mater. His recapitulating their contents. But I must circle of friends included a number of beg leave to observe that had they met at Glasgow University and with the respect which I am bold to say professors I should have had no it is not surprising that in 1785 he was they merited, to occasion to trouble you with the present elected Lord Rector in succession public address. Edmund Burke. During his period of office, he founded the "Gartmore Gold Here was no "mealy-mou'd" Medal" to encourage the study and approach to the King's first Minister. knowledge of "Political Liberty," an Obviously Graham looked upon Pitt act that must have endeared him to as his servant, and not his master. Robert Burns. Like so many of Burns's poems, it has Although his sojourn in Parliament a man to man approach and breathes was brief (he represented Stirlingshire an air of freedom and equa:lity. from 1794 to 1796) he introduced, Robert Graham had not the robust unsuccessfully, a Bill of Rights, which constitution of his father. His long to some extent foreshadowed the great sojourn in the tropics, coupled with a Reform Bill of 1832. He was also very fondness for rum and port, had im­ actively engaged in the reform of the paired his health and for many years he internal government of. the Royal suffered from gout, the scourge of the Burghs of Scotland, and was Chairman age. He died at Gartmore on 4th of the Committee that had been December, 1797, and is interred in the formed in Edinburgh to combat the little burial ground in the estate. malpractices and abuses that had, over When Burns went to Edinburgh and the years, disfranchised the burgesses mixed with the highest society in Scot­ of their right to elect the Councils: land, he soon realised that wealth and The neglect of Pitt to answer a letter rank did not always go hand in hand sent to him in February, 1787, calling with ability. On one occasion it galled for redress of the burgesses' grievances him to see Lord Glencairn pay deference led to Graham addressing a lengthy to a man of higher station and he public letter to him. The following wrote in his commonplace book: "He extract is worth quoting: showed so much engrossing attention at table that I It would be injurious to the respect in to the only blockhead which I hold your character to consider was within half a point of throwing 27 down my gage of contemptuous defi­ much in accord with his own. One feels ance!" It was mortifying to him "to that when they met it would be as see a fellow, whose abilities would man to man, with wealth and property scarcely have made an eightpenny forgotten. tailor, and whose heart is not worth Although Robert Graham was not three farthings, meet with attention and destined to have his name written notice that are witheld from the son of large in the affairs of his country, he genius and poverty." will be remembered, not as one of the He did not suffer fools gladly, richest lairds in Scotland, nor yet as therefore, it must have been refreshing politician, but, as Burns would have for him to meet a man such as Robert wished him to be remembered, as the Graham, who courted the Muse and writer of that exquisite lyric, "Doughty whose idea of political liberty was so Deeds".

Burns's First Printer

This stone marks the grave of John Wilson who, by printing the celebrated Kilmarnock edition, in 1786, made Burns's poems known to the world. When the Ayrshire Association of Burns Clubs held their annual service on January 26, in the Old High Kirk, Kilmarnock, Mr. Sam Gaw, President of the Association, laid a wreath on the grave. 28 · .. ~,J This illustration, taken from William Chambers's History of Peebles-shire describes Linkumdoddie as a hamlet marked by four trees. The trees have long since disappeared. In search of WILLIE WASTLE Willie Wastle dwalt on Tweed, Not that there is any doubt about the The spot they ca'd it Linkumdoddie .. historical existence of Linkumdoddie. The late James Veitch, in the course of EADERS of the Peebles-shire News a very comprehensive article in The R were told in June of a visit to Scots Magazine, October 1973, located Broughton of an Australian lady in the site of Burns's poem with a detail search of ancestral background. This that would enable anyone interested to is not an unconunon happening in the visit it in the course of a Saturday Borders, but here was no ordinary afternoon jaunt. visitor, for Mrs. Jillett of Queensland, More of Linkumdoddie later, but to was looking for Linkumdoddie. return for the moment to Mrs. Jillett. Mr. A. F. Fox, who wrote the account Her particular interest in Linkumdoddie for the Peebles paper, told how Mrs. is explained whenever her maiden name Jillett had crossed the Border at Cold­ is given-Eve Wastle. Eve Wastle's stream and had been guided on her father was born in Berwick-on-Tweed. journey by a succession of police officers. He moved to Newcastle-on-Tyne, served That seems to me to reflect remarkable in the Boer War with the Northumber­ credit on the Force, for one can search land Fusiliers, and in 1913 emigrated to many a gazetteer and guidebook for a Australia, by which time Eve Wastle reference to Linkumdoddie. Indeed in - had been born. Johnston's Place-names of Scotland Her father-Edward Wastle-lived published at the end of last century, the to the age of 83. He left four daughters hamlet is simply referred to as extinct. but no son and with his death the 29 Australian branch of the Wastles dis­ laritit:s of pronunciation, is not neces­ appeared. Edward Wastle's grand­ sarily a variant, is to be met in the father, according to family history was Wishaw area. Burns's Willie Wastle, a very flesh and Indeed, it seems to have been assumed blood character, who drank with Burns by most critics and readers of the poem at the Crook Inn, Tweedsmuir. There that Wastle, if the name had any source at least we are on solid ground for other than Burns's creative flair, was Burns stayed more than once at the suggested by the nursery rhyme: Crook, while travelling between Dum­ I William of the Wastle fries and Edinburgh. Am now in my castle Mrs. Jillett-Eve Wastle- told the And aw the dogs in the town writer of the Peebles paper's report that Shallna gar me gang doon. she had no knowledge of anyone named and similar rhymes. Wastle in Britain. It would require a Various suggestions have been made considerable effort of research to trace as to the identity of the husband of the occurrences of the name throughout unfortunate ill-faured lady of the Burns Britain as a whole but it is surprising to song. Willie, it is surmised by Maurice find that the name is not included in Lindsay in his Burns Encyclopaedia was Dr. George Black's authoritative Sur­ a farmer near Ellisland with an un­ names of Scotland. On a more con­ attractive wife, and the song itself, temporary note, it does not occur in Lindsay suggests, may have been in­ any Scottish telephone directory, though spired by some political l 7th century the name Wassell, which despite simi- rant, known to Burns but lost to us.

Below-this signpost announcing "Site of Linkumdoddie"' stands at the top of Logan Brae. Th e information is misleading, however, since the site is actually across the Tweed (see picture, right) . The memorial stone referred to is the dyke and is shown circled.

(Photographs by George Pennel) As to Willie Wastle's wife, I find it the site of the dwelling referred to by impossible to believe that Burns's kindly Burns. That is on the other side of the nature would ever have allowed him to Tweed, where a memorial stone is set humiliate a living woman by identifying in a drystane dike. This was erected by her as closely with a locality as Burns Sir Graham Graham-Montgomery of does in the poem. Stanhope and Stobo, in 1889. Eve Wastle's visit made a thoroughly Exactly what Linkumdoddie com­ topical "story" for the Peebles-shire prised is difficult to decide. In his News. What a pity it is that no Burns History of Peebles-shire (1864) William enthusiast was able to contact her and Chambers referred to it as a "hamlet", go more deeply into the ancestry of the marked by four trees. The trees have famous name. long since disappeared. But going by I mentioned earlier that to locate the the negative evidence of a map of 1775 whereabouts of Linkumdoddie required which shows various other local habi­ no effort of research on the part of the tations but does not include Linkum­ present-day traveller. It lies off the doddie, James Veitch concluded that A701 Edinburgh-Moffat road. Count­ Linkumdoddie was never more than a less motorists, going south from Rachan butt and ben. Mill, by Coomlees, Mossfennan and But hamlet or butt and ben, it is the Logan Burn must have seen on the pleasant to think of Eve Wastle from crest of Logan Brae the signpost bearing Queensland travelling all those thous­ the inscription: Site of Linkumdoddie. ands of miles in search of her ancestral This however, as James Veitch poin­ home and a great-grandfather named ted out in his article, is only a starting Willie Wastle. point. The signpost does not indicate R. A. D. 31 POEMS BY DOUGLAS FRASER

IN THE NORTH-WEST Look where the road, a spring uncoiling, Leads to the landscape of delight; Follow beyond the lonely sheiling The heron's heavy flight. White on the lochan's peat-stained water Waxen lily petals gleam; Safe in the reeds around its border Brown trout lurk and dream. Sheer from the moor the mountain rises, Corrie and crag and stumbling scree; Clear from its crest the eagle gazes Westward to the sea. Across the shore-line softly shading Blue to green to dazzling white On palest sand where surf is sliding­ The landscape of delight.

AUTUMN JN THE SUBURBS The wind blaws steady frae the Wast Athort the hill and through the trees, And doun the road come hirplin past T~e withered leaves in twas and threes. Jostlin and whisperin alang They baud their reeshlin conversation, Jalousin that they're free to gang, But, man, it's juist predestination. Free-wull? Man has it; sae we say. It's no' for me to

32 THE VISITOR "See wha's chappin at the door; I've nae time ava." "Mither, it's a queer' auld carle Wi' a beard o' snaw." "Speir what is't he.'s. wantin, bairn; Dinna be sae blate. Gin he winna speak his mind Bid him gang his gate." "Gies his name as Gaffer Deith, Speirs will ye be Jang.' Mither, mither, what's amiss? MITHER-DINNA GANG!"

SABBATH-BREAKER

On Sabbath morn I climbed a hill where choirs of birds were singing And far below I heard the peal Of church bells. faintly ringing. "Come down, come down" they seemed to call, "From here the gate in entered; Within these dark and stony walls The mystery is centred."

In that cathedral of the sky By which I was surrounded Softly at first, then swelling high, The wind's great organ sounded. Its paean swept the bells away. I heard in exultation; I sensed a mystery that day -And did the congregation?

33 BURNS IN ITALY Comments of Italian Critics and Scholars. by PIERLUIGI SIMONIN!

Among the great British poets, Robert ancient Indo-European languages and a Burns is not, to tell the truth, one of translator for pleasure. His translations the most read in Italy, or rather, he is from Heine, Pet6fi. and other poets, not so popular as Shakespeare, whose issued in 1863, included some lyrics by plays are often performed on Italian Burns (mainly songs, as for example, stages, or as Shelley, Byron and Keats, "Phillis the fair") translated in the who each spent part of his life in Italy. mannered poetic diction that was very But even if we have not the whole of fashionable in Italy in that period. · Burns in an Italian edition we have In the same way, "John Anderson, some good translations of selected my jo" and "To Mary in Heaven" were poems and a sufficient number of inter­ translated, years later, by Professor esting essays. Gamberale, who included them in an In looking through the bibliography anthology of , English and German added to this article, one cannot help poetry. noticing that, in Italy, Burnsian studies But the most important translator had their "magic moment" during the of that period was Ugo Ortensi, who second half of the 19th century and the devoted an entire volume to Burns's early years of the 20th. Much the poetry. It contains some fifty poems, earliest Italian translator of Burns was including all the masterpieces and a Professor Teza, of the University of good choice of love songs, besides an Pisa, a distinguished scholar of the introduction. Even if this translation is affected by the post-romantic Italian poetic diction, too sugared and pom­ pous to accord with the popular and THE AUTHOR unsophisticated language used by Burns, it was regarded as the main contri­ Dr. Simonini was born in a little bution to the spreading of the know­ village among the motmtains in Tus­ ledge of the Scottish Bard in that cany, 29 years ago, 150 years to the period. day after Bums's death. In the same period, some important He had very early to find a job articles on Burns were published in the for himself and so became a part­ leading literary reviews. By far the time teacher of technical subjects. most interesting were Professor Chiar­ Looking for something more secure, ini 's two essays published in the issues he entered the University of Pisa. of March and April 1866 of Nuova The subject of the thesis for his Antologia. Later in 1900 they were doctorate was Burns's "The Jolly published together in a single volume, Beggars". as detailed He now teaches English in a High in the bibliography. Though School. His ambition is to fill a these two essays were written in accord­ gap in Italian letters by writing a ance with the post-romantic point of complete critical and biographical view, that is to say considering Burns essay in Italian on Burns. as the "Heaven-taught Ploughman", 34 and include some Burnsian legends and chiara is considered a first-rate expert myths no longer accepted by the schol­ in the field of folklore and anthropol- ars, they at least contain some original ogy. . ideas. The essays of these critics, apart First of all, Professor Chiarini com­ from a very good translation of "The pares Burns with Cowper and states Jolly Beggars" by Emilio Cecchi, do that both poets, being natural and not not deserve great importance, since artificial, were able to feel ·the fore­ they mainly follow the outline of boding of the coming revolution, the Professor Chiarini's work. sense of change in the world. Then Miss Benedetti's essay is much more Professor Chiarini defines Burns as a significant. She was not influenced by radical and a rebel against the privi­ the Burnsian legends of the Romantic leged society and the interpreter of the period and, as she was writing in 1928, feelings of the lower classes, drawing she was able to know the work of Sir attention to the sense of brotherhood J. Crichton-Browne, "Burns from a new with all the wretched and the poor which point of view," which was published in one can trace in many of Burns's 1926. So, she could reflect a more mod­ poems. These essays, giving a portrait ern view of Burns, discrediting the of Burns as a human and revolutionary legend of Burns as a drunkard, of Burns poet, were, and are, still well read. They as the "Heaven-taught ploughman," laid the foundations of all the subse­ of Burns as the poet-peasant, frivolously quent Burnsian studies in Italy. warbling about love and joy of life. A relevant place is also given to She revealed to Italian readers a poet Burns's poetry in Signor Cappelli's with a more complex frame of mind, a little essay. Signor Cappelli, dealing poet less superficial and more pensive with the British poets belonging to the about men and life. She wrote: "His working class, cannot help placing inner life was not a life of dream, but a Burns in the first rank among them. life of sorrowful reality; the awareness Even if Burns's attitude toward the of the universality of grief but of its lower classes is quite paternalistic, different distribution in the world writes Signor Cappelli, Burns's poetry awakened his spiritual rebellion. "1 In is worth studying in order to know the this quotation the gist of Miss Bene­ true feelings of the workmen and the detti's essay is completely explained. ploughmen, their way of life, their Moreover we cannot forget the import­ joys and sorrows. ance she gave to the feeling of brother­ Among the following generation, I hood towards men and animals that mean those who wrote during the Burns expressed in his poems and to the period 1925-1933, we can find scholars universality of his poetry. who were to become the leading critics Then, after the essay of Miss Criara · of English literature in Italy. Emilio (not important, to tell the truth) written Cecchi became an important novelist, in 1934, we cannot help noticing a translator and essayist: one of his significant gap in Burns studies. I can masterpieces is a study on British explain this by the fact that during the romantic poetry. Professor Mario Fascist period, Italian culture became Praz is still regarded as the dean in the to a great extent narrow-minded and field of the English studies. He is well nationalistic. In this way it is possible known in Great Britain as he had been to explain the decaying of the interest professor ·of Italian at the University in foreign literature, except by some of Liverpool for many years, being awarded the K.C.B. Professor Coe- 1 The translation into English is mine. 35 writers who were considered useful for .Jn his opinion they are: the difficulty the propaganda of that totalitarian in ·obtaining an accurate translation government. into Italian and the fact that the simpli­ Only after the Second World War city of Burns's poetry is not enjoyed by did the normal activity of studies begin an audience that has been accustomed. again and the works of his period were for a long time to the vacuous and more important in quality than quantity. manner_istic poetry of the "literati". The famous philosopher and scholar, Professor Izzo, by comparing Burns Professor Benedetto Croce, in 1951, with the Italian vernacular playwright quoted and expounded three poems of Carlo Goldoni, tried to reveal to the Burns ("John Anderson, My Jo,'' "To Italian audience the stature of the a Mouse" and "O, Thou Great Being") Scottish Bard. · in an essay dealing with the everlasting The last translation of selected poems, significance of poetry. the work of a young scholar, Masolino In 1945, Professor Policardi wrote a D'Amico, was published as a paper­ significant biographical and critical back in 1972. Professor D'Amico tried essay on Burns. This was both com­ to re-evaluate, in accordance with the prehensive and penetrating. He tried modern critics, the satirical side of , to discuss not only the life and works Burns's poetry and, for this reason, he of Burns but also his social and cultural did not include in his work such background, his political and religious moralistic poems as "To a Mountain ideas and the meanings of his poetry. Daisy" or "On Seeing a Wounded But as this essay was written in English Hare" but he translated "The Holy it unfortunately failed to achieve the Fair", "Holy Willie's Prayer,'' "Address circulation it deserved. to Beelzebub" and so on, together with In 1953, Miss Biagi's translation of some masterpieces as "Tam O' Shanter" Burns's poems was issued as a paper­ and "The J ally Beggars". back (and now it is going to be reissued). The translation is based on Kinsley's This book contains also an introductory definitive edition and is enriched by chapter in which the influence of many very interesting footnotes and by Professor Chiarini is clearly evident, an introduction, dealing not only with and a complete bibliography which is Burns's life and work, but also with the very useful for everybody interested development of Scottish literature. in Burnsian studies. Miss Biagi trans­ Moreover, this essay is very modern as lated, very accurately indeed, forty­ the scholar gave due consideration to eight poems, including all the master­ all the recent essays published on the pieces, and by adding to her work a subject. great many footnotes and a glossary, in This very good translation obtained which she explains the meanings of the a favourable review in the weekly most difficult Scottish vernacular words, magazine L'Espresso of 3rd September, she made a work of remarkable value. 1972. The reviewer, Vittorio Saltini, The bicentary of the birth of Robert defined Burns as an ancestor of Bertolt Burns was celebrated in Italy with an Brecht (especially as regards "The Jolly essay written by Professor Carlo Izzo Beggars" and the song "Is there for and published in Civilita Britannica, the Honest Poverty") but with the differ­ Italian leading review in the field of ence that Brecht is, in the reviewer's British studies. Professor Izzo's short opinion, a mannerist and Burns a but weighty essay tried to investigate sincere interpreter of the feelings of his the reasons why Burns did not achieve, people. In fact, he said: "(Burns is) in Italy, the popularity he deserved. certainly not very like Brecht, the 36 latter being a bourgeois, speaking for E. CECCHI, "Robert Burns" in: I grand the proletarians in a pedagogical and romantici lnglesi, chapter I, Florence, 1925. ironical way and, in the meantime, (Essay with a translation of "The Jolly looking down on them from the pulpit Beggars".) of the theory, of his superiority. In M. PRAZ, Poeti lnglesi dell'Ottocento, Florence, poetry you cannot speak on behalf of 1925. (Biographical essay with the translation someone else. Burns spoke for himself of "The Jolly Beggars"). and for his people, without imitating G. CoccHIARA, II contadino poeta, Robert anybody."1 Burns, in the review "II Giornale di Politica e The very last sentence is, in my Letteratura," Livomo, August 1927. (Essay.) opinion, a completely satisfying defini- · A. BENEDETTI, Ta/uni aspetti della poesia di R. tion of Burns and his poetry. Doctor Burns, in the review "Nuova Antologia", Saltini succeeded, in those few words, Florence, J?ecember lst, 1928. (Essay.) in extracting the quintessence ofBurns's L. CRIARA, Roberto Burns, Bologna, 1933. poetry. (Essay.) 1 Again, the translation into English is mine. B. CROCE, Poesia antica e moderna, Bari, 1941, pp. 350-357 (Translation and commentary of three poems.) S. PoucARDI, The Poetry of Robert Bums, BIBLIOGRAPHY Padova, 1945. (Essay.) In compiling this bibliography, I did not A. BIAGI, Poemetti e ca11zo11i di R. Bums, consider the histories and the anthologies of Florence, 1953. (Translation of a great number English Literature, but only published essays, of poems with an introductory essay.) articles and translations dealing, totally or D. B. MONACO: Robert Burns in the review partly, with Burns. The items are listed in "Silarus" No. 5, Salerno, 1969, pp. 72-77. chronological order. C. Izzo, II seco11do Centerario di R. Burns, in E. TEZA, Traduzione da R. Burns, Bologna, the review "Civilta Britannica'', Vol. II, Rome, 1863 (Translation). 1970, pp. 107-110. (Article.) M. D'AMICO, Poesie 'di Robert Burns, Turin, G. CHIARINI, La vitae i canti de/ Burns, in the 1972. (Translation of 23 poems with an intro­ review "Nuova Antologia'', Florence, March ductory essay.) 1866; II poeti uma110 e ii poeta rivoluzionario, ibidem, April 1866; later published together V. SALTINI, Burns o l'originale di Brecht, in the in "Studi e ritratti letterari'', Livorno, 1900. magazine "L'Espresso" Rome, September 3rd (Essay). ' 1972, pag. 19. (Article.) R. CAPPELLI, I poeti della classe operaia e gli operai poeti, in the review "Nuova Antologia"; Florence, January 15th, 1878. (Essay.) Have you read our Editorial L. GAMBERALE, Poeti inglesi e tedeschi, Flor­ ence, 1881, pp. 253-260 (Translation of a few There we tell how we hope to forge poems). closer links between the Chro11icle and members of Burns Clubs every­ U. ORTENSI, Poemi e canti di R. Burns, Modena, where. We want news and pictures 1893. (Translation of a wide range of poems of Club activities and the people with an introductory essay and a foreword by J. in the Clubs. This is an invitation Muir.) to every Club in the Federation. If the Editor doesn't get the news and C. SEGRE, R. Burns: la vita, in the review the pictures he can't publish them! "Fanfulla della Domenica", July 16th, 1893; It's as simple as that! · R. Burns: le opere, ibidem, July 23rd, 1893. (Two essays.) 37 Phota: William MacCallum, A yr

John Dray, Hon. President of the Burns Federation. For 18 years he has been curator of the Tam o' Shanter Museum in Ayr.

38 The Man at the Tam o' Sha1•ter Museum

ALEX MACMILLAN writes of the to preserve the building as a memorial many enthusiasms of John Gray, to Burns and to the famous poem. Hon. President, the Burns There were the usual critics who Federation. questioned if this was indeed the tavern which Burns frequented when in Ayr, WHEN John Gray went to Ayr to be or had in mind when he wrote the poem. employed as an excellent baker of But John's enthusiasm stirred public bread and cakes, he found that work interest to such a degree that nearly not enough, and turned to Adult half the purchase price was raised, and Education. He was attracted to a class an undertaking given by the Corpora­ on Burns and his works, and through tion of Ayr to Ayr Burns Club that the this, the lecturer introduced him to premises would be retained as a memor­ Ayr Burns Club which at that time was ial to Robert Burns. Since the Museum roused to enthusiasm only at their has been open to the public, over 10,000 Anniversary Dinner. visitors from all lands have come to see. John Gray changed all that. He was Now President of Ayr Burns Club, soon appointed Secretary, and intro­ John in 1959 made his first acquaintance duced monthly meetings for six months with "The Russian Connection". He of the year. These were addressed by was invited to act as courier to Samuel the best speakers he could find. There Marshak, a poet in his own right who had been an annual commemorative was already a translator of Burns into service at Le glen Wood, Auchincruive, Russian. A happy week was spent by on 21st July, the anniversary of the both poet and courier visiting the Burns death of the poet. (This spot on the shrines in Ayrshire, culminating in a banks of the Ayr, was said to be a dinner and concert in Belleisle, where hiding-place of the patriot Wallace, and Marshak delivered himself vigorously Burns describes a pilgrimage to it "on of "A Man's a Man for a' that"-in a fine summer Sunday"). John thought Russian! that the time had come to make the This turned out to be only the first ceremony at Legleu Wood an event in chapter in John's Russian experiences. the Burns Calendar, not only in Ayr­ The following year, he was asked by shire but beyond. The idea caught on, Gabriel Feldman, a teacher of English and now every year upwards of 300 in Moscow, to complete his collection people turn up at the Cairn and sing of Burns Chronicles, as Feldman had and listen in a perfect Ayrshire setting. started a Scotto-Russian friendship John next turned his attention to the club. John was able, after much search­ Tam O' Shanter Museum. At this ing, to complete the list of Chronicles, time (1956) he was a member of the and Feldman reciprocated by asking Town Council of Ayr, and through John to Moscow to take part in the his influence with the Council and Ayr celebrations on the fifth birthday of the Burns Club, an appeal was launched "Alexander Pushkin and Robert Burns 39 Friendship Club". the works of the poet. John decided to go. The Ayr baker What more c~n we say of John Gray, knew it would be a wonderful adventure a man who, without any desire for it but he al~o had two thoughts in mind­ f

' JANE BURGOYNE, famous for her translation from the German of Hans Hecht's Life of Burns, has already contributed seven parts of her translation of the Frenchman Auguste Angellier's Life of Burns to our pages. The translation which follows is a small part of the continued transla­ tion which she has currently in hand. Exigencies of space prevent it being given in full, but this extract should appeal to the general reader, both for its content and for the excellence of her work.-A. MacM.

The fact that Burns was one of the most charming and perhaps, the most varied of love poets, has nothing about it that can surprise us. The great business of his life was Love. His own life is a veritable tangled skein in which intrigues twist, mingle and lose themselves, continually replaced by new ones. In this jumble of passions or caprices, we have scarcely more than those which have left a trace in his works. Dr. Hately Waddell, a Presbyterian minister, has made a conscientious list of them. He has methodically drawn up an alphabetical cata­ logue of the heroines to whom Burns dedicated verses. It contains not less than fifty names. That is far from Don Juan's figure; but for one woman to whom one writes lines that remain, to how many others does one say words that pass away? If a list were made of the charming names sung by the other poets, into how many poets would one have to dip to reach half a hundred heroines? Even that was not enough. When he was not occupied with love on his own account, he was for others. Already at Tarbolton he found himself in the secret of half the love-affairs in the parish. Later, and till the end, he continued this role of confidant. When one of his friends was refused, put off or abandoned, he had only to address himself to Burns, and Burns would immediately write verses destined to soften the heart of the cruel one, to decide the wavering or to curse the perfidious. He was a kind of public scribe, where love was concerned. For Clarke the musician, who was infatuated with one of his pupils, he wrote Phillis the Fair. For Johnson the engraver, he wrote Turn again, thou fair Eliza. For his friend Cunningham, who loved a girl by whom he had been jilted, he composed two of his most poignant poems: Now Spring has clad the grove in green and Had I a cave on some wild, distant shore. Cunningham, moreover, deserved to inspire these two pieces, for he remained inconsolable. Long after, towards evening, he would go into the street where the faithless one, now married, lived, so as to see her shadow passing on the blind; and would return home with tears in his eyes. For Willie Chalmers Burns composed the song Willie Chalmers; and for a colleague in the Excise named Gillespie, the ballad Craigieburn Wood. These are not conjectures. We have his own admission: in his notes on his songs we 41 find: "Mr. Chalmers, a gentleman in Ayrshire, a particular friend of mine, asked me to write a poetical epistle to a young lady, his Dulcinea. I had seen her, but was scarcely acquainted with her." Or again: "This song was composed on a passion which Mr. Gillespie, a particular friend of mine, had for Miss Lorimer, later Mrs. Whelpdale." He anticipated requests and offered his services. He wrote to Johnson: "Have you never a fair goddess that leads you a wild-goose chace (sic) of amorous devotion? Let me know a few of her qualities, such as, whether she be rather, black or fair; plump or thin; short, or tall; &c., & chuse your air, & I shall task my Muse to celebrate her." (1788). Thus he could not remain idle where love was concerned and to his own intrigues he added those of other people. It was his opinion that in order to speak well of love, one must have experi­ enced it. "Shenstone observes finely that love-verses writ without any real passion are the most nauseous of all conceits; and I have often thought that no man can be a proper critic of Love compositions except he himself, in one, or more instances, have been a warm votary of this pass: on." If this theory is true, there have been few men better prepared than he was. With the spontaneity of production which Burns had of instantly translating what he felt into verse, one can understand that there emerged from the continual travail of his mind a considerable number of poems. And what a variety! All the sentiments of love pass through them and stir within them: the first timid overtures, the chaste avowals, the fleeting dreams, the happy moments, the anguishes, reproaches, despairs, the griefs over separations, the keen eager joys of the rare secret possessions, the heavy intoxications of the banal posses­ sions, the declarations thrown out in passing as by a hasty traveller, the long memories borne in the very heart's blood ... all the shades of the passion richest in transports and refinements, a jumble of all the poetic, delicate, brutal factors with which love can inspire the ever-changing human heart. How choose in this number of poems where some are often as perfect as others? Above all, how divide them out? They are all different and each of them has its originality. One would almost need a complete translation, and that would still be representing only the number. The co!our, the grace and the accent would be lost on the way, and at the same time what can sometimes take their place, the constant critical commentary which marches side by side with the quotations, warns the reader of what is missing and tries by examples taken from our own language, to give an idea of the absent charm. We have tried to put a little order into this confusion of beautiful things. We cannot conceal the fact from ourselves that it is a vain attempt at grouping, almost harmful to the whole. It is as if one were trying to classify a heap of pretty shells accumulated by the sea by certain bays. A part of their beauty is in their abundance and their mixture. Yet may we not take a few handfuls of them, examine how many kinds there are, observe how finely shaded they are, even though we throw them back afterwards into the nacreous, pink and lilac mass where the others still are? One bas thus, along with the idea of the general richness, that of the variety and the fineness, and a more complete admiration which, so to speak, grasps the things by the two ends. So let us do with Burns's love poetry. We shall choose poems at random; another person would take different ones, and we should both have our hands full of delicate things. But as we look at them one by one we must not forget 42 that we have at our feet the heap of lovely shells into which we cou' d dip again. * * * * * * Before all these pieces and dominating the sentiments which they translate, one may put as a kind of prelude the songs to Love itself. For the six thousand years that men have lived and loved, the hymm received by Love have been more numerous than the risings of the sun. From those who have celebrated it as one of the forces of Nature and one of the joys of the univers~, to those who have denounced it as the scourge of the world and the most execrable of follies, a great chorus of triumphal hymns has ascended to it from human lips. There is scarcely a poet who has not saluted it in his fashion and who has not spoken of it accord­ ing to the delights or the disappointments which he has thought he owed it. Burns had too often had to do with it for him to say nothing about it. It was for him the "Alpha and Omega of human enjoyment"; "The spark of cel:stial fire which lights up the wintry hut of Poverty," the only cheer in this melancholy valley; "without it life to the poor inmates of the Cottage would be a damning gift". (To John Cunningham, 24th January, 1789.) He sang about Love, not as the universal desire which tries to plumb the depth of the seas and reach the bowels of the earth; his mind did not generalise his passions, but treated them as what formed the charm of his life and the pleasure wh'ch wiped out all the others. And in the concert of the poems to Love, his light flute tune has its place: it is original by virtue of something nimble and yet deliberate. "Green grow the rashes, O" (Angellier here quotes the whole poem). Beside this poem and as it were suspended from it, we find'the apologies of fickleness which so many poets have made. Almost all have done so with the same metaphors: those which best express mobility and flight: the waves, the clouds, the colours, all that constantly escapes and is intangible.

Let not Woman e'er complain, Of inconstancy in love; Let not Woman e'er complain, Fickle Man is apt to rove: Look abroad through Nature's range, Nature's mighty law is Change; Ladies, would it not be strange Man should such a monster prove.- Mark the winds, and mark the skies, Oceans ebb and oceans flow; Sun and moon but set to rise; Round and round the seasons go. When then ask of silly Man, To oppose great Nature's plan? We'll be constant while we can­ You can be no more, you know. Can you ... bind the sea to slumber stilly, Bind its odour to the lily, Bind the aspen ne'er to quiver ... Can you keep the bee from ranging, Or the ringdove's neck from changing? 43 Then you may bind love to last for evermore, said another Scottish poet, Thomas Campbell, who was almost Burns's contemporary. They belong to the school of that character in Shakespeare who claimed that "as one nail by strength drives out another so the remembrance of his former love is by a newer object quite forgotten". (Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 2, scene 4). Poets have never lacked such metaphors to express the continual flight of love. Perhaps those would be truer still that said of the winds and the waves that they are as inconstant as the human heart. With this group of love poems one can compare another: impersonal pieces. These were inspired by sentiments which Burns did not feel on his own account, but which his mind, always occupied with the same passion, amused itself by feeling. They are often laments uttered by girls weeping over the faithlessness, exile or death of their lover. One of them, "awandering ae midsummer e'enin', when the pipers and youngsters were making their game," espies her false lover and goes away in tears. Another thinks of her sailor lad, who is far away: while the flocks are panting round her, perhaps he is "thundering at his gun, under the scorching sun": when winter is rending the forest and lashing the howling air, she listens, praying and weeping, to the roaring of the rocky shore. A Highland widow laments that she has come to the Lowlands without a penny in her purse to buy a meal. It was not so in the Highlands, where she had cows grazing on the hills and ewes skipping on the braes; but Donald fell on Culloden field and no woman in the wide world is now as wretched as she. Poor jilted girls groan and repent having been too trusting and too weak. Everywhere there are hidden regrets scarcely betrayed by a sigh: Thou'lt break my heart, thou bonie bird That sings upon the bough; Thou minds me o' the happy days When my fause Juve was true.

Later the regrets are clearer and more painful, and the grief at the desertion is mingled with the shame and vexation of the family. Alack! sae sweet a tree as love, Sic bitter fruit should bear! (The ruined maid's lament)

The note is not always so melancholy. En route there are little light pieces, love refrains without much sense, such as one hums walking along a road on a Spring day, as for instance, the song beginning, "When rosy May comes in with flowers". 1•• Or else there are fantasies in a few words: a short tale: Katherine Jaffray lived in a va}ley and the lord of Lauderdale courted her, but did not reveal his identify till the wedding day. My lord has gohe a-hunting without hounds or hawks. , Why? Because his game is not far from the cottage where Jenny lives. For her he forgets his lady with all her finery. ("My lady's gown has gairs upon it.") To that must be added some imitations of the old ballads. There is the one about Lord Gregory, in which a forsaken wife comes and knocks at her lord's door. There is another very touching; very beautiful one on the same subject, only in this case it is a man seeking her whom he believes faithless: "Oh! open 44 the door, some pity to show!" etc. The ballad of Lady Mary Ann, on a gayer' note, is also a pretty little piece. Finally, we must include dialogues in the style of Horace and Lydia, which, fashionable in the love literature of the 18th century, do not count among his very personal productions. Beside these trifles, he wrote little stories of love scenes which are, on the contrary, jewels of simplicity and emotion, character­ istically his. The best-known is perhaps The Poor and Honest Soldier. One summer evening he was in an inn when he saw a poor, weary soldier passing the window. He sent for him and asked him to tell him his adventures, then immediately fell into one of those reveries which were usual in him. After a w few moments he had composed a little drama. (Angellier quotes the poem in full.) This piece has acquired in Scotland the half-sentimental, half-patriotic popularity of certain of Beranger's military songs. It is nevertheless in our opinion inferior to the delightful idyll which follows. All the details are real, but lines of exquisite poetry, among others the sixth stanza, exalt and adorn them, so as to make of this little story a model of truth and grace. It is not one of Bums's eloquent and ardent inspirations: it is a little sober, delicate artistic work. He wrote nothing more perfect in this genre. (Translator's note: Here Angellier quotes the whole of the poem, "There was a lass and she was fair," mentioning specially verse 6: As in the bosom of the stream The moonbeam dwells at dewy e'en; So, trembling, pure, was tender love Within the breast of bor!ie Jean.)

One might add to those poems the piece, rather too lively to be quoted, but charming in hue: The Lass That Made The Bed To Me. It was composed on an adventure of Charles II when he was a fugitive and hiding in the North, near Aberdeen, at the time of the usurpation. He formed a "little affair" with a daughter of the house of Port-Lethan: the lass who made the bed to him. Burns went further: he sang of the long faithfulness· of two lives passed together, of the feeling of attachment and long reciprocal gratitude which gradually grows out of passion, as the latter deepens with the passing of youth. As Hugo admirably put it, he celebrated the old couple worn out together by life; and he did it in an exquisite little song charged with true and simple emotion. (Quoting John Anderson in full, the French biographer adds:) "His imagination must truly have explored all the situations of love, to have led him to that which he was most incapable of knowing personally." In this vast number of poems, the qualities and the styles are as varied as the sentiments. Sometimes, though rarely, one feels in him almost uniquely the artist, the delicate and precious worker in words. These are the poems belonging to the second part of his life, when he had grown very skilful, and the poems were written on days when the flame of inspiration was lower. He would then willingly take up one of those canvases common to all poets, on which they embroider, with slight variations, similar designs, arranging the same flowers in different bouquets. But how, with a simple touch, he rejuvenates and renews these old subjects! Following Anacreon's example, there is hardly any poet who has not wished to be one of the objects touched by the 'beloved: the clasp at her· neck, the foot- 45 stool. It is a well-worn theme, and yet he draws from it one more pretty song: 0 were my love yon lilac fair, etc. It is the same with the enumerations of flowers so dear to all poets, especially in English poetry. The English have a great knowledge of flowers: they speak of them with peculiar richness and precision. If a scholar carried out this very minute literary botanical work, one would probably find that the catalogue of their flora is longer, their observations more exact, than those of the foreign poets: the hothouses of English literature are the richest in the world. Let us not forget that English poetry is literally perfumed by all the flowers of the fields, the gardens and the woods. If this praise seems excessive let us think of the old poet of The Leaf and the Flower, or of the floral passages with which Shakespeare's plays are adorned, of the glades in A Midsummer's Night's Dream, of Ophelia's couplets, of a thousand touches like Arvirargus's delicious words in Cymbe/ine. With fairest flowers While summer lasts and I live here, Fidele, I'll sweeten thy sad grave: thou shalt not lack The flower that's like thy' face, pale primrose, nor The azured harebell, like thy veins, no, nor The leaf of eglantine, whom not to slander Out-sweetened not thy breath.

Imagine the heap, the armsfuls of flowers, under which Milton buried the coffin of his friend Lycidas: the "rathe primrose",

The tufted crow-toe, and pale jessamine, The white pink, and the.pansy freaked with jet, The glowing violet, The musk-rose, and the well-attired woodbine, With cowslips wan thaH1ang the pensive head, And every flower that sad embroidery wears.

Think of the most surprising poem: ever written about flowers, Shelley's admirable touching piece, The Sensitive Plant, with its gallery of flowers, the appearance of which is described in a series of feminine pastels, as it were, and whose delicate souls are divined and penetrated as by the sympathy of an Ariel! And Wordsworth! And so many others: Herrick, Tennyson, Browning! If one were to plant on the grave of each English poet one single bloom of each of the plants which he celebrated, they .would all sleep under a thick carpet of flowers, and the perfume of the spring would be augmented by them. Naturally, the poets have used their knowledge of flowers to form metaphors with them. Women have been compared by them to flowers, in a thousand different ingenious ways. One understands that if there is one point difficult to rejuvenate, it is that one: contemporary poets get out of the difficulty by basing their similes on rare, tropical flowers. Burns had not got that resource, and yet his little offerings of familiar flowers will remain among so many others. They have neither the variety nor the luxuri­ antly varied colours of certain sprays, but they are so simple and so fresh! There are bouquets arranged to suit the proud, sumptuous beauty of great ladies. Burns's are gathered in a near-by field and made to be worn as corsages for country girls as simple and fresh as themselves. 46 (Translator's note: Quoting The Posie in full, Angellier goes on:) He has taken up many of the subjects and comparisons ordinarily found among the poets, but with the hue, the brilliance of adjectives, a sort of sensuality of colour, which strike us in our Renaissance poets. Like them, he has that quality that makes words like dew, pink, may, which are rather hackneyed for us, look new. Like them he seems to have employed them with joy, novelty and naivete. They have kept their early lustre. · Have not the two poems that follow the rich crimson glow of certain poems by Ronsard? Both were written for Miss Cruikshank, the daughter of his Edinburgh friend, almost a child, like her whom Ronsard called the 15 year old "angevin flower". They are the poems which one critic calls "the rosebud pieces to Miss Cruikshank". They are only the idea, expressed with similar qualities, in Ronsard's sonnets to Marie: like them, their chief value lies in the colouring of the words: Beauteous rosebud, young and gay, etc. The second piece, beginning A Rosebud by my early walk, is perhaps still richer and fresher in colour. Those are extreme examples of this trend in which there is least sentiment and most technical skill. Most often when he takes up one of these subjects, he adds something of himself. The basis of the little poem that follows is very slight, but it is so delicately wrought that it may take its place among the model poems of this type. While larks with little wing Fann'd the pute air, Viewing the breathing spring Forth I did fare: Gay the sun's golden eye Peeped o'er the mountains high; Such thy morn! did I cry, Phillis the fair.,

1 In each bird's careless song, Glad, I did share; While yon wild flowers among Chance led me there: - Sweet to the dpening day, Rosebuds bent the dewy spray; Such thy bloom, did I say, Phillis the fair.

Down in a shady walk, Doves cooing were; I mark'd the cruel hawk, Caught in a snare: So kind may Fortune be, Such make his destiny! He who would injure thee, Phillis the fair.

Most of the time when he takes one of these ready-made canvasses he begins by embroidering on it a few pretty ·details which are interesting because of the fineness of the work. But this craftsman's skill does not go right to the end, and the poem finishes with a touch of natural, sincere sentiment, which contrasts with the simple dexterity of the beginning. 47 0 bonie was yon rosy brier, That blooms sae far frae haunt o' man; And bonie she, and ah, how dear! It shaded frae the e'enin sun. Yon rosebuds in the morning dew How pure, arnang the leaves sae green; But purer was the lover's vow They witness'd in their shade yestreen. The pathless wild, and wimpling burn, Wi' Chloris in my, arms, be mine; And I the warld nor wish nor scorn, Its joys and griefs alike resign. In the Address to the Wood/ark the very common idea of a lover addressing a mourning bird-an idea analogous to that found in the sonnets of Ronsard and Petrarch-finally disappears almost completely. True feeling invades the piece and leaves no more room for the artist's skill. It becomes simple and touching. O stay, sweet warbling woodlark, stay Nor quit for me the trembling spray, A hapless lover courts thy lay, Thy soothing fond complaining ... Thou tells o' never-ending care; O' speechless grief, and dark despair; For pity's sake, sweet bird, nae miir! Or my poor heart is broken! It must be clearly understood that that is only a very secondary, very artificial corner of his love poetry. It is enough to note that even in this craft of purely literary work which was not his, and in this fine task of chiselling lines for which his hands were not made, he equalled the neatest and most brilliant achieve­ ments of anything done in this genre. And it is also fitting not to forget that, apart from the one or two greater precentors of love, the other poets, whose poems form the anthology of this passion, scarcely transcended the degree of exquisite ta1te and light workmanship.

TAE KIRSTIN Kirstin wi' the winsome smile, An' shinin' een sae blue, My weary hert loups up wi' joy On seein' you. You're like a bonnie :flooer that springs Tae bid dark Winter flee. You're like a bird on birken bough Sharin' his glee. Sae, as the years wing swiftly by, May your blithe spirit stay Tae cheer us, an' your ain sweet sel' Upo' life's way. L. M. Stirling 48 Currie Flavour (selections from Burns The Sound by Rev. James Currie), Burns Nicht at Lugton and Poems chiefly in the Scottish of Dialect (selections from the Kilmarnock Edition by Irvine Burns Club). As far as I am aware this latter tape records Scots for the first time "The Twa Dogs," by Ro bert Peel "Poor Mailie," "The Holy Fair," "The Auld Farmer's New-Year Morning Salutation" and "Man was Made to It has been a long time in coming, but Mourn"-does anyone ever sing this at last recordings of Scottish poetry and dirge nowadays, I wonder? song appear to be receiving the serious "Scotsoun's" future and present work attention they deserve. Leaders in this includes all that is important from much welcomed field of activity are Dunbar to the present and when com­ "Scotsoun" who now have virtually all pleted must surely be one of the most Robert Fergusson's Scots poems on significant ventures in Scottish literature tape (on three 60 minute cassettes). for a long time. Their programme This is by far the most valuable contri­ makes interesting reading, containing bution to the poet's bi-centenary year, as it does the names of Henrysoun, although readers may wish to know Dunbar, Ramsay, Fergusson, Burns there have been two recent publications through to MacDiarmid and William of the poet's works; Poems by Allan Soutar etc. Readings will be taken from Ramsay and Robert Fergusson ed. Jean Taylor Smith and from the Buchan Kinghorn and Law (Scottish Academic dialect poems of Flora Garry, as well Press 1974, £3·75) and Fergusson. A as a Gaelic selection produced in asso­ Bi-Centenary Handsel, which contains ciation with the Celtic department of seventeen poems selected by Robert Glasgow University. Garioch and a one-act play by Anne "Scotsoun" have the backing of the Smith (Reprographia, £1·30). Scottish Arts Council and deserve the "Scotsoun," whose aims are "to support of all Burnsians. For full make more easily available the soun o' details of their activities write to: Scots in language, literature, music and Scotsoun, 13 Ashton Road, Glasgow song on cassette", have now issued G12 8SP.

Father's Advice (Two hundred years ago Dr. John Gregory published a book which during the next century was to go through edition after edition. In A Father's Legacy to His Daughters he gives the following counsel.) Be cautious in displaying your good sense ... If you have any learning, keep it a profound secret, especially from the men, who generally look with a jealous and malignant eye on a woman of great parts and cultivated understanding. A man of real genius and candour is far superior to this meanness. But such a one will seldom fall in your way; and if by accident he should, do not be anxious to show the full extent of your knowledge. If he has any opportunity of seeing you, he. will soon discover it himself, and if you have any advantages of person or manner, and keep your own secret, he will probably give you credit for a great deal more than you possess. The great art of pleasing in conversation consists in making the company pleased with themselves. 49 A CALL FROM EDMONTON by T. GEMMELL CAMPBELL

The author describes a visit to the Edmonton set the seal upon my visit. Anniversary Dinner of a Canadian The sun shone gloriously from an Burns Club. He is Minister of the azure sky as I bade Arbroath farewell Old Parish Church of Arbroath. on Wednesday, 22nd January, en route for Edmonton. It was still shining as THE telephone rang - a common I passed the "Beautiful Railway Bridge enough occurrence in the manse, of the Silvery Tay"-in McGonagall's where it rings at all hours of the day and phrase, bu,t the Fair City of Perth lay night as well. Yet another request, I white in the grip of a blinding blizzard presumed-and, indeed, so it was-but which continued to rage until I reached with a difference. On the other end of Edinburgh in the evening. On the the line was our worthy Honorary Thursday morning I awoke to wild Secretary and Treasurer, so affection­ winds and wintry weather which led to ately known to his friends as Jock. the cancellation of my flight from Would I, he asked, be prepared to Turnhouse. However, a later flight from address the Edmonton Burns Club in Abbotsinch took me to London-by Alberta, Canada on the occasion of which time alas! I had missed my con­ their annual dinner on the 25th January, nection for Toronto. Leaving London 1975? in the afternoon, I reached Montreal A lover and admirer of our National where I spent the night at the Hilton Bard I have been all my life and will be Hotel and thence, on Friday, via to my dying day-but an Ambassador Toronto to Edmonton. of Burns, that I could not claim to be, At the airport I was met by the and that, surely was what was wanted. welcoming Committee including Ian Nor indeed did it comfort me to learn Cameron (President), Bob Allan (Secre­ that Jock himself had done the honours tary) and Pipe Major James Stout who in Edmonton in 1974. Edmonton piped me to the airport apartments itself is the boom city of Canada-and previously occupied by Royalty and while its Burns Club boasts no more thence by car to the magnificent Hotel · than thirty-five ·members-a convenient Macdonald-the venue of the dinner number for entertaining in one another's itself. The name, I must confess, struck homes, a distinguishing feature of the a forbidding note, but any fears it may Club-the annual Burns Supper shares have aroused, in terms of the former with the Churchill Dinner the status of feuds between our forebears, were event of the year. In the end, I accepted instantly dispelled and I was hailed as a and what a wonderful experience it hero by virtue of being a Scot. proved to be! The very atmosphere was charged Several letters were exchanged re­ with a vitality, an aliveness, a feeling garding arrangements; first-class travel of well-being, expansive, exhilarating was provided by Air Canada and a and the warmth and the wealth of the telephone call from the President in welcome unmistakable. Call it the 50 spirit of the west. You can sense it as At a luncheon on Saturday I was soon as you arrive. It's everywhere. introduced to, among many others, Enshrined in the heart of the capital Alan Fraser Macdonald, Q.C. He had city of Edmonton and in the Hotel agreed to "stand in" for me had I Macdonald where the keynote is com­ failed to arrive. In confidence he told fort; the atmosphere is intimate; the me that when he had learned of my safe food superb; the service impeccable and arrival, it was the only time in his life a hearty western welcome was accorded when he could honestly say without me by the manager, Mr. W. Bennett hesitation that he had been pleased to Brown who had anticipated all my welcome a Campbell!!! Be that as it needs. may, the same Macdonald proved to be From the window of my luxurious a very gentle man and later extended suite situated on the fourth floor-and generous hospitality to me at his golf there were fourteen floors in all-high clubhouse. In a short speech of thanks over the valley, I commanded a mag­ I conveyed the greetings of Arbroath nificent view of the ice-bound River Burns Club and presented the Chair­ Saskatchewan; the wintry maze of man with a replica of Arbroath coat of winding motorways and the surround­ arms, in the name of the burgh. ing countryside. Incidentally, I had Promptly at 6 p.m. I was escorted by , been advised by the Secretary that "a Ian, Bob and Norm Mciver to the guest 'semmit' might not go amiss"; while chamber.. There I was introduced to just prior to my departure, one of my several distinguished personalities in­ most highly respected members, con­ cluding the Patron, the Honourable cerned for my comfort, confronted me Ralph G. Steinhauer, Lieutenant­ with the question: "Have you a pair Governor of Alberta; the Mayor of of long johns, Mr. Campbell?" In the Edmonton; the Honorary President event, the weather west was exception­ and distinguished veteran, Stan H. ally mild and not even Edmonton McCuaig, Q.C., and many of.the lead­ received its customary "blast o' Janwar ing business and professional men from win". Edmonton and around. That evening I dined with the Presi­ To the incomparable strains of the dent and Secretary. Relaxation and a bagpipes-those which had welcomed chance to unwind are important and me the previous evening anq which had the meeting provided just that. These been used in the Battle of Waterloo­ two gentlemen, born and bred in we were led by Pipe Major Stout into Scotland, set the tone for the entire the crowded dining-room where 450 visit. From the first we were on the men had assembled from all over friendliest of terms, using our Christian Canada, including a company from names. Ian Cameron, the President, Winnipeg whose custom it is to make combined innate charm, gentility and an annual pilgrimage to the Edmonton old-world courtesy with a quick repartee anniversary dinner. What a spectacle and native good humour which seemed, met our gaze! It was, indeed, quite quite literally, to bubble up from within breathtaking. The luxurious dining­ and shone from his glistening eyes. room which had been further enhanced Bob Allan proved the perfect Secretary by tastefully hung drapings of tartan; -calm, cool, competent and capable the paintings and pictures depicting to a degree, he was in control of every the Bard himself, his cronies and the situation, but with that efficiency was scenes from which "old Scotia's grand­ combined in rich measure an instinctive eur springs," and certainly not least the geniality and friendliness. full Highland dress worn by many of 51 the company. So ended a programme of the highest The dinner began in time-honoured order, fully relished and fondly remem­ fashion with The Blessin' offered by the bered, I am sure, by all who were Chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Edwin J. privileged to be present; a programme White. He did not use "The Selkirk over which the Lord of all good life Grace" but chose "A Grace before Himself, might well have been the , Dinner": master of ceremonies and found not a 0 Thou, Who kindly dost provide single word out of place. For every creature's want! Thereafter, some · of us repaired We bless Thee, God of Nature wide, upstairs where in a relaxed atmosphere For all Thy goodness Jent: we were able to engage in friendly And, if it please Thee, Heav'nly Guide, conversation. Just before 2 a.m. I was May never worse be sent; presented with a But, whether granted, or deny'd, beautiful piece of Lord, bless us with Eskimo art and warmly expressed my content! Amen. thanks. The honours to the "Great Chieftain At the invitation of Dr. Edwin J. of the Puddin race" were rendered by White, Minister of The First Presbyter­ Duncan Mcculloch in quite inimitable ian Church, I preached the commemor­ fashion. If it be true as Burns declared ative sermon at the Burns Service on the "Food fills the wame, an keeps us Sunday morning. It was, for me, an leevin"' then all present .that night enriching experience. The church should live for long. The rib of Alberta itself was beautiful; its robed choir Beef was just as appetising as the best gave a splendid lead; and how heart­ of Aberdeen Angus and the Stirling warming for a Scot so far from home, tatties as tasty as the Edzell Blues. to hear again some of our best-loved The Chairman and Toastmaster in a psalms and paraphrases sung to time­ simple, succinct sentence, toasted "The honoured tunes! I announced the Lasses," ."The Twa Lands" and "The final phrase-Psalm 24 verses 7-10, Immortal Memory". Contrary to our to St. George's, Edinburgh-"Ye gates, practice, the real speeches there fell to lift up your heads on high"; and after those who replied. What a perfect the Benediction, Dr. White and myself performance was provided by Merv were piped to the door by Pipe Major Huston! While my own, "The Immortal Stout. At the close of the service, over Memory," was the very last item on the coffee, an opportunity was afforded me programme save for "Auld Lang Syne". of speaking to the congregation inform­ "Scotland in Song," presented by the ally. Almost without exception, they or Da Camera Singers conducted by their forebears, had hailed from Scot­ Kenneth Neilsen, held the audience land and how proud they were of it. enthralled with "Scots, Wha Ha'e," After lunch, Dr. and Mrs. White "An Eriskay Love Lilt" and other indicated that they had a small steading, songs. Thunders of applause greeted a mile or two up country, would I care the Highland Dancers. Spellbound we · to join them? I did, only to find that listened to the trio-Menzies McMor­ the distance covered was, in fact, some ran, Jim Johnston and Alan Macdonald seventy miles, and the small steading -with their rendering of "Willie Brew' d extended to 360 acres on which the A Peck O' Maut," while hauntingly distinguished divine reared race horses! beautiful and strangely stirring was the Sunday evening was spent at Bob's background music on electronic organ beautiful home where we thoroughly and grand piano provided by H. Far­ enjoyed the hospitality of his gracious mer. lady; Monday-early afternoon with 52 Alan Macdonald; the late afternoon steps of the Hotel Macdonald, I was with one of the direct descendants of escorted to the airport by Ed. and Norm. Robert Burns who promised to provide The homeward flight, as indeed, the my good friend, Lawrence Burness of outward, proved perfectly peaceful. Arbroath, with some useful information; Care and comfort, courtesy and con­ and the evening with Mr. and Mrs. sideration-these were the hallmarks of Graham McKelvie-whose father had Air Canada. spent several years in Arbroath assisting And so ended, what will always be in the erection of H.M.S. Condor. for me, one of the most wonderful How intrigued I was to see hung from experiences of my life. I shall always the wall of his tartan-carpeted and be deeply grateful-grateful to Jock, tartan-curtained lounge a beautiful and grateful, too, to the members of the facsimile of the famous Declaration of Edmonton Burns Club. To him and to Arbroath of 1320. them, I will always owe, in the words On Tuesday I lunched with Ian and of Studdert Kennedy, "a great unpaid, Bob and after a warm farewell on the unpayable debt".

Wha's Warld Is't?

Ungodly luve o' siller noo Is drivin' sane men gite. The worship o't means mair tae them Than ony haly rite. Aince Scotsmen gaithered i' thir kirks Tae harken tae thir God, But noo they neither gang, nor fear The chastenin' o' his rod. They're deef e'en tae the laverock's sang, An' blin' tae buddin' rose. They carena whaur the burnie rins, As lang as they can pose A glitt'rin' pile o' gowd an' gear Tae gaud thir barren life, An' mak' them siccar o' success In ony earthlins strife Aboot the ile that's hauden deep Ablow the Norlin Sea, Or wha's the richt tae own the lans Whaur God sets a' men free Tae wark His Will for a' men's guid, No' jist for ane or twa, An' gart them share the warld's gear, No' worship it ava. L. M. STIRLJNG 53 BURNS NIGHT IN MOSCOW

One of the fortunate 154 who made the trip describes an unforgettable occasion

Mr. Gordon Hepburn is at once a for the Supper, delegates took the patriot and a business man. As a opportunity to tour the city and patriot, he had long thought about a enjoyed the Space Museum, the gigantic Burns Supper in Moscow and, as a University, a snow ride in a "troika" director of a travel finn, was keen to and a snifter of some real vodka. stimulate winter travel. A Burns Others, wishing to see the city on their Supper in Moscow would allow both own, took their several ways and made of these wishes to be fulfilled. their explorations as they pleased. The original intention was to cele­ The highlight of the visit was the brate Burns Day, 1974, in Moscow Burns Supper to which some fifty but this was not possible due to speakers Russian guests had been invited. Un­ and artists being heavily committed fortunately, there was no room in the in advance. January, 1975, was also Rossia suitable for the function and a threatened on these grounds but under­ switch was made to the "Intourist standing Burns Clubs kindly allowed Hotel". Here, in a room blocked their guest speakers to break their by folded wooden partitions, we com­ engagements. peted against dance bands in two Originally, Mr. Hepburn had thought adjoining rooms. To show the Russians of some fifty delegates but enthusiastic how a typical Scottish Burns Supper Burnsians deluged him to the tune of was organised, we had taken with us over three hundred and fifty appli­ ample supplies of haggis, neeps, tatties, cations. Despite additional space on and a copious amount of the Famous a scheduled flight from Birmingham, Grouse. only one hundred and fifty-four persons Provost Robertson,· President of could make the journey. The flight the Burns Federation, chaired the from Manchester to Moscow was evening and John Kidd, President of eventful for only one thing-there was the·Jolly Beggars Burns Club, Kinross, so little cargo space left for duty-free addressed the haggis. As the night spirits (due to our carrying our own proceeded, attempts were made to materials for the Supper) that, after tone down the competition from the only one drink each, the bar was closed. two bands. Against this background Imagine our reaction on coming home the toast to the Immortal Memory was to read the headlines: "Burnsians proposed by the Secretary of the Fed­ drink plane dry". eration and Mr. Tom Mcllwraith, After Customs clearance we were President of the Edinburgh District driven to our hotel, the Hotel Rossia, Association of Burns Clubs, and Mrs. which with 6000 bedrooms is the Peggie Thomson, Kilmarnock, ex­ biggest in the world. With free time changed insults and compliments in after dinner, delegates took the chance the toast of, and reply to, The Lasses. of strolling round central Moscow in In his toast to the guests, Mr. Tom the snow but found the night tempera­ Campbell, of the Howff Club, Kil­ ture rather warm. On the Saturday, marnock, outlined the Russian interest whilst arrangements were being made in Burns from 1830, when the sixteen- 54 Hugh Thcmpson Russian air space. Pipe Sergeant Jimmy McCallum entertains delegates as they enter

Left to right, Professor Mr. Tom Mel Iwraith , Edinburgh, proposes the Toast to the Lasses. President, Mrs. Thomson. Ross Roy, Mr. lmmanuil Marshak, Mrs. Robertson, the Secretary, the of the Great Britain- Rev. Mr. Sutherland (British Embassy), Mr. Alexei Surkov (President U.S.S.R. Friendship Scciety) , Mr. Tom Campbell. Hugh Thompson year-old Mikhail Lermontov translated Against the continuing background the haunting refrain of "Ae Fond Kiss". of dance music, Miss Christine Paterson Mr. Campbell continued to develop and Mr. William Mundie entertained the theme of nineteenth century interest in song, and couthy Willie Ferguson, in Russian translation and ended with Dumfries, rendered "Tam o' Shanter" . the outstanding contribution of Samuel The vote of thanks was offered by Marshak. He was able to express the Professor Ross Roy, of the University gratitude of Burnsians to Professor of South Carolina but, as Tommy Rita Rait Kobelova and to Immanuel Kettles was preparing to play "Auld (Elik) Marshak who were present as Lang Syne," Mr. Anatoli Masko, of guests. the Great Britain-U.S.S.R. Friendship The reply was given by Mr. Alexei Society, sprang a surprise by inviting Surkov, President of the Great Britain­ the company to "participate" in the U.S.S.R. Friendship Society. A dis­ midnight changing of the guard at tinguished poet, Mr. Surkov also the Lenin Mausoleum. showed himself to be an orator of the Surprising, since the Mausoleum is highest order. He left the gathering the most revered spot in the U.S.S.R., in no doubt of the sincerity of Russian since the changing of the guard a appreciation of Robert Burns and of carefully and beautifully executed cere­ Russian feeling for the patriotism of mony, and since music is not allowed the delegates who had travelled to in Red Square. Valedictories and part­ Moscow to pay this tribute to him. ing toasts caused us to miss the changing

Delegates participating in a moving and dignified ceremony in Red Square, at the conclusion of the Burns Supper. Hugh Thompson

56 Hugh Th ompson

St. Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, with delegates' hotel, the Rossia, in the background.

57 of the guard but Pipe-Sergeant Jimmy have liked to meet more Russians, McCallum's rendering of "Lochaber especially Russian children. This last No More" and the "Flowers of the point was illustrated by the sight of Forest" affected both Russian and a Gorebridge miner, loaded with British alike. A most dignified occasion. presents, going round Writers' House Sunday morning saw the delegates asking: "Whaur are the bairns?" exploring Moscow or visiting the In a lighter vein, there is the memory Kremlin in organised parties. Having of delegates quickly finding the "berio­ organised several Burns Federation zova" (export shop) at the Rossia and conferences, I have a certain sympathy getting their carry-outs; of the Kil­ for our charming guide who had the marnock and Lanarkshire band en­ task of controlling a bunch ofBurnsians. joying a Sunday outing on the Under­ She tried hard but found that her ground; of the Prestwick members charges had somehow deserted her­ lording it in the Rossia bar. the first time she had ever lost her party Lastly, the memory of Provost of tourists. Robertson boarding the bus at Dum­ Return hospitality was given in the fries-a sick man hell-bent on doing afternoon in the Writers' House by his duty against his doctor's orders. Alexei Surkov, Anatoli Masko and My first duty was to safeguard him their associates in the Friendship So­ and to ensure his return home. At ciety. The concert was of the highest Manchester Airport we dashed ahead quality, highlighted by the singing of to arrange his seat-and promptly three young men who in one instance lost him. The first search was at the had, by phonetics, mastered the dialect toilet; the second was in the first-aid of Ayrshire. Another group of four room; the third, in desperation, was youngsters delighted with their balalaika in the duty-free shop. And there he playing. In the evening, some delegates was with his two bottles of the "cratur," attended a performance by the resident getting his priorities right. If the ballet company at the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow trip was the turning point in whilst others met with Russians at the Ernie Robertson's return to health Rossia and still others celebrated in and humour, then it was overwhelmingly a public bar with Hungarian tourists. successful. As a project to promote Burns, the visit was a success in that it allowed well-known Burnsians to meet with their Russian counterparts-such as Mrs. Tanya Zhukova who had travelled ANDERSON WILSON MEMORIAL from Leningrad to attend the function, FUND Mr. Ivan Zavorin of Intourist, and Mr. To perpetuate the memory of Andy Gabrial Feldman, friend of John Gray. Wilson, a fund is being set up to en­ Like the Shakespearean scholars at courage the study and practice of Stratford-on-Avon, the Russians were Scottish Literature among young people impressed by the enthusiasm of the under the age of eighteen, who are Burnsians. the children of members of societies in On the other hand, the visit was England and Wales, federated to the just a little too short, our calendar Burns Federation. too crowded. The distaff side of our All donations should be i:;ent direct party would have enjoyed a few more to the Hon. Secretary and Treasurer, days in which to wander round shops the Bums Federation, Dick Institute, and, as a whole, the delegates would Kilmarnock. 58 Autobiography of a Haggis (Moscow-bound)

[The haggis was examined by a sanitary inspector before despatch to Moscow-Ed.] What can a puir auld Haggis say Aboot some mortals of today? Wha regard me as a speciman rare, A moorland creature, beyond compare, Flying or crawling alang the bracken, Pursuers behind me never lackin', Tae get haud o' my entrails bricht Tae fill the trencher on Burns Nicht. What can a puir auld Haggis say Aboot that programme, Scotland Today!? The quotes John made, I can't forget Especially that ane aboot the vet! A clean bill o' health, I must provide Before in Moscow I should bide, As Chieftain o' the Puddin' Race Sitting, smiling wi' sonsie face. What can a puir auld Haggis say Aboot some mortals of today? For my smile will soon lose its charm, As ane appears wi' uplifted arm Roaring at me wi' a' his micht, Putting me in a state o' fricht. Clapped in his walie nieve, a knife That soon will end my earthly life. What can a puir auld Haggis say Aboot some mortals of today? Wha still regard me as something rare, A winged two-legged "Hamely Fare" Dressed up in polythene, an' string Crammed fu' o' spice an' everything, A Scottish Dish that taks its place As Chieftain o' the Puddin' Race! Wm. B. Hooper-"The Bellshill Bard" Composed on Wednesday, 8th January, 1975.

59 Photo by courtesy Scotsman Publications Helen B. Cruickshank (1866-1975). Helen Cruickshank

A tribute by JANE BURGOYNE to a much-loved poet and a character in the old Scots tradition. 60 Helen Burness Cruickshank was born pieces one hears echoes of other poets, in Angus in 1886 and died in Edin­ but always the effect is fresh and memor­ burgh in March 1975. She was educated able. Among my own favourites are at a village school near Montrose and at "Ealasaid"; "Milking Time in Barra"; Montrose Academy, which she left at "The Wishing Well"; "The Gypsy the age of fifteen. From 1903 to 1945 Lass"; "Shy Geordie"; and (for symbol­ she was in the Civil Service, first in ism) "Spring in the Mearns," "The London then in Edinburgh, retiring as Ponnage Pool" and "Sea Buckthorn". a Staff Officer with the Department of Health for Scotland. In 1970 the Sea Buckthorn University of Edinburgh bestowed an Saut an' cruel winds tae shear it, honorary M.A. degree upon her, for Nichts o' haar an' rain- services rendered to Scottish life and Ye micht think the sallow buckthorn letters. Ne'er a hairst could hain; If the Civil Service was her life's But amang the sea-bleached branches work, poetry was her life's blood. She Ashen-grey as pain, in 1912, and con­ began to write verses Thornset orange berries cluster, till the end of her life, following tinued beauty-fain. in the steps of two distinguished poet­ Flamin', esses and friends, Violet Jacobs and Daith an' dule will stab ye surely, died in Marion Angus (both of whom ye man or wife, of them showing the Be 1946), all three an' mischances influence of the North-East in their Mony trauchles poems. In ilk weird are rife; · Helen's work appeared in various Bide the storm ye canna hinder, periodicals and anthologies and then Mindin' through the strife, in four collections: Up the Noran Water Hoo the luntin' !owe o' beauty (1934), Sea Buckthorn, The Ponnage Lights the grey o' life. Pool (1968) and Collected Poems (1971). Her autobiography will sP,ortly ,be Helen Cruickshank, it has already published. Her one-act play, The Birken been noted by other writers, was a Bush, was produced in 1948 at the "character" in the tradition of the 18th Edinburgh Arts Theatre. Several century ladies immortalised by Scott pieces have been set to music by Francis · and his· contemporaries: fearless and George Scott. She was one of the plain-spoken, with a heart of gold. founder members of Scottish PEN and Edinburgh is the poorer without her. throughout her life was quick to recog­ Her home was a centre of Scottish nise talent in others and to encourage culture: she went "proudly friended". it, not only in words. She was, for in­ Humour and kindliness were two of her stance, one of the first to appreciate great component parts: where she was, Hugh McDiarmid s potential. there was laughter. Surely that is a Her subjects were the Scottish happy memory to leave at the end of countryside and its people, her medium, the day. except in a few cases, her native Doric. Let me conclude by quoting words "I am grateful for my schooling in used about her when she was given Angus, which is still a stronghold of her honorary degree: "She was one the Scots tongue," she wrote in 1971. who rejoiced to see the heather catch She bad the gift of accurate observa­ fire at last, the whins ablaze, and then tion, combined with a simple, telling the scorched ·earth spring to a new style. Sometimes as in her Hebridean birth". 61 Sir Robert Burns? by Farquhar Mackenzie

From the pre-war years in the 20th let him have the farm at Ellisland; century, and perhaps earlier, to the and, finally, that Burns lacked the poverty-stricken 1930's, countless num­ stability and habits of application which bers of Scottish schoolchildren learnt would have made a success of the to read from the trade marks and farm." legends lavishly printed on the various Utter rubbish! preserve and condiment containers It would appear that Burns, nearly placed on the kitchen tables or stored, two centuries after his death is still just out of reach, in cupboard shelves. the whipping-boy for all the ills of the Many of us will recall the illustrations 18th and 19th centuries. Burns admirers on Tate and Lyle Golden Syrup and enjoy Shakespeare for the supreme on Princess Brand black treacle tins, joy of his creations; few of them know and some may even have attempted of his moral misdemeanours; less of their first essays into the French them care. Nor do we scorn Words­ language from reading the claims worth and Coleridge for their non­ printed ori the sides of the ubiquitous literary weaknesses; nor reject the H.P. Sauce bottles. literary attainments of Byron, Shelley · If Golden Syrup praised the "strength and Dickens for their cruel and selfish which came forth from sweetness," lapses in private life. In more modern the writer experienced no sense of times, the much publicised failings of warmth or sentiment in reading recently Brendan Behan and Dylan Thomas a potted biography of Robert Burns are accepted for what they are and printed on the sugar bags of Messrs are not balanced against their literary Westburn, of Greenock. Here, for all power. _ to read, is a mixture of inaccuracy Poor Burns, who satirised religious and legend which, far from per~uading hypocrisy and challenged political people to purchase the product of abuses, has never been forgiven by Messrs. Westburn, will have exactly the Establishment. This may be the opposite effect on Burnsians. On inevitable but it does not explain why a more exalted plane, we have so biographers and critics, from Heron distinguished a scholar as Professor and Currie onwards, have paid more Gordon Donaldson, of the Chair of attention to the mythology of bio­ Scottish History in the University of graphy than to the solid achievement Edinburgh, allowing his name in Who's of Burns in poetic expression. Had who in Scottish History to be connected the Hanoverian monarch knighted with such statements as "Burns worked Robert Burns, perhaps his posthumous without success at flax-dressing; Burns biography and criticism would have . had already (1787) shown an intem­ been treated in a more true and sym­ perance in his conduct . . . and in the pathetic manner. capital fell into habits of conviviality Why, then, my title Sir Robert Burns? and debauchery; that a well-wisher If this title is eye-catching and can 62 focus attention for a few minutes, love of Scotland. it will give us an opportunity to con­ Mrs. Bruce of Clackmannan was sider Burns in a more positive manner not the only person to appreciate and ponder upon his personal achieve­ Burns's charms. Bishop Skinner des­ ments and the outstanding compliments cribed Burns thus: "As to his personal paid to him during his life. appearance, it is very much in his Sir Robert Burns? Mrs. Bruce favour. He is a genteel-looking man, ("Lady Clackmannan") would not have of good address, and talks with much queried the accolade. After all, when propriety, as if he had received an Burns and Dr. Adair visited her in academical education." Lord Minto, Clackmannan, she bestowed upon them nobody's fool, wrote that he regarded both a knighthood. In his letter to Burns's refinement as more wonderful Dr. Currie, Adair writes: "Mrs. Bruce than his genius. of Clackmannan, a lady of about There is no doubt that this was the ninety, the· lineal descendant of that Burns as seen through the eyes of the race which gave the Scottish throne the aristocratic Mrs. Dunlop of Dunlop brightest ornament, interested his whose lineage rivalled that of the (Burns's) feeling powerfully. Lady Clackmannan. Mrs. Dunlop "This venerable dame, with charac­ was the direct descendant of Sir William teristic dignity, informed me, on my Wallace, giving Burns a unique claim observing that I believed she was to the friendship of the descendants of descended from the family of Robert Scotland's two greatest patriots. Little Bruce, that Robert Bruce was sprung did he know that, to Scots the world from her family ... She was in possess­ over, his own name would rival theirs ion of the hero's helmet and two­ in affection and popularity. handed sword, with which she con­ As Burns's patron, friend and critic, ferred on Burns and myself the honour Mrs. Dunlop's first attempt to procure of knighthood." his advancement was of a startling Even more in character was the nature if viewed only through modern fact that Mrs. Bruce was a Jacobite eyes. This level-headed person must and stoutly declared that she had more have recognised in Burns the latent right to confer the honour than "some potential and overpowering personality, people". In passing, it might be which have been disregarded by a whole added that, on her death, "Lady line of biographers. Mrs. Dunlop Clackmannan," as she was termed in sought to rally support from among the style of the time, bequeathed the Burns's many and influential Edin­ helmet and sword to the head of the burgh admirers for his appointment to Bruce family, the Earl of Elgin-the the professorship of the newly endowed very sword that was so recently stolen Chair of Agriculture. The appointment, from the seat of the Bruces. unfortunately, was not obtained since Burns may very well have participated· the founder insisted on bestowing his in the ceremony to please the fancy patronage on his own nominee. A or eccentricity of a failing old lady justifiable choice, perhaps but the but his sense of reverence at Bruce's incident, along with others, would. burial place in Dunfermline Abbey refute charges of Burns's inadequacy in moved him in a sense equally power­ farming. fully. His fervour in "Scots wha hae" That Burns was a skilled farmer has describing Bruce's address to his troops been indicated and supported from before Bannockburn, illustrates his various quarters .. Few recall that, with regard for the patri.ot and his own his brother Gilbert, Burns received an 63 award of £3 in 1783 from the then take the hint of a military life as the equivalent of the Ministry of Agriculture most congenial to my feeling and for their success in producing an situation." The thought of Burns as improved strain of flax seed. In later a soldier might revolt many of his years his knowledge of agriculture was present admirers but, apart from Burns to be noted and appreciated by Colonel admitting to being "soldier-daft," the William Fullarton of Fullarton. This combination of arms and poetry holds successful soldier, statesman and land­ an honoured place in our culture. Nor owner was the author of the work, is there any doubt that Burns would A View of Agriculture in the County of have been successful, as Dr. William Ayr, published in 1793. Currie testifies to his "versatility of In this, Fullarton pays tribute to talents." It was left to Bb.rns's sons, Burns as a farmer: "In order to prevent William Nicol and James Glencairn, the 'danger arising from horned cattle to prove the military potential of the in studs or straw-yards, the best mode family by retiring as colonels in the is to cut out the budding knob or root Indian Army. of the horns when the calf is very At this point, let a blast be given young. This was suggested to me by to Allan Cunningham. If we refer to Mr. Robert Burns whose general talents Allan Masterton as "Honest Allan," are no less conspicuous than the Cunningham should be known as poetic powers which have done so "Dishonest Allan" since he was merely much honour to the county where he a rider on the band-waggon who was born." This comment might well cashed in on the Burns saga and proved illustrate the experience that, then as a most unreliable source of information, now, success is more a matter of especially in reference to Burns's service financial backing than the possession in the Royal Dumfries Volunteers. of skill and knowledge. The facts are that not only did Would that Burns had been appointed Burns attend the meeting called by Professor of Agriculture! He would P..-ovost Staig, as Deputy Lord­ thus have gained the leisure he wanted Lieutenant of the County, to raise the for his writing! His admirers would local volunteers, but Burns was a have been denied the more romantic signatory to the petition seeking the but uninspiring return to the plough formation of the unit. His name also and the gimmick image of the peasant­ appears on the list of original members poet but literature, and Scotland, attending on 3Ist January, 1795. would have ·been immeasurably the Furthermore, Burns was appointed to richer. the Corps Committee, an all-powerful In yet another sphere did Mrs. body, and extant minutes and records Dunlop envisage Burns leading a testify to a perfect attendance at successful life. Her thoughts this time parades. Membership. of the Corps led towards Burns being commissioned required persons of regard and of as an officer in the Army. There is little irreproachable character and demanded doubt that she could have obtained a a discipline and morality deemed to strong measure of family influence, be more rigid and strict than that of the with the additional support of Major­ Church. General and Mrs. Stewart of Stair. Burns was noted as the shining Burns himself favoured the idea example of the Corps whilst his but his funds at the time did not acceptance and leadership within the rise to the purchase of a commission: unit would dismiss the tales of his "Would that the profit afford, I would rejection by his social superiors. His 64 interest and membership was still in authority, Burns had an exact and evidence at 15th November, 1795, expert knowledge of the science. when his packed life of excise duties Some claims have been made that and extensive song-mending for Johnson Burns obtained his knowledge of herald­ and Thomson began to be effected by ry from Captain Grose or from his his break-down in health. being a subscriber to Brydson's If a final proof be required of Burns's Summary View of Heraldry published social standing, personal acceptance in 1795. However, an examination of and military inclination, surely his his letters and poetry show Burns to membership of the Royal Company of be acquainted with heraldic terms. Archers provides it. As with Burns's For example, in his Address to Edin­ military service with the Volunteers burgh, written in 1786, and again in in Dumfries, the honour of belonging his letter to Dr. Moore on 2nd August, to the sovereign's bodyguard in Scot­ 1787, when he picturesquely refers to land came at a time when the bulk of heralds as "pycoated guardians of his biographers claim that he had been escutcheons". rejected by society. If such had been If he owed anything to Grose, he the case and Burns was regarded as must have learned quickly for he a social pariah, it is impossible to displayed his knowledge of heraldry explain his being elected, on lOth April, in "A Man's a Man," in the "Battle 1792 to this most aristocratic body. of Sherra Moor," and in the "Election Edinburgh City Museums possess Ballads". , Best of all is his description the certificate of admission in which of his own arms, but death robbed the Council of the Royal Company of him of the opportunity of matriculating Archers "after tryal taken by the judges them. This was left to his cousin's of the Company and their report, son, Dr. John Burness in 1837 and have admitted and received and hereby again in 1841, and to Gilbert's descend­ admit and receive you, Robert Burns, ant, Kenneth Glencairn · Burns, in Esquire, to be one of His Majesty's 1903., For a man charged with lack Royal Company of Archers ...." The of stability and of ostracism, his original seal of the ticket melted under attainments and accomplishments the heat of the Indian sun but the reach an impressive level. Royal Company of Archers did not In addition to the regard in which hesitate to issue a substitute seal in Burns was held by the surviving the latter part of the 19th century. members of the families of Scotland's One cannot but wonder how many of two greatest patriots, and the respect Burns's detractors were appointed to paid by his socially superior con­ this august body, or muse if the scale temporaries, his role was marked at a of Burns's achievements could be the lower level by civic recognition. No cause of aggressive, scurrilous and fewer than seven Scottish burghs recog­ jealous attack. · nised Burns by granting him their Closely allied to the science of freedom-Jedburgh, Dumfries, Dum­ military study is that of the pageantry barton, Linlithgow, Sanquhar, Loch­ and colourful traditions of heraldry maben and Selkirk. In recent times, and, once more, Burns adds the element only one Scot can match this record­ of surprise and astonishment. In an Mr. Andrew Carnegie, and for vastly age when heraldry was, to quote the different reasons. Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1929, "at In freemasonry, in journalism (where rather a low ebb," or "in its final Scott claims Burns rejected a Morning degradation" according to an English Chronicle offer of five guineas per week 65 c as an "occasional correspondent and latest edition of the Concise Cambridge as a general contributor") and in relying on Heron, Currie, the pot­ other fields, Burns made a massive wallopers and the band-waggoners. impression. This was no lad o' pairts It is indeed a frustrating situation. but, in the words of that arch grumph, The so-called Burns cult has been Thomas Carlyle, "a giant, original man sneered at and ridiculed by the later -the largest soul of all the British penny-a-liners but one thing is lands". sure-the movement will never die so I should have liked to conclude with long as the ill-informed continue to a quotation from the late George churn out their evidences of literary Sampson, editor of the Concise Cam­ borrowing and scholastic ennui. bridge History of English Literature, Sir.Robert Burns? Professor Burns? in which he urged critics to ignore the Colonel Burns? We can only leave the defamatory biographical material last word to the Bard himself: written on Burns. Rather his poetic "He'll hae misfortune great and sma', achievements should be enjoyed and Butay a heart aboon them a'; relished. Sadly, Sampson's work had He'll be a credit 'till us a', in turn, been edited, and we find the We'll a' be proud o' Robin."

GETTING THINGS DONE The wise minister "sells" his ideas one at a time, and never to more than two office-bearers at a time, privately and almost casually. He just throws out the idea in the passing, as a sower sows the seed, and hopes that it has fallen into the good ground. The chaps he has spoken to go away and meditate. They discuss the thing with other chaps, never mentioning where the original idea came from, of course. By this time it has become their own idea. They mention it to their wife, and since she knows a lot more about the chllrch and its moods and predjudices than he does, she gives her opinion with some force and at con­ siderable length. Eventually, the idea is broached at a meeting. The minister sits back and listens, occasionally saying a word or two to indicate that he thinks there might be something in it. And in no time at all the deed is done. ' So friend, if your minister takes you aside and mentions something in an offhand sort of way you will know what he is after. When the thing is accom­ plished, there is no harm in telling him so. From No Better Than I Should Be by the Rev. James L. Dow. (Hutchinson, £3·25).

66 herds of cattle which travelled it were the inn's best customers. Unfortunately the inn was demolished in 1863. Thoughts at the During his stay Burns visited Ruth­ well Manse, where he had tea with Mrs. Brow Well Craig, wife of the minister, and met her daughter Agnes, who· later became the wife of Dr. Henry Duncan, originator JN the summer of 1796 the Clachan of Savings Banks. _ Inn, at Brow, in the parish of Ruth-· · Miss Craig, an ardent admirer of the well, on the Dumfries coast, a few miles poet's works, noticed that the sun was from Annan, had a visitor of note. He shining in his eyes and made to draw had come to bathe in the sea and to· the curtains. Burns stopped her saying: take the waters of the mineral .~e!J,. ., ·-"Let the· suri:-shine upon us dear Lady; But neither treatment could have been it has not long to shine on me now." of benefit to the thirty-seven-year-old His words were unhappily prophetic. visitor, for the stamp of death was on He died on July 21-exactly 179 years him. H'.e stayed at Brow for a fortnight, before this com,memoration. returned to his home in Dumfries and Mrs. Maggie Coulson laid a wreath died three days later, in the direst''of ., at the plaque which marked the poet's poverty and haunted by the threat of a visit to the Well. The Rev. W. E. debtors' gaol. Williamson, minister of Ruthwell We of the Burns movement should church, offered a prayer of thanksgiving remember these days of pain and agony for the heritage Burns had left us. of mind, equally with the sentiments of Mr. James J. McCaffery, Hon. Secre­ conviviality and good-fellowship which tary of the "Rosamond" Club, who are reanimated every twenty-fifth of had made the arrangements for the January. The fashion is to honour the occasion, proposed a vote of thanks to Bard's birth. We should also remember all who had taken part in the ceremony. him in his days of loneliness and sick- The attendance, he said, was a great ness. encouragem,_ent to those who had given These thoughts were at the core .. of·~- time and' effort tcY clea:b. up the site. the moving oration given by ex-Provost · Ernest Robertson, President of the Burns Federation, at a commemorative service at the Brow Well on July 21 to mark the death of the poet. The Well Here's a Bottle had been cleaned up by members of the There's nane that's blest of human kind Rosamond Burns Club from Gretna. But the chee1ful and the gay, man. Over a hundred people attended the ceremony which, Mr. Robertson, sug­ Here's a bottle and an honest friend! gested, should become an annual event. What wad ye wish for mair, man? They were welcomed by Mr. H'.ugh Wha kens, before his life may end, Cunningham, President of Southern What his share may be o' care man? Scottish Counties Burns Association. Then catch the moments as they fly, Mr. Robertson told his listeners that And use them as ye ought, man! at the time of Burns's visit the Brow was Believe me, Happiness is shy, a hamlet of some dozen houses. It And comes not ay when sought, man. was on the main route from Dumfries to Carlisle and the drovers of the great Burns 67 BOOK REVIEWS

Burns from many aspects

CRITICAL ESSAYS ON ROBERT BURNS, edited by DONALD A. Low (Routledge and Kegan Paul, £4·25) THIS work, essential to Burnsians, follows Donald Low's important book, published last year (and reviewed in these pages), Robert Burns, The Critical Heritage. In that book, there were criticisms and appreciations of the poet's work, by all sorts of literary giants and pigmies, both British and American, from 1786-1837. The book under review is a series of essays, written by a clutch of professors and academics. It is a great pity that they couldn't transfer some of their enthusi­ asm for Burns to the schools of Scotland. One of them we have read with pleasure previously, the essay on the Epistles, from Tom Crawford's Burns, a Study of the Poems and Songs (Oliver & Boyd, 1965). The essays are prefaced by a lively introduction by the editor himself. Donald Low gives his own view of why Bums is read, quoted, sung and written about today to a degree exceeding all other great poets. Burns did not have theories on Poetic Imagination, on Nature, on Symbolism in poetry; he did not set himself a poetic task; there was nothing self-conscious about his verse. "This is a man speaking to his fellow-men' in his own real language". Mr. Low has also illuminating sentences on Bums as a romantic, a satirist, and as a "Poet of Eros". The contribution of Professor G. Ross Roy analyses Burns's character through the "Commonplace Books", the journals and the letters. (Professor Roy is at present engaged on a new compilation of Bums's letters). After an examination of the correspondence with the more famous of his friends-Mrs. Dunlop, Johnson, Thomson, Doctor Moore, Maria Riddell-Professor Roy comes to the conclusion that as Bums was one of the great conversationalists of the age, so the letters were an extension of that talent. Ian Campbell walks over some well-trodden paths in his essay on Burns's Poems and their Audience, and devotes considerable space to the analysis of Death and Doctor Hornbook as a localised poem, which, because of its mock­ heroic shape, fits into the literature of demonology. When we come to David Murison's examination of "The Language of Burns". we are immediately aware of someone writing out of a profound knowledge of his subject. He explains how political events caused Scots prose to be lost as a literary medium by the 18th century, and how it was that it was kept alive by ballad and folk-song and verse epistle till Allan Ramsay adopted Scots as the first language of his poetry. This gave a new impetus to the Scottish tongue. But by the Age of Enlightenment (roughly 1760-1830) English had become the 68 language of formal thought, and Scots "the language of immediacy and intimacy at a lower intellectual pitch". Mr. Murison goes on to show Burns's brilliance in manipulating colloquial Scots. It is impossible to do justice to this fine essay in a review. All who are interested in the auld raucle tongue must read it. Alexander Scott writes on the satires-"Underground poetry". Why under­ ground? Because, says Mr. Scott, when Burns made his first bow to the public, "he chose to do so with his strong right arm tied behind his back". This refers to Burns's exclusion of the satires The Holy Tulzie and Holy Willie's Prayer from \ the Kilmarnock Edition. (Incidentally, Mr. Scott states that Burns was a bigamist-we thought that by this time he would have let that flee stick tae the wa'). He argues that the two above-mentioned poems we e concerned with local religious scandals, and that, as Burns had already offended against the tenets of the kirk, he dared not publish the poems. There are other critics who take a different view. Even The Holy Fair had to have its liberal sprinkling of asterisks to keep "underground" the real identities of the preachers. (Were his readers really fooled?) · The Address to the Deil, although published, had to have five lines removed which at that time would have offended against decorum, and The Ordination had to be excluded, although founded on fact, because everyone would have recognised Kilmarnock as the scene. Similarly, the Address to Beelzebub was not published in the poet's lifetime, because it was heavy with satire against the Earl of Breadalbane and his efforts to deny his tenants freedom of choice. Mr. Scott makes a good and arguable case for the exclusion of those satirical poems from the Kilmarnock Edition. : At first sight, there doesn't seem much point in John D. Baird's essay, "Burns and Cowper", apart from them being the most noted poets of their day. The relevance of much of what he has to say, although interesting enough to the student, will prove hard doing for the common reader, who may know his Burns, but may never have heard of The Task. The final three essays, all by professors, explore the 18th century background of Scottish music and song, and the Jacobitism expressed by Burns the song­ writer, and provide an acute analysis by Cedric Thorpe Davie of Burns's songs as works of art. It will be remembered that Professor Davie's arrangement of The Jolly Beggars, as sung and acted by The Saltire Singers, was a musical event some years ago. The last-mentioned essay is the most thorough of all. Dr. Davie comple­ ments the work of Dick and Kinsley, refers in praising terms to John Glen's Early Scottish Melodies which deals with the origin of airs, and gives us a baker's dozen of Burns's songs as "perfect works of art" in the marriage of words and tunes. As Dr. Davie asserts, his prize-list contains ten of the best-known and best­ loved of the songs-a tribute indeed to the discrimination of the public, except that nowadays popular taste would wish to include Scots wha Hae, Mary Morison and Ae fond Kiss. Professor Davie adduces good reasons why these should not be included-good musical reasons-and goes on to prove, if proof were needed, how amateurish Thomson was as a collector of songs. But the whole of this essay is a delight, and we give its writer three cheers. ALEX. MACMILLAN 69 DOCHERTY by WILLIAM MAclLVANNEY (George Allen and Unwin, £3·95) "Docherty." There was never such an uncompromising title, and there never was, you would think, such an uncompromising man as this rough-hewn wee miner frae Kilmarnock (Graithnock in the book). He is the hero of William Macllvanney's latest novel, which in its way is a tribute to all Ayrshire miners in the early days of this century. We have had Ayrshire novelists before, writing of the community they knew, in a dialogue of local language where the very way a word is uttered makes all the difference between blame and praise. The language of this novel is as uncompromising as the men in it and those who fear to look at words in print which they hear every day at work must be prepared to say "tut tut" gey often. John Gait's The Provost, with Irvine as its background, and George Douglas Brown with Ochiltree-Cumnock as the background of The House with the Green Shutters are today recognised as classics of their kind, and now Docherty will be a classic too, for no novelist apart from D. H. Lawrence has written with such understanding of the frustrations of the miner who has a heid on him, but is bound by the system in the early days of the twentieth century, to poverty and a slavery. As it is, the Docherty's domain is bounded by the High Street of Graithnock. Its cobbles echo the sound of children's play, of miner's argument as they hunker doon at the street corner, of the noises from Mitchell's pub, of the schools at either end. Tam Docherty, a lapsed Catholic (his father sings of Connemara and Skibbereen), with his sense of fairness, sends two of his children to the one and two to the other. As Conn says, "his father was several men, not all of them nice". : There is an annual excursion to Cronberry-seen through the sympathetic eyes of young Conn. Here are relatives. Here are gathered a few mining com­ munities for a five-a-side and a wheen quoiting matches. Here, Conn's father's prowess is recognised by all. " 'It couldny be Tam Docherty.' " 'Hell, it couldny be onybody else. Tam Docherty.' " The name rippled among a few of them, causing looks Conncouldn't under­ stand at the time, that lens-adjustment by which the blurred hearsay of the past is crystallised into present fact. "'Hoo's it then Tam? Hoo's yer knuckles fur bruises?' "'Ah hear ye're Ieevin quiet, then.' "'Retired undefeated. Bob Fitzsimmons the Second, eh?' " Somebody made a corner of a seat for Conn, saying, 'Here y'are, son.' "'Aye,' somebody else said. 'The auld dug fur the hard road, the pup fur the pavement.' "'Ye'II hiv tae learn tae staun awa' fae yer feyther, onywey, son. He's a wee man but he makes a big shadda.' " Of the four children, Conn is the most sensitive. Angus is most like the father in his knowledge of his strength, his independence, and his lack of "niceness". Mick has his tragedy. He fights in the 1914-18 war, and comes home minus an eye and an arm. His home-coming, and the reactions of his family, are written with a beautiful perceptiveness. Kathleen, the lively daughter, marries Jack. They live next door to poverty. Jack takes to drink, and to mauling his wife. So he is spoken to by Angus. 70 William Macllvanney ... - "no novelist, apart from D. H. Lawrence, has written with such understanding of the frustrations of the miner who had a heid on him."

Photo: courtesy of Allen and Unwin "It'll no' dae." "That's fur Kathleen tae decide." "Whit dae ye say?" "Ah say it's nane o' yer business." "She's ma sister." "She's ma wife." "Ye hide it wee I." The mother, Jenny, is very sympathetically drawn. She can manage Docherty in all his moods, except when he turns Angus out of the house for not doing the right thing by a lassie he has bairnt. And here, is Docherty's longest speech in the book ... " 'Listen. In ony country in the world, who are the only folk that ken whit it's like tae leeve in the country? The folk at the bottom. The rest can a' kid themselves oan. They can afford to hiv fancy ideas. We canny, son. We loass the wan idea o' who we are, we're deid. We're wan anither. Tae survive, we'll respect wan anither. When the time comes, we'll a' move forward thegither, or nut at all. That's whit Ah've goat against you, boy.' "He pointed at Angus. "'You're a f ------deserter. Ah doan't harbour deserters. Ye're wi' the rest o' us or ye go elsebit.' "Angus put his jacket on." It could be argued that William Macllvanney, a most sensitive writer, gives a sensitivity to his characters that their station in life doesn't entitle them to. This conflict is in a way symbolised by the fight between Angus and Conn, because Angus has betrayed the family spirit by refusing to be present at his father's funeral. (Docherty has been killed in the mine by a fall of coal, in the act of saving a lesser man.) Predictably they fight until both are exhausted. Predictably, neither wins. We hope that when the sequel to Docherty is written, Conn wins. This book is a must for all who love Scottish Literature. ALEX. MACMILLAN 71 Scottish Love Poems. Chosen by Antonia Fraser. (Canongate, Edinburgh, £3·50). A book of many delights and almost as many discoveries. Lady Antonia tells us she has always rated Burns and Byron (a Scot, too) as her favourite love poets in any language. Burns is represented by 11 poems, most of which recall the Burns we know, but also in "Hey For a Lass wi' a Tocher," a Burns less familar to many of his admirers:

Awa' wi' your' witchcraft o' beauty's alarms, The slender bit beauty ye grasp in your arms: 0, gie me the lass that has acres o' charms, 0, gie me the lass wi' the weel-stockit farms.

I wish space permitted to quote the whole poem, but if it should be to you one of the lesser-known works of Burns do, I suggest, re-read it for the epi­ grammatic perfection of the verse. Lady Fraser allocates this poem to one of the smaller sections of her anthology. She might also have included in this section Anon's "The Baffled Knight" which instead appears under "Fainthearts". Burns, I am sure, would not have wished to disclaim this poem, particularly the closing stanza: And if you meet a lady gay, As you go by the hill, sir, If you will not when you may, You shall not when you will, sir.

It can fairly be objected that I have been too ready to seize on trifles. This is an anthology that can be enjoyed at every depth and in every mood. "Woo­ ings," "First Love," "Longing and Waiting," "Marriages" and "Laments" are among the 20 sections under which Lady Antonia has grouped the 180 poems of her choice. Nearly half of these emerge from the present century. A discovery for me was Ian Crichton Smith's "The Shadows" with its implication of the inevitable weight of years . . .

"I think," she said, "we shall not see again each other as we did." The light is fading that was once sunny in the April rain Across the picture there appears a shading we didn't notice ....

But at the back there steadily grow two shadows One for each lover that we can't evade And the final injunction- "My dearest love, if these should make us slow­ remember late the first undying halo."

Easier to say who is not represented here than who is. I was glad to see one of my own favourites, Marion Angus's "Mary's Song" for this A,ngus writer had the ability to evoke the atmosphere of feyness so powerful in the old ballads, and so much a constituent of unrequited love. 72 At first glance one is surprised at the unusually large representation of 16th century poems. Lady Antonia explains that during her historical researches into that period, for the very different purpose of biography, she was struck by the wealth and passion of the poetry of Alexander Montgomery, Alexander Scott, Dunbar and others. This predilection immediately posed a problem for her. Should she give literal translations of some of the more obscure verse? She decided against this course, considering that too much of the spirit of the originals would be lost. One feels, however, that so few of her readers will find early Scots compre­ hensible that the inclusion of the poems serves little purpose. A pity ... perhaps a course in basic 16th century Scots, offered extramurally by one of our universities is the only answer to Lady Antonia Fraser's dilemma. R.A.D. * * * No Better Than I Should Be. James L. Dow (Hutchinson, £3·25) "One Sunday I lost my voice." This admission by the parish minister of Lochranza and Pirnmill, in Arran, will induce sensations of incredulity among the thousands of us who have heard the gravelly Dow voice preaching words of comfort and common­ sense from the pulpit or proposing the "Immortal Memory" or "The Lasses" at a Bums Supper. To us it seemed the Dow organ of speech was indestructible. This is an immensely readable biography by a man who combines a guid conceit of himself with a fundamental modesty. His calling has taken him from the industrial west to the tea plantations of Assam. For 23 years, after his return from the East, he held the charge of Cartsburn Augustine Church, in Greenock. Most of his men were in the yards and engine shops, so he started a service at eight o'clock on Sunday nights to accommodate them. "There's a verse which goes:

The Church of Scotland is a place Fairly full of life. Where you'll find the Scottish working man Represented by his wife.

"It isn't very good poetry but it's very true. I tried to mend this, for I had a theory, and indeed still have it, though it's a conviction now; if you want to get a family interested in the Church, you've got to get father interested. There's no use flyting at the family on a Sunday morning to get out to church if the old man's lying in his bed reading the News of the World." Dow's gimmicks to bring people to church and to raise money became famous. He chose topical subjects for his sermons and advertised them well. One sheriff, leaving Greenock, referred to the town as "This Unsavoury Burgh". Dow advertised this as his subject and filled the church. Here is sound sense on a host of subjects. When does a minister baptise and when doesn't he? What to say-or sometimes not to say-when illness and death come into a home. A long way removed this minister from the ministers Burns mostly knew. He even admits that a minister doesn't know everything. A young minister, he asserts, is a very lonely man, requiring advice and 73 guidance, control and discipline. Too often he has nobody to turn to. This is where there might be a case for bishops ... but having said that he has been serious for long enough and adds-"If they made me one". R.A.D. *A note for Burnsians. James L. Dow is Bard of Greenock Burns Club and an Honorary Member of Irvine. * * * The Interpreter's House. By David Daniell (Nelson, £3·95). The centenary last August of John Buchan's birth found his literary reputation wearing well. Thirty-five years after his death, and in a changed world, there is still a steady public for his novels and short stories, both the tales of adventure and the historical romances. His biographies, of Scott and Montrose especially, are enjoyed and respected. The Northern Muse has for 50 years been the out­ standing anthology of Scottish poetry. The mass of his own verse is decently forgotten. Good going, this, for an author who, though thoroughly professional from his student days in Glasgow, fitted his writing into an incredibly crowded life in the world of affairs, culminating only with his death as Governor General of Canada. The rescue operation mounted in this critical assessment might hardly seem necessary. Dr. Daniell, however, is rescuing Buchan not from oblivion, but from the nasty things a few recent critics have said-that he was anti-black, anti-Jew and a jingoist, and that there was latent homosexuality in the almost exclusive predominance of men in his adventure stories. Dr. Daniell disposes of this nonsense satisfactorily, if laboriously, but his insistence on the need "to get John Buchan right again" gives his book an unnecessary defensiveness. The real usefulness of Dr. Daniell's work lies in his long and painstaking analysis of the themes that run through almost all Buchan's fiction, and in his identification of their sources. If only indirectly, Buchan put much of himself into his books. In the thrillers he drew, for theme and background, on his experiences in Milner's Kindergarten in South Africa (1901-03); his attachment as a writer to British Army H.Q. in France (1916-17); his position as Director of (Government) Information at home (1917-18) and on his assimilation into upper-class English society-a strange metamorphosis for a son of the Free Kirk manse. · All this gave a width and assurance to the thrillers and set him well above his contemporaries in this field. From his Calvinist upbringing he had a constant sense of the struggle between good and evil which gave an additional dimension to his kind of story. Dr. Daniell praises Buchan's "manipulation and inte­ gration of vast symbols". By insisting on this theme, and by classing Buchan as "a serious novelist in the line of Scott and Stevenson" Dr. Daniell contrives to make Buchan out to be a more important writer than he was, or claimed to be. He wrote for money and as a relaxation, in a genre which he knew would sell-he was not a director of Nelson's for nothing. As a novelist he avoided real people in a real world. He was a first-class story teller. On that basis his reputation must rest. J. S. Buist. 74

'. THEY WERE AMUSED!

During the visit of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Dumfries this year, Provost Ernest Robert­ son, as President of the Burns Federation, was pre­ sented to Her Majesty. From her questions and interest the Queen and Duke had obviously known of Provost Robertson's jaunt to Moscow to take part in the Burns Supper described in this issue. What the Duke had said to the Provost-or the Pro­ vost to the Duke- we do not know but the occasion gave Hugh Thompson the opportunity to record a moment of delightful in­ formality.

Photo, Hugh Thompson, Dumfries.

75 Mr. Din;:le's Dile1I1D1a by HILTON BROWN

We are sure that an outstanding Caledonian Society of Barterbury." characteristic of members of Burns "Well? What about it?" Clubs is a readiness to laugh at them­ "My dear Ethel! You ask me, selves when occasion demands. This what about it? These people are Scots. story may provide an opportunity. They know. They're crazy about Burns The late' Hilton Brown, novelist, and they know him inside out from poet and essayist will be remembered A to Z. You can blah to the English by many as the author of "There Was and get away with it. But if I say the A Lad," a biography of Burns published wrong thing here, if I make a slip-" in 1949. · "They wouldn't notice." The story first appeared in The Scots "Wouldn't they! It means I've got Magazine and we are indebted to the to work on this. They'll expect some­ Editor and to Mr. Leslie Brown for thing-scholarly. Recondite. Out of permission to reprint it. the ordinary. New. It's a very big We should add that Hilton Brown undertaking." prefaced it with this cautionary note: "Well, then, just write and say you "The author wishes to say, clearly can't do it." a·nd firmly, that this story is not based But Mr. Dingle didn't like that either. on personal experience!" A similar "I'm not going to do that. It's-it's reservation applies to the Editor of the a great honour." (And a thumping Chronicle! good advertisement, he thought-if I don't make a hash of it.) "It's an MR. GEOFFREY DINGLE, an extraordinary compliment if you come . Englishman and a writer, lived to think of it. That the Caledonian in the East Midland city of Barterbury; Society of Barterbury should ask a he said one morning, opening his Sassenach to propose the Immortal breakfast-table letters, "I say, Ethel! Memory at their Burns Supper.... " This is something. They want me to Mrs. Dingle thought privately that propose the Immortal Memory." perhaps the Caledonian Society of Mrs. Dingle said placidly, "That'll Barterbury couldn't get anyone else, be very nice, dear." but she had more sense than to say so. "I don't know about nice. It's a "But why shouldn't they have a-a responsibility." Sassenach? When the Sassenach knows "But you know such a lot about about Burns." Burns, dear. Everybody liked your "But do I know?" said Mr. Dingle articles. And you gave such a nice wildly, "the way they know. I suppose talk to the Ladies' Club." there'll be a hundred people at the Mr. Dingle said that was all very dinner; I'll be addressing a hundred weII. "Articles are articles. The Ladies' experts. It's frightening ... I'll have to Club were aII English. But this is the look up those articles and see. . . . " 76 affair at Friar's Carse-if it was Friar's Carse. Yes, he though-this is the stuff; ' "Yes, dear," said his wife, "I should.' I'll base the speech on this. But have I Mr. Dingle :finished his breakfast got it absolutely right? There are and betook himself to his study; there points. . . . I ought to look up the he disinterred from his bookcase the Train MSS again about Mary at album in which he kept his published Coilsfi.eld; Miss Kennedy's letter to but uncollected works. There were Currie about Burns' apology to the three articles on Burns which had Riddells-1 should re-read that. I'll appeared successively in the same run up to the British Museum, thought serious quarterly. The first article was Mr. Dingle; I'll work on this-I'll have called "Metre and Prosody in Burns," to. I must be absolutely watertight Mr. Dingle discarded it at once. ("It.. with an audience like these Caledonians; would mean reading extracts and I no loopholes. . . . can't do the Scotch.") The second was * * * * * called-rather preciously-"Bricks with The Caledonian Society of Barter- Straw"; it dealt with the rich quarries bury held its Burns Supper in a hotel which Burns had drawn much of called the Unicorn, and the first thing from the his material-Sempill, Montgomery, Mr. Dingle discovered on entering Allan Ramsay, Fer­ Unicorn on the night of January 25th Gilbertfi.eld, had gusson; the same objection applied to was that the heating apparatus it as to the first, and besides it was failed. This was evident in the entrance almost too dry to make an after-dinner hall; it became more so when he went speech. to the Gentlemen to wash his hands. remained article number three No hot water. He had had a glimpse There of -"The Unsolved Mysteries of Robert of the dining-room-a frigid array Mr. Dingle had always liked white-clothed tables looking like a Burns.'' Mr. this one; beginning to read it now, he glacier. Not a help, thought it more than ever. This, he Dingle, the heating failing like this. liked of the thought, is the thing for them! It But no doubt the enthusiasm of a close investigation into Caledonians would make up for it. consisted but a that elusive figure Highland Mary-and A gilded youth with no chin she identical with Mary Campbell compensating wealth of hair was settling was of the of Dundonald who pursued a seducer his tie with great care in front Hay through the Courts civil mirror; Mr. Dingle said- to him hope­ named pleasant and ecclesiastical; it then made an· fully that it looked like being a elaborate analysis of the Sabine Rape evening. 77 "I suppose so." A Scot, thought Mr. in front o( the mirror, adjusting Dingle, his noting his intonation; I think tie. His tie did not need adjusting, but Edinburgh. his mind did. "You don't seem very sure about * * * * * it." Presently Mr. Dingle, emerging "Och, from I suppose it'll be much the the privacy of the Gentlemen, found same as usual." his Chairman and was introduced. It was obvious that the young man The Chairman possessed the sound did not realise that he addressed the Scots name of Macvicar. Guest He was a of Honour-how should he? little stout man, overheated (in contrast Fired by the spirit of mischief, Mr. to the Unicorn) and genial, Dingle said, with white hair, a white moustache, cheeks rosy "Depends if we get a good speech." as apples. (But you will, he thought-I've seen to "Aye, Mr. Dingle! that.) Come away, Mr. Dingle. Very good of ye t' come It was an error; the young man t' us tonight." looked at him glassily and said with Mr. Dingle thought, petulance, with sudden clairvoyance-You had never heard "I think all these speeches are a of me before. He was right. damn bore." His petulance increased. "Not at all, Mr. Macvicar ... an "I told the Committee we ought just honour ... very pleased." to have a nice Social Evening-dancing "That's all right, Mr. Dingle, and games that's and that. Not this Burns fine. Come away now and have a stuff." drink." "But-but it's Burns's birthday." Mr. Dingle said it was a little "Well? early It was a lot of other people's and perhaps if he might have a word birthdays too. I don't go on all this beforehand. . . . . Immortal Memory idea. I think we "Ye'd better take it when ye can get ought to forget it." it, Mr. Dingle. Of course, "But-but-Burns. I've half a Do you know dozen o' the best laid by for me and anything about Burns?" friends-includin' you, of The course," he young man's tie was now to added hastily-"! have it hidden, his satisfaction; he prepared to escape but there's some here wud from Mr. get at it if I Dingle's astonishment. had it in the Ladies'. Ye'd better have "Well-not an awful lot. We had an appetiser now." to read the- Cotter's Saturday Night "But-the speech, Mr. at Macvicar." school. Sentimental stuff." He "Och-the speech. Twenty minutes. reverted to his original grievance. "If Jist say anything ye like." we'd had just a Social, we could have Mr. Dingle's temper had dancing." was beginning to show signs of wear. "I was Mr. Dingle taking said distantly that he it rather more seriously than that. I understood there was to be dancing; thought-" later on. The Chairman misunderstood. 'Och, . "Och, I dare say. But we'll have to no-nothing serious. have Keep them all those blooming speeches first. laughin'-that's all ye want." He gave And toasts. And haggis and what-have­ Mr. Dingle a stare blent of speculation ---you. Can you dance on haggis? I can't. and misgiving. "And not more than Well-see y' later maybe." twenty minutes." He yawned elaborately and departed. Mr. Dingle had carefully timed Mr. Dingle him­ in turn spent some time self to an exact twenty-five-not too 78 much surely for the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns? This is a nice beginning, he reflected-thinking of cuts before we've even sat down at table. "Ye see," said Mr. Macvicar, "we aye get behind somehow on the time­ table. And there's the dancing comin' on. We don't want t' keep the band waitin'-we're payin' them for it, after all. But never you worry. If I think ye're goin' on too long, I'll just blow m' nose like this." He did so; it rivalled the Last Trump. "Ye'll hear that all Taking no chances on the supply of whisky ... right. And now, what about a wee-" a word about the speech," "Just proportion said Mr. Dingle firmly. "I thought a they had already got a good the mystery of High­ of it safely inside them. To do them few words about upon land Mary-" justice, they pressed it lavishly laughed heartily and Mr. Dingle. Mr. Macvicar you. complete non-comprehension. "Oh, no thank you. No thank with to speak, you "That'll be fine. Ye canna go wrong Not just yet. I have with Highland Mary." He laughed know." richly. "There "Och, speak! ... Man, ye'll speak all again, even more an' mysteries about Highland the better for it. . . . Freedom werena many So does Mary when Robbie had done with her .. whisky gang thegither. An' that's a fact!" speeches." said Mr. Dingle with An immense man with a very red "And then," smile said increased firmness, for he observed his face and an elephantine roving towards the bar, confidentially to Mr. Dingle, host's eyes mettle tonight. "and then I thought I might touch on "Ye'll have t' be on y'r Rape. . . . " Y e've something t' beat. D'ye know the Sabine Memory "Eh?" who we had for the Immortal "The Sabine Rape. At Friar's last year?" I'll give reasons, of course," Mr. Dingle said he didn't. Carse. man, Johnnie he added hastily, "for saying it was "Johnnie Goudie, Woodley Park." ' Goudie." Friar's Carse, not stopped Chairman's blue eyes became "Johnnie-?" Mr. Dingle The saw would have slightly glazed; he said, with extreme himself in what he aye. Oh, aye. Fine. been a disastrous question by re­ vagueness, "Oh, Goudie and friars' whatever-y' said membering in time that Johnnie But-rapes spectacular just mind that there's ladies ...." was a radio comedian of ... those regions bor­ He decided that the bar could wait no repute-especially in Dingle's arm. dering on Glasgow; his specialty was longer; he took Mr. the Dingle. Ye'll never speak a sudden pause in his patter and "Now, Mr. staccato bleat without a dram. Come on!" ejaculation in a peculiar of the cry "Coo-ca'ens." Mr. Dingle * * * * * hurriedly to At the bar were several gentlemen switched his question evidently taking no chances another. who were what line did he on the Unicorn's supply_ of whisky; "Oh, indeed? And 79 ake?" But the Caledonians had "Och, not erred in I don't know about line. 'their choice; Mrs. Christie was adroit But-och, man, he was a caution. in her responses. In They were thJough the middle o' his speech he sort o' the fish before Mr. Dingle, hypnotised dried up like-all done on purpose, o' by her hazel eyes, realised course-an' that she was then out he comes with merely echoing in other words whatever it-'Coo-ca'ens!' I tell ye, it brought he said to her. He was down the pondering house. . . . Ay, ye'll have this disappointment when the haggis something t' do t' beat Johnnie." arrived amid uproar. Perhaps he saw the expression on the "Oh, I do like the haggis, Mr. Guest's face, for he added with hasty Dingle. I hope you do." kindness, "But ye will, o' course-I've "Verses or vittles?" Rather no doubt neat ye will." that, he thought. But Mrs. Christie The Chairman descended upon them, was up to it. ambrosial and fussing. "Drink up, "Oh, both of them. gentlemen, Poem and drink up. Here's us a puddin'. 'Great chieftain o' the puddin' quarter o' an hour behind time already race.' Isn't that it?" an' we're not even sat down. An' "One of the best things Burns ever there's the dancing', y' ,know-the wrote,'' said Mr. Dingle ladies'll judicially. all be eager for the dancin'. He liked Mrs. Christie, he felt good We mustn't keep that waitin'. Drink up, wine warm within him, gentlemen." he felt better altogether. "Quite the best thing he * * * * * wrote in Edinburgh. . . . Why Mr. Dingle's do yo dinner partner was think Burns went off his form so in charming and attractive. She was a Edinburgh? It's puzzling." Mrs. Christie; she had evidently been It was too puzzling selected for Mrs. Christie; as the Caledonians' lady most , she blocked it by helping herself capable of to holding her own with the haggis; she took evasive action on Guest of Honour, and she was evidently Edinburgh by picking pre-assured up the Wee of her success. She had .. :Orappie O't (according to the menu) even-as he presently saw-looked Mr. which had been placed beside Dingle up her. in Who's Who. "Oh, I'm sure this'll go to my head! "I did enjoy those clever articles of ·Well-here's tae us." yours, Mr. Dingle. I really did." She drained it. Perhaps Mr. it did go Dingle disliked the adjective to her head; she became a little rash. "clever" but he said he was very "The Haggis is fine. But then all glad. "That's very kind of you, Mrs. Burns' songs are fine." Christie. Which one?" "The Haggis isn't exactly a song, "Oh-all of them." you know." "But was there any special one?" "Och, no, but .... Och, Mrs. some of them Christie played for time with a are just love-ly. What about the 'Land spoonful of soup. "Oh, the one about o' the Leal,." Burns." Mr. Dingle wrestled with "But they himself. were all about Burns." But Mrs. Christie was attractive and "No, but Burns and the Mysteries. charming; he fought it down. That was just love-ly. I can't thmk · "Yes. It's a very fine song." how you could be so clever as to write "And of course-of course-"Annie all that." Laurie." Oh, Mr. Dingle, I think They talked for a little about the that's the very best he ever did." Burns Mysteries-or Mr. Dingle did. "Quite!" said Mr. Dingle, rather 80 Mrs. Christie had evidently been carefully selected.

into a brown study, her lower lip drawn up between her pearly teeth; clever enough to realise that she had slipped up somewhere, she was wonder­ ing where it could possibly have been; she, too, was recapitulating-but in vain. All these things Mr. Dingle saw with his eyes; with his mind he saw shortly; he picked up,_ very thoughtfully one Geoffrey Dingle working against again, a substantial forkful of the Great time in the British Museum Reading Chieftain. Room, chasing references and cross­ * * * * * references, checking, verifying, to equip They reached the Queen and the himself for the task of meeting-these. Armed Forces. Even as he proposed They do not know the first thing about those loyal toasts, the Chairman, as Burns, Mr. Dingle told himself; do Mr. Dingle did not fail to observe, they even care? was looking at his watch. There was And he answered himself-they do the dancing; mustn't keep them waiting not. The gilded youth wants a Social for that; the Last Trump will be blown Evening, the red-faced man wants at me, reckoned Mr. Dingle, at nearer Johnnie Goudie, the Chairman wants fifteen minutes than twenty; does it to get on to the dancing-so that he matter? ... Almost immediately Mr. and his chosen friends may then repair Macvicar was on his feet again, em­ to that cache of half a dozen o' the barking now on the perennial and best. Mrs. Christie wants to be told thankless task of every Chairman­ what a "clever" little thing she is. to introduce, without being either And Geoffrey Dingle wants to sink flippant or stodgy, insulting or fulsome, through the floor. a man about whom he knows nothing Tension was mounting, the Chairman and cares less. was nearing the magic words, "I call Mr. Dingle employed his brief respite upon." With his eyes again, Mr. Dingle in recapitulation; he ran over in his saw the script of his speech where he mind the events of the evening, its had laid it on the table in front of him, series of disconcerting conversations. that script dealing so competently From his position of honour he could with Dundonald Mary and the Sabine see all his new-found friends and the Rape and through these with a Rober_t sight was not encouraging. He saw Burns apparently unknown to the the gilded youth of the Gentlemen, present company-with his queer com­ lying back in his chair, his chinlessness plex character, his likeable caddishness, sunk morosely into his collar, barely his tragic glory, his eternally successful containing himself till more Social failure. Mr. .Dingle saw the speech · activities might begin. lying there for a moment, and then he He saw the red-faced man with the did not see it-because he had picked elephantine smile hoping against hope it up and folded it neatly and stuffed that he might perhaps hear something it into the pocket of his tails. half as good as Johnnie Goudie. "I call upon our Guest of Honour The vivacious Mrs. Christie had fallen " 81 Amid conventional applause Mr. me, dear. I got such a fright when you Dingle rose. He said he was honoured started like that. I thought you'd lost and delighted ... a rare honour, a rare your place or something." delight. He got a laugh out of the "Perhaps I had." word "Sassenach," he got a laugh "It wasn't the speech you read me." out of the story of the bookie who said "No." he felt like a lion in a den of Daniels. "Then you changed it?" So far according to plan. The next "Looks like it, doesn't it?" words should have been, "But now, "It was much better, of course." ladies and gentlemen, let me be serious, Mrs. Dingle gave the screw cap of the as befits ..." But those were not Mr. hot-water bottle an extra twist. "Much Dingle's next words. better. You do know about Burns, "I have risen tonight, ladies and dear; you really do." gentlemen, to give you the health of "Yes!" said Mr. Dingle tersely. the man all Scotland loves." There "Bed!" was a faint murmur of approval. "And why is Burns the man all Scotland loves? Because, ladies and gentlemen, he loved all Scotland." The applause broke cover, the red-faced man leading it. "There is a phrase we often use" (God forbid, he thought, that I ever should!) "a phrase we all love because Fair Fa' Your Honest Sonsie it is kindly and homely and says just Plaice what we mean-the phrase 'We're a' Jock Tamson's bairns.' I do not think Forty-eight members of St. Margaret's that phrase was in use in Burns' day; United Reform Church, South Shields, but of this I am confident-that, had had gathered to do honour to the Bard it been in use, he would have used it. and sat awaiting the climax of the For man to man, the world o'er ..." evening-the arrival of the haggis. This time the applause came easily; But the minutes ticked past and it was agreement, not exclamation. excitement turned to apprehension as Mr. Dingle's audience relaxed, they no haggis appeared. Very definitely sagged a little in their chairs, their Something Was Wrong!. collective sigh of relief ran round the Phone calls to the caterers were made, room like a small wind. They had been or would have been made, had there a little afraid of Mr. Dingle, more than not been a fault on the telephone. a little doubtful. But he was going to Disaster loomed. Then someone had be all right after all-all right after a bright idea. Disappointed haggis­ all. eaters descended on a nearby chipper * * * * * and dashed back with fish and chips- It was late. The Burns Night of the 48 times. Caledonian Society of Barterbury had The chairman of the organisers com­ ended-at least so far as the Dingles mented: "It was not so funny at the were concerned, though doubtless not time but now we can see the funny side for the Chairman and his friends. of it." Safely home again, Mrs. Dingle was (Our thanks to Willie Duff, a Darling­ filling a hot-water bottle. Mrs. Dingle ton journalist, for sending us a cutting said, from the Northern Echo, from which "I do think you might have warned the foregoing is condensed.) 82 ------.. ··-1 l

Tam o' Shanter pursued by witches to the Auld Brig o' Doon (new road bridge in background). In Tam·s Footsteps Written by Dorothy K. Haynes with pictures by K. M. Andrew DURING the summer, hardly a Ayr Riding Club a focal point for its week goes by in Scotland without regular outings. some kind of local festival, march lt was the Riding Club who originated riding or gala day. Some of these the idea. As their rides passed so festivals go back for hundreds of years, many places of Burns interest, they felt some are quite new, and most tie it might be a good idea to do the whole themselves to some interesting event thing formally. They approached the in the town or village's history. Ayr Burns Club, who were in favour, Ayr's annual festival started only and together they evolved a colourful seven years ago, in 1969, and predict­ procession-cum-charade. ably, is linked with Burns. The em­ I attended this year's ride, on June phasis, however, is not so much on 4, and joined the crowd in front of the poet himself as on his perhaps the Tam o' Shanter Inn. The action best-known poem, Tam o' Shanter. It began when Rabbie himself, played by takes the form of a dramatic enactment Gordon Taylor, recited the first part of Tam's celebrated adventures, with of Tam o' Shanter, up to the moment a little bit of Burns biography thrown when Tam made his reluctant decision in, and as well as providing enter­ to ride. tainment to the public, it gives the This marked the start of the pro- 83 Above-Landlord, Souter Johnny, landlady and Robert Burns (Gordon Taylor) . Facing page­ A group of attractive witches pursue Tam across the Auld Brig. The writer of the article comments critically on the witches' footwear! cession. Tam, (John Armstrong), entertained us with Burns songs. Tam wearing his "guid blue bonnet," and crossed the bridge, at a rather more suitably "inebriated," was got on sober pace than in the poem, because to his horse, and set off with Souter of the crowds and the cobbles, the Johnny, in a similar condition. Follow­ witches poured after him, and snatched ing in two landaus were various other Meg's tail: and the ceremony was characters from the poem, the landlord completed by the appearance of the and landlady of the inn, Burns, Jean various characters, and a final recitation Armour, Burns's sister, and Highland of the relevant parts of the poem. Mary. Next came a horde of witches It is all very pleasant and light­ (Craigie College drama students) in hearted, and, generally speaking, the one of Buchanan's whisky drays, drawn principals take great pains to act the by their famous black and white horses, part well. The landlady, for example, and the procession was completed by wore a cap which had belonged to members of the Ayr Riding Club. Isabella Burns Begg, the poet's sister. The ride takes a fair bit of organ­ Burns, too, looked the part-modern ising. Timing must be exact, traffic hairstyles need little adaptation to the must be diverted at some parts of the style of 200 years ago! The witches. route. The procession follows more or if anything, were the weak point of less the way that Tam took on that the evening. I felt that such 20th dark and stormy night, right U'.J to century garments as bobby-sox could Alloway's auld haunted kirk and the be hidden by longer "goonies," and auld Brig o' Doon, where the climax witches have no right to look like of the drama is enacted. drama students! l waited here as the Ayr Pipe Band However ludicrous it may seem 84 (and Burns might just have been agin beyond dispute. it) it is probably wise, in affairs of this Opinions I heard in passing vary kind, to involve the local dignitaries. from the conviction that it has reached After the ceremony, they were all there its peak (the crowds were rather on the bridge to add their blessing to smaller this year,) and the desire to the evening's entertainment, Provost have it done once a month to a fresh Paton of Kyle and Carrick District, audience each time. I think myself and ex-Provost Handyside, representing that it may be self-li miting. Apart from Ayr Riding Club. Another familiar bringing in famous names as a draw face was that of John Gray,* curator (Jack House took part in 1973) you of the Tam o' Shanter Museum. Mr. can't monkey about with Tam o' Gray, in his 80's, took the part of Shanter. The poem stands on its own, Burns for several years. and must be followed implicitly. The Ride is the kind of thing that Which is as good a reason as any could only happen in Ayr, and judging for dramatising it. by the number of pilgrims who visit Burns's cottage every summer, it should command a good audience. The *Since this article was written John Gray enthusiasm of those who take part is has di.,d. See page 40.

85 Practise l'erses In January of this year the members of Alyth Literary Society heard a talk by the Editor of the Chronicle on Practise, or Precentor's Verses. 'This has not appeared in print and as it embodies much original research by the late Rev. James Thomson, it seemed to some who heard the talk that it might interest a wider audience. When the talk was given a number of verses, illustrating various tunes, were sung by Mr. Alexander. A number of older members in the audience joined in the singing of some of these, so clearly practise verses are no very distant memory. J AM going to take you back to a day The verses are sheer doggerel. You just after the middle of last century. may think they are irreverent. It is It is a weekday. The choir of a kirk hard for us today, to accept that God­ in a Scottish village is gathering for fearing Scots ever sang them, even for practice. There is no organ of course, practice. Very little has been written and the man in command-no woman about them and I think it is true to say would have done, and indeed no that many present-day church members woman would have aspired to the have never even heard of them. position-is the precentor. In The fragmentary references to them working hours he is the village joiner. which do appear tend to treat them We are going to hear a lot about the with derision. Admittedly, they rep­ precentor. He addresses the choir:- resent literature in about its lowest "Noo that we're a' here, and in guid form. But the fact remains that for voice I trust, we'll begin. We'll try 200 years, from 1700 till late last ower a verse or twa tae 'Crimond'. century, they were in regular use in After that we'll try oor hand at 'Glas­ almost every town and village in gow'. We werena awfu guid on that Scotland, outside the Gaelic-speaking last Saw bath, ye'll mind." area, from Galloway to Orkney. The precentor gives the note with a The reason for their use was a very tuning fork. We would almost certainly logical one. It was thought highly recognise the tunes we would hear, for improper to use sacred words in any they have been dear to generations other context than that of actual of Scots. But the words . . . I wonder worship. I will come back to that what we would have made of them? aspect, but first let me explain the The first verse I will quote was source of the information which forms frequently used to give practice with the basis of this talk. the tune "Crimond". I have had the good fortune to be allowed to read a thesis on the subject I wish I were a brewer's horse Tae gang aboot wi' yill, written by the late Rev. James Thom­ And every door that I'd come to son, parish minister of Carmyllie. This I'd stand and take my fill. has never been published, although Dr. Millar Patrick, compiler of a celebrated These lines were used for "Glasgow". history ofpsalmody, thought highly of it Behold how good a thing it is and urged Mr. Thomson to have it And how becoming well, published, saying he knew of no such Tae has a great big treacle scone thorough-going treatment of the sub­ And eat it a' yersel'. ject. What I have to say is based almost 86 "There was a Cameronian cat ..."

entirely on Mr. Thomson's thesis. would have been regarded as sacrilege It is very difficult to discover when by the Reformers to use the actual the use of the verses began, for no words of the Psalms of David. So records are available of their practice verses were concocted with metres or approval. The earliest reference corresponding to the metres of the to them appears in a little book by various psalms to be practised. The Thomas Bruce, The Common Tunes or themes were chosen to be far removed Scotland's Music Made Plain, published from those associated with divine wor­ in Edinburgh in 1726. In this. book ship. "certain harmless verses," as one writer Who wrote them? We don't know. describes them, were printed along with At the beginning of last century a the tunes appropriate to the metre. book of Lines or Verses was published These verses, however, seem to have in Scotland, but so far as Mr. Thomson been on more conventional lines than knew, no copy was in existence in his those that came into vogue later in the lifetime. Probably the precentors wrote 1700's, the verses of which I am many of them. They would pass from talking. parish to parish. Basically they were It would be reasonable to say that the compositions of the common folk our practise verses came into use of the country, with no pretensions with the beginning of church choirs, to literary merit. They are a species which was roughly about 1750. They of folk-song. They are about the came to be used not only throughout weaver, the miller, the brewer and the Scotland, but also over the whole of ploughman; cats and dogs, ducks, hens, Protestant Ireland and it is believed cows; potatoes, porridge, scones; about they also infiltrated into Northern towns and villages and the countryside; England. the variety is extraordinary. I have mentioned church choirs. Probably the most familiar set of Here is another almost forgotten aspect verses is that which goes under the of church life-the interest not only title of "The Seceder Cat" or "The of the church but of the Scottish Presbyterian Cat" or "The Cameronian Parliament, in fostering the gifts of Cat". They will go to quite a number song. Long before the Reformation, of tunes, like so many of the psalms. Song Schools were to be found in many An army officer told Mr. Thomson, parts of the country. Many of the how, in the First World War, the men members of these schools provided from Lewis, Harris and Uist under him singers for the choirs of churches and would sing the verses as a comic song cathedrals. whenever they had a ceilidh behind the The choice of the local schoolmaster lines. was often influenced by his ability to teach his pupils the melodies used in There was a Cameronian cat church praise. After the Reformation Was hunting for a prey, the difficulty arose as to what words And in the hoose she catched a moose were to be used at choir practice. It Upon the Sabbath day. 87 The minister was a-a-angry humour. John Buchan said that our To see the act profane; vernacular poertry is to a great degree He laid his book by, and the cat a reflection of the national character, He boond it wi' a chain. and combines within itself startling "Oh, ye malignant cre-a-ture anomalies. He compares In ignorance," said he, our humour "And did ye think tae pit the blame very aptly, with some cathedral of On my guid wife and me?" the Middle Ages, with peasants gossip­ They went intae the ga-a-arden, ·ing and laughing in the nave, the devout The cat, the wife and he. at prayer in side-chapels, and with He pit a rope aroond its neck grinning and leering gargoyles looking And hanged it on a tree. down on stained glass saints. Now, according to Mr. Thomson, This love of violent contrast is a these verses were a skit on the unco' continuing trait in the nature of the guid. He quotes some comments of Scot, but of course there could also be­ James Hogg on the strictness of the to some extent at least-a less flattering Covenanters, to whom they were explanation for the prevalence of those supposed to refer: practise verses. Life was rough-and "I have heard their ministers, myself, coarse-200 years ago. We simply when distributing the Sacrament, form­ cannot appreciate the outlook of our ally debar from the Table, the King forefathers of that period. Standards and his ministers, all witches and of taste, morals and manners were ,warlocks, all who had committed or entirely different. Even physically, we attempted suicide; all who played could be shown to have changed. Look cards or dice; all men who had ever at groups of photographs of country­ danced opposite a woman; and every folk, fisherfolk and colliers of 100 years woman who had danced with her face ago and you will see how better diet towards a man ..." and so on. and easier working conditions have Who composed the original set of changed the physical characteristics of verses-there are countless variations? us, their descendants. I do not say Perhaps some pillar of the Presbyterian we are better-that is altogether another Church, for the Scots have always been subject, but we are different. good at making jokes about themselves. Having said that the practise verses To take this theme a little further. were out and out doggerel, it should In a local newspaper of May, 1924, be added that so-called literary taste a reader told how, many years before even among the accepted hymn writers he had been passing a country church during the period I am talking about on a weekday, when he heard issuing could be abys~mal. What do you think from the building, words which I have of this? already quoted: My heart is like a rusty lock, I wish I was a brewer's horse, etc. Oh, oil it with thy grace, And rub it, rub it, rub it, Lord, Coming on the minister's man in Until I see They face. the kirkyard, the visitor asked what this extraordinary performance meant. I have probably said enough to give It was explained to him that it was the some idea of the origins of the practise choir at practice. verses and of the people who composed Clearly the words seemed to him to them and sang them. Perhaps you be highly irreverent, and yet it is just would care for some examples. Well, this contrast of sacred and secular that as I have said, they covered practically is such an essential part of Scottish everything. 88 "The longer that the souter sews, The blacker grow his thumbs."

Elgin's in Moray, in the North, From whence comes good but rare. The horses they are very fat, Here is one about the weaver which The lassies very fair. was used when practising the tune The verse for "York" seems to sum "Martyrs". it all up! The weaver said unto his son, The name of this tune is called York. The day that he was born, The reason I don't know. "My blessings on your frosty pow They might as well have called it Cork, "Ye'll gang wi' pirns the morn." Carmarthen or Rathoe. This verse was composed by a "Bangor"-the practise verses for Glasgow precentor and known to have this have achieved a wider currency been used in Rutherglen and other parts than most. It have been a of Lanarkshire. may The high, high notes of Bangor's tune skit on the practice of sending children . Are unco' hard tae raise, to work as soon as they could toddle. And tryin' hard tae reach them gars The following verse was sung to The lassies burst their stays. "Dundee". Can we believe that these lines were The longer that the plum tree grows, ever sung at a choir practice, any­ the blacker grow the plooms. at any time? _Mr. Thomson The longer that the souter sews, where, his thumbs. says the verse was highly popular, The blacker grow to Here and adds that there is no evidence Those are verses about people. But some an animal, to the show that it wasn't used. is something about must have had their doubts "Dunfermline". precentors tune about its suitability, for a second version Gae bring tae me a cairt o' stobs, is known. It is very laboured, though, Tae fence the gairden roond, believe that the first Tae keep a' thae infernal swine and one can well Frae tearing up the ground. version was the more popular. Incidentally, the prefixing of the 0 Bangor's notes are unco heigh, to a tune rarely signi­ And try the lassies sair, O! name of a town They pech and grain and skirl and skreich fies any direct connection with that Till they can sing nae mair, 0 ! place. "Dundee': for instance was not necessarily composed by a Dun­ "Coleshill" was a tune highly re­ donian, or first sung in that town. garded everywhere. There were many The titles were for the most part given variants of practise verses, a number just for ease of memorising. The gibe akin to the following: in the following practise verse to the tune "Elgin" suggests a southern origin:

"The horses they are very fat, The lassies very fair." 89 " ... The lassies burst their stays."

There was a man that lived in Uz, They called him J-0-B. And he was perfect and upright Oh, mither dear, Tam Lowrie's lum And worshipped G-0-D. When will it sweepit be? One more example For a' the soot's come tumblin' doon of "verse and An' spilet ma' granny's tea. worse" -(This was not a practise verse): The following lines from Aberdeen­ Ye finny monsters of the deep, shire were almost certainly based on Your Maker's praises shout; Isaac Watts' hymn: Up from the sands ye codlings peep And wag your tails about. The hill of Zion yields A thousand sacred sweets. . . As you would expect there were sometimes considerable differences be­ Unfortunately, Mr. Thomson doesn't tween practise verses thought suitable say what psalm or hymn they relate to for a town congregation and those but they are so full of character I thought acceptable for a country kirk. simply must quote them: This can be illustrated with three The hill o' Morman yields practise versions of the "Old Hun­ A thousand lade of peats; dredth". The first as sung by a town Before we reach the peaty bogs choir, the second by a country one. We'll walk o'er Strichen streets. The third version, entirely different, was used in Stromness, Orkney. Then lat oor sangs abound, And every peat be dry: All people that Old Hundredth sing We're marchin' on for Mormon's Hill With cheerful voice the measure take; And the peat moss nearby. Gar ilka line wi' grandeur ring, Put on the seventh note a shake. It is diverting to speculate on the All people that on earth do dwell identity of the worst practise verse ever Rax oot yer hand an' help yersel'. written. If the choice were mine, I Or else, ye may depend upon't, think it would go not to any rural Ye'll get a scone wi' naethin' on't. versifier, but to a well-known Glasgow My eyes are dim, I canna see; minister. Once in a sermon this man, I speak o' my infirmity; Zachary Boyd, lectured Oliver Crom­ I didna mean tae sing a hymn; well, and though Oliver didn't like it I only said my eyes are dim. Zachary escaped punishment. But he There's an amusing story about the should never have been allowed to get last verse. It refers to a small church away with the awful verse he churned presumably in England, in which there out by the yard. Here is the particular were few books and no music of any gem of which I am thinking: kind. The minister was in the habit of reading aloud each successive couplet There was a man named Job of the hymn or psalm, the congregation Dwelt in the land of Uz. then joining in it. One very dark He had a good gift o' the gob, morning The same as some of us. the minister began: "The light has grown so very dim, I Almost inevitably this was parodied: really cannot see the hymn." 90 The precentorslipped into "Sir Patrick Spens:"

The congregation proceeded to sing these lines after him. The minister, to clear up the situation, went on: every psalm by heart. This habit and "I did not mean to sing the hymn, I only his love of the ballads combined to said the light was dim." bring about an event that was talked Again the congregation followed, and about in Greenock for years after. the minister in desperation, said: One Sabbath morning the congre­ "What is the matter with you all? I did gation was singing Psalm 107, from not mean the hymn at all." verse 21, which describes the plight of And the congregation sang that sailors in a gale: too! Who go to sea in ships and in A good precentor was a tremendous Great waters trading be; asset to a church. The stories about Within the deep, these men God's works this influential character are legion. And his great wonders see. Monymusk, in Aberdeenshire, was The psalm clearly recalled to his famous for its precentor, Thomas mind the events so vividly described Channon, who flourished i°' the 18th in "Sir Patrick Spens," which he had century. I have read that he was an been singing to the same tune as the English soldier, a Methodist, who was psalm on the Saturday evening. For bought out of the army so that he could when he came to verse 26, instead of take charge of the music at Mony­ lining out the words of the psalm, musk. John Wesley visited Monymusk which describe the reeling ship, he twice and left in his Journal a note slipped into "Sir Patrick Spens". saying how impressed he was with the Oh, laith, laith were oor guid Scots lords singing. He wrote: "I doubt whether To weet their cork-heeled shoon; it could have been excelled at any But Jang or a' the play was played cathedral in England". They wat their hats aboon. The practise verse associated with Not surprisingly, the congregation the tune "Monymusk" brought in the blindly followed the precentor into name of the local proprietor, who the ballad. For he was the man who instituted extensive agricultural im­ never made a mistake. With closed eyes provements in the area: he still sang confidently on: How lovely is thy dwelling place, And mony was the feather-bed Sir Archie Grant to me; That fluttered on the faem, The home park and the policies, And mony was the guid lord's son How pleasant, sir, they be. That never mair cam hame. . . Greenock had a very notable precen­ and so on, right to · the end of the tor called John McQuiston. He was ballad, and down he sat, quite oblivious a great lover of the old ballads and that he had ·made church history. used his favourites to practise his What did the congregation think? tunes to. He loved above all, "Sir We don't know. But we know what Patrick Spens". When singing the the minister said the next Sunday: lines of a psalm he would close his "Gie us nane o' yer ballads the day, na eyes, for he boasted that the knew John". 91 MOTTO-'A MAN'S A MAN FOR A' THAT' THE BURNS FEDERATION INSTITUTED 1885

Hon. Presidents ALEX. MACMILLAN, J.P., M.A., M.ED., 13 Kilwinning Road, Irvine A. NEIL CAMPBELL, F.C.I.s., 141 Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh EHiO 5PP FRED. J. BELFORD, M.A., F.E.I.S., 3 Park Giove, Liberton, Edinburgh, EH16 6JE Mrs. S. G. BAILLIE, 38 Gordon Street, Balwyn, E.8, Victoria, Australia ALEX. JOHNSTONE, J.P., CH.ENG., F.I.PROD.E., 41 Benwerrin Ave., Carss Park, · Blakehurst, N.S.W. WILLIAM J. OLIVER, 2 Bellevue Street, Dunedin, New Zealand A. Y. CRAWFORD, 164 Newhaven Road, Edinburgh Mrs. M. COULSON, 10 Queensberry Court, Dumfries J. NORVAL MURRAY, Commercial Bank Buildings, Bank Street, Irvine G. W. BURNETT, 40 Brecks Lane, Rotherham ALEXANDER C. CooK, 4 School Terrace, Coalsnaughton, Tillicoultry Mrs. JANE BURGOYNE, M.A., 12 Lockharton Avenue, Edinburgh EH14 lAZ Mrs. V. W. BROOM, 12 Whitecotes Lane, Chesterfield S40 3HL J. D. MCBAIN, 33 Humbledon Park, Sunderland DOUGLAS SMALL, 36 Abernethy Road, Barnhill, Dundee DAVID MILLER, 64 Rosefield Road, Dumfries BRUCE MCGUFF

Officials President-JAMES E. INGLIS, 'Glentress,' 13 Halloughton Road, Southwell, Notts. NG25 OLP Senior Vice-President-R. A. B. McLAREN, 11 South Lauder Road, Edinburgh EH92NB Junior Vice-President-ABE TRAIN, 71 Woodside Crescent, Newmains, Lanark­ shire Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer-J. F. T. THOMSON, M.A., F.L.A., Dick Insti­ tute, Elmbank Avenue, Kilmarnock KAl 3BU Hon. Editor-R. ARTHUR DAw, 29 Hill Rise, Kirriemuir DD8 4RJ Schools Competitions-FRED J. BELFORD, M.A., F.E.I.S., 3 Park Grove, Liberton, Edinburgh EHl 6 6JE ALBERT W. FINLAYSON, M.A., F.E.1.s., East Gallaberry, Kirkmahoe, Dumfries DGl lSY Hon. Legal Adviser-SCOTT I. GALT, LL.B., Messrs. McLeish Thomson & Co., Solicitors, 8 Buchanan Street, Glasgow G 1 3LL Publicity Officer-GEORGE ANDERSON, 97 Calderwood Road, Burnside, Glasgow G73 3PJ 92 Past-Presidents Provost E. ROBERTSON, 11 Rosemount Street, Dumfries THOMAS ANDERSON, 36 Linfern Avenue East, Kilmarnock KAl 3LL CHARLES C. EASTON, F.s.A., 55 Rosehill Drive, Aberdeen MATTHEW McLAUCHLAN, Glebe House, Knottingley, Yorks. Mrs. JANE BURGOYNE, M.A., c/o C. J. McLeod, Cairnston, Drongan, Ayrshire DANIEL J. McILDOWIE, J.P., 'Invermay,' Doune Road, Dunblane, Perthshire ROBERT DONALDSON, 36 Deanwood Avenue, Muirend, Glasgow G44 Dr. JOHN I. TAYLOR, M.B., CH.B., 7 Kennedy Close, Millhouse Green, Pennistone, Yorks. GEORGE VALLANCE, 5 Park Terrace, Lugar, Cumnock KAl 8 3LD Dr. J. S. MoNTGOMERIE, M.B., CH.B., D.T.M.&H., F.S.A., 'The Mount,' High Barnes, Sunderland, Co. Durham W. J. KING-GILLIES, 'The Lomonds,' Cupar Road, Auchtermuchty, Fife H. GEORGE MCKERROW, J.P., 52 Buccleuch Street, Dumfries DGl 2AH FRED. J. BELFORD, M.A., F.E.1.s., 3 Park Grove, Edinburgh EH16 6JE A. NEIL CAMPBELL, F.c.1.s., 141 Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh EHlO 5PP ALEX. MACMILLAN, J.P., M.A., M.ED., 13 Kilwinning Road, Irvine KA12 8RR District Representatives I. Ayrshire: DAVID DUNLOP, The Ross Hotel, John Finnie Street, Kil­ m.arnock KAl lDD J. GLASS, M.A., 1 Doonholm Road, Alloway, Ayr KA7 4QA SAMUEL K. GAW, 66 Bank Street, Irvine KA12 OLP II. Edinburgh: R. A. B. McLAREN, 11 South Lauder Road, Edinburgh EH92NB II. Glasgow: R. DICKSON JOHNSTON, 48 East Clyde Street, Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire GEORGE ANDERSON, 97 Calderwood Road, Burnside, Glas­ gow G73 3PJ IV. Dunbartonshire and Argyll: J. L. HEMPSTEAD, 31 Dumbuck Cres .. Dumbarton V. Fife: VI. Lanarkshire: ABE TRAIN, 71 Woodside Crescent, Newmains, Lanark­ shire T. N. PATERSON, 90 Branchelfield Drive, Wishaw VII. Mid and East Lothians and Borders: A. Y. CRAWFORD, 164 New­ haven Road, Edinburgh VIII. West Lothian: IX. Renfrewshire: ROBERT MILLER, F.S.A.SCOT., 11 Murdieston Street, Greenock PA15 4DT X. Stirling, Clackmannan and West Perth Shires: Mrs. W. G. STEWART, 17 Park Terrace, Tullibody, Clackman­ nanshire FKlO 2QA ALEXANDER YouNG, Glen Terrace, Kilsyth J. M. NICOL, 17 Polmaise Crescent, Fallin, Stirlingshire XI. East Perthshire, Angus and Kinross: E. A. DURWARD, lx Dennison Road, Dundee XII. Northem Scottish Counties: DOUGLAS W. CRUICKSHANK, 7 Baillies­ wells Drive, Bieldside, Aberdeen 93 XIII. Southern Scottish Counties: HUGH CUNNINGHAM, 98 Irish St., Dumfries Mrs. S. KNIGHT, 17 Greenlea Road, Annan, Dumfriesshire XIV. London and South-Eastern England: A. F. ROBERTSON, 30 Dorset Court, 211-213 Kingsway, Hove, Sussex BN3 4FD XV. North Eastern England: W. K. DONNAN, 5 Buxton Gardens, Sunder­ land, Co. Durham XVI. North Westem England: Mrs. T. G. DUNLOP, 'Dinarth,' 16 Half Edge Lane, Eccles, Manchester M30 9GJ XVII. Yorkshire: JAMES PARNHAM, North Lane Gardens, Roundhay, Leeds, LS8 2QT XVIII. North and East Midlands: G. W. BURNETT, 40 Brecks Lane, Rother­ ham, Yorkshire LEW W. REID, 'Lea Rig,' 152 Lea Road, Gainsborough, Lines. DN121AN Mrs. J. A. IRVINE, 'Ulvescroft,' 67 Bonet Lane, Brinsworth, Rotherham, Yorkshire XIX. West Midlands of England: xx. South Western England: xxr. Wales: XXII. Ireland: XXIII. Africa: XXIV. Australia: xxv. New Zealand: Mrs. M. RENNIE, 3 Kintore Tower, Cambuslang, Glasgow xxvr. Canada: Provost E. ROBERTSON, Rosemount Street, Dumfries XXVII. India: XXVIII. U.S.A.: MARVIN D. MCQUEEN, Ackerman Incorporated, 123 East Fifth, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74103, U.S.A. C. H. NIMS, 2646 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48201, U.S.A. XXIX. Europe: Mrs. M. COULSON, 10 Queensberry Court, Dumfries

SUB-COMMITTEES Finance: Mr. H. G. McKerrow (Convener), Mrs. M. Rennie, Messrs. Neil Campbell, T. Anderson, R. Dickson Johnstone, J· S. Montgomerie, R. Donald­ son, D. J. Mclldowie, A. Train and Lew Reid. Memorials: Mr. G. Vallance (Convener), Mrs. M. Rennie, Messrs. H. Cunningham, G. W. Burnett, A. Y. Crawford, E. Robertson, R. A. B. McLaren, D. J. Mclldowie, J. E. Inglis, Sam Gaw, Chas. C. Easton, T. D. Mcllwraith, Mrs. Coulson and Mr. A. Stoddart. Literature: Charles C. Easton (Convener), Mrs. W. G. Stewart, Mr. Alex. MacMillan, Messrs. F. J. Belford, T. Anderson, G. W. Burnett, J. E. Inglis, D. J. Mclldowie, Albert W. Finlayson, W. K. Donnan, Mrs. Jane Burgoyne, J. Parnham, George Anderson, Mrs. M. Irvine, J. M. Nicol, E. Robertson and T. N. Paterson. Schools: Mr. Fred J. Belford and A. W. Finlayson (Joint Conveners), Mrs. M. Coulson, Messrs. A. MacMillan, G. W. Burnett, R. A. B. McLaren, J. Glass, James Parnham, Alexander Young, Mrs. S. Knight T. D. Mcllwraith, C. C. Beston and Mrs. M. Irvine. AUDITORS Henry Brown & Co., 2 Market Lane, Kilmarnock 94 ASSOCIATE MEMBERS at 31/3/75 = 139

AsSOCIATE MEMBERS Affiliated during year 1974/75 Mrs. Tweedie, Woodside Farm, New Abbey, Kirkcudbright James Livingstone, Ashbank Cottage, Gorebridge, Midlothian J. Davie, 11 Cornfield Avenue, Oakes, Huddersfield Hugh McC. Cooper, 705 Fourth Avenue, Kingstree, South Carolina, Columbia SC 29208, U.S.A. Mrs. Wallace, Newhall, Dumfries Rosalind Keyte, 8 Thornhouse Avenue, Irvine Mrs. D. Rae, Argyll Terrace, Annan Miss S. Cameron, 1 Thornburn Cres., Annan Mrs. P. Dickson, Kingsgate, Anner!ey Road, Annan Mr. Ivan Marshall and Mrs. Vera Marshall, 7 Oswald Road, Dover Alex. Scouse, 10 Pollick Avenue, Uplawmoor, Glasgow A. J. Morris, 26 Whitehill Road, Hitchin, Herts. William Fulton, 8 Kerelaw Avenue, Stevenston M. R. Solomon, 34 Waun Y Groes Road, Rhiwbina, Caidiff Samuel D. Gray, 155 Owen Avenue, East Kilbride William M. Bates, 20 Pollick Avenue, Uplawmoor, Glasgow G78 4AE Mrs. Alice E. Downie, 40 Elmbank Terrace, Aberdeen ABl 3NN D. Burns, 5 Elizabeth Street, Tayport, Fife Mrs. Mary B. Mitchell, 7 Thorngrove Avenue, Aberdeen ABl 7XT Angus G. Wilson, 47 Upper Church Road, Weston-Super-Mare William J. McGill, 10 Arlington House, Sayes Court Estate, Deptford, London SE85QT J. R. J. Turner, 50 West Crescent, Troon, Ayrshire

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

1885-93 Kilmarnock 1923 Ayr 1953 Paisley 1894 Glasgow 1924 Dumfries 1954 Sheffield 1895 Dundee 1925 Edinburgh 1955 Edinburgh 1896 Kilmarnock 1926 Perth 1956 Cheltenham 1897 Greenock 1927 Derby 1957 Aberdeen 1898 Mauchline 1928 Aberdeen 1958 Harrogate 1899 Dumfries 1929 Troon 1959 Ayr 1900 Kilmarnock 1930 Greenock 1960 Glasgow 1901 Glasgow 1931 Hawick 1961 Dumfries 1902 Greenock 1932 Stirling 1962 Durham 1903 Edinburgh 1933 London 1963 Stirling 1904 Stirling 1934 Glasgow 1964 London 1905 Hamilton 1935 Ayr and 1965 Hamilton 1906 Kilmarnock Kilmarnock 1966 Troon 1907 Sunderland 1936 Elgin 1967 Sheffield 1908 St. Andrews 1937 Newcastle- 1968 Falkirk 1909 Dunfe1mline upon-Tyne 1969 Southport 1910 Lanark 1938 Dumfries 1970 Arbroath 1911 Glasgow 1940-46 Glasgow 1971 Coventry 1912 Carlisle 1947 Dunoon 1972 Aberdeen 1913 Galashiels 1948 Stirling 1973 Dumfries 1915-19 Glasgow 1949 Mauchline 1974 Edinburgh 1920 London 1950 Bristol 1975 Dundee 1921 Dunfermline 1951 Montrose 1922 Birmingham 1952 Norwich

The Council did not meet in 1914 and in 1939.

96 LIST OF DISTRICTS

1. Ayrshire-37 Clubs: 4 Members 0 Kilmarnock 664 West Kilbride 35 Dairy 671 S. Andrew's Cronies (Irvine) 45 Cumnock 681 Cronies, Kilmarnock 56 Muirkirk Lapraik 728 Bachelors' Club, Tarbolton 173 Irvine 772 Prestwick 179 Dailly Jolly Beggars 773 Cumnock Cronies 192 Ayrshire B.C. Association 811 Logangate, Cumnock 252 Alloway 815 B.M.K. (Netherton), 274 Troon Kilmarnock 275 Ayr 821 Ayr Masonic 310 Mauchline 859 Irvine Eglinton Burns Club 349 'Howff,' Kilmarnock 892 Ayrshire Metal Products 365 Catrine 900 Irvine Valley Burns Club 370 Dundonald 906 Ayrshire Constabulary 377 Kilbirnie Rosebery 908 'Brithers Be,' Kilmarnock 500 New Cumnock 920 Trysting Thorn 592 Benwhat 931 Beith Caledonia 593 Barrmill Jolly Beggars 933 Busbiehill 632 Symington 936 Irvine Lasses Secretary: George Vallance, 5 Park Terrace, Lugar, Cumnock KAIS 3LD

II. Edinburgh-15 Clubs: 2 Members 22 Edinburgh 340 Balerno Burns Club 124 Ninety 341 Leith 198 Gorebridge 346 Oakbank Mossgiel 212 Portobello 378 Edinburgh B.C. Association 293 Newcraighall 516 The Airts Burns Club 307 Edinburgh Ayrshire Association 813 Tranent '25' 314 Edinburgh Scottish 825 Clarinda Ladies Secretary: G. Henderson Laing, 50 Marionville Drive, Edinburgh EH7 6BW

III. Glasgow-15 Clubs: 2 Members , 7 Thistle 153 Scottish 9 Royalty 169 Glasgow Burns Club 33 Haggis Association 36 Rosebery 263 Masonic 49 Bridgeton 282 Burns Bowling Association 68 Sandyford 581 Cumbernauld 72 Partick 585 Queen's Park Clarinda 74 National Burns Memorial 612 Torrance Masonic Cottage Homes Secretary: 97 D IV. Dunbarton, Argyll and Bute Shires-5 Clubs: 1 Member 2 Alexandria 580 Cumbrae 10 Dumbarton 695 Kilmaronock (Dunbartonshire) 831 Lochgoilhead Secretary: T. Wilson, Ill Brucehill Road, Dumbarton G82 4ER

V. FIFE-6 Clubs: 1 Member 62 Cupar 688 Poosie Nansie Ladies, Kirkcaldy 85 Dunfermline 768 Auchterderran Jolly Beggars 350 Markinch 803 Bowhill People's Club Secretary:

VI. Lanarkshire-~ Clubs: 2 Members 20 Aitdrie 577 Dalserf and Clydesdale 133 Newarthill 578 Lanarkshire B.C.A. · 152 Hamilton 614 Bellshill Caledonian Burns Club 237 Uddingston Masonic 637 Larkhall Applebank 348 Newton Bonnie Jean 761 Kirkton Bonnie Jean, 356 Burnbank Masonic Carluke 387 Cambuslang Mary Campbell 809 Allanton Jolly Beggars 388 Kyle (Shotts) Ladies 810 Thirty-Seven Burns Club 392 Whiffiet 885 Motherwell and Wishaw 494 Motherwell United Services 889 Strathclyde Motherwell 520 Uddingston Lochlie Ladies 907 Stonehouse Burns Club 542 Newarthill White Heather 910 Bankend Jolly Beggars Secretary: Thomas N. Paterson, 32 Etive Street, Pather, Wishaw, Lanarkshire

VII. Mid and East Lothian and Borders-8 Clubs: 1 Member 5 Ercildoune 239 Hawick 96 Jedburgh 740 Thorntree Mystic 187 Galashiels Burns Club 784 Kelso 199 Newbattle and District 839 Coldstream Secretary:

VIII. West Lothian-I Club: 1 Member 929 Bathgate Secretary:

IX. Renfrewshire-9 Clubs: 1 Member 21 Greenock 430 Gourock 48 Paisley 472 Renfrewshire B.C.A. 59 Gourock Jolly Beggars 576 Fort Matilda 190 Port-Glas"gow 748 Ouplaymuir 209 Greenock St. John's Secretary: Robert Miller, F.S.A.Scot., 11 Murdieston Street, Greenock P Al 5 4DT 98 X. Stirling, Clackmannan and West Perthshire-31 Clubs: 3 Members 4 Callander 725 Ben Cleuch, Tillicoultry 37 Dollar 741 Plean 50 Stirling 769 Robert Bruce (Clackmannan) 116 Greenloaning 824 Stirling, Clackmannan and 126 Falkirk West Perthshire 426 Sauchie 849 Jean Armour, Sauchie 469 Denny Cross 852 Fishcross Jolly Beggars 503 Dunblane 865 Foresters Arms 510 I.C.I., Grangemouth 876 Tullibody Working Men's 543 Abbey Craig Burns Club 630 Coalsnaughton 895 Westerton Arms Burns Club 646 Clear Winding Devon, Alva 902 Newmarket Burns Club 648 Carron Bridge, Kilsyth 911 Borestone Bowling Club 657 Fallin Burns Club 923 Old Manor Burns Club 665 Gartmorn Ladies 925 Laurieston 679 Tullibody and Cambus 930 Wheatsheaf, Falkirk 935 Torbrex, Stirling Secretary: Mrs. W. G. Stewart, 17 Park Terrace, Tullibody, Alloa FKlO 2QA

XI. Tayside Regional Area-8 Clubs: 1 Member 14 Dundee 242 Montrose 42 Strathearn 360 Lochee, Dundee 76 Brechin 627. Kinross 82 Arbroath 659 Dundee Burns Society Secretary: Ian Martin, 15 McAlpine Road, Dundee

XII. No~thern Scottish Counties-12 Clubs: 1 Member 40 Aberdeen 691 Inverness 149 Elgin 698 Turriff 336 Peterhead 723 Strathpeffer 403 Fraserburgh 733 Aberdeen Study Circle 458 Stonehaven 897 Glenbervie 470 St. Giles (Elgin) 921 Northern Scottish Counties Association Secretary: Miss Ethel Hall, 3 St. Mary's Place, Aberdeen ABl 2HL

XIII. Southern Scottish Counties-20 Clubs: 2 Members 112 Dumfries Howff 562 Castle Douglas 217 Eskdale 626 Moffat and District 226 Dumfries 629 Sanquhar 323 Kirkcudbright 660 The Langholm Ladies 393 Annan Ladies 693 Masonic, Kirkcudbright 401 Brig-En' (Waverley) 730 Wigtown 437 Dumfries Ladies 818 Dalbeattie and District 530 Southern Scottish Counties 913 Terregles Burns Club B.C.A. 916 Hole I' the Wa' Burns Club 536 Whithorn 924 S.C.T.A. 926 Rosamond Secretary: Mrs. M. Shearer, 211 Lochside Road, Dumfries DG2 OEH. 99 XIV. London and South-Eastern England-9 Clubs: 1 Member 1 Burns Club of London 663 Bournemouth and District 492 Harrow Cal. Soc. Cal. Soc. 570 Scottish Clans Association of 719 Chelmsford and District Scottish London Society 617 Reading and District Caledonian 743 Romford Scottish Association Association 791 Swindon and Dist. Cal. Soc. 918 Dover and East Kent Secretary: A. F. Robertson, 30 Dorset Court, 211-213 Kingsway, Hove, Sussex BN3 4FD

XV. North-Eastern England-12 Clubs: 1 Member 89 Sunderland 759 Sunderland and District Cal. 158 Darlington Society 534 Bedlington and District 775 Hartlepools Cal. Society 696 Whitley Bay 796 Gateshead and District St. 699 Choppington Andrew's Society 744 Durham and District Cal. 898 Peterlee and District Cal. Society Society 745 Northumberland and Durham 901 Cramlington Burns Club Cal. Soc. Secretary: L. A. Nicol, 49 Hips burn Drive, Sunderland

XVI. North-Western England-14 Clubs: 1 Member 71 Carlisle p74 Manchester and Salford Cal. 95 Bolton Association 236 Whitehaven 753 Westmorland St. Andrew 363 Barrow St. Andrew's Society Society 366 Liverpool - 754 Thornton Cleveleys and District 417 Burnley and District Scottish Society 436 Walney Jolly Beggars Ladies 780 Isle of Man Cal. Society 572 Chester Cal. Association 834 St. Andrews Society 618 Altrincham and Sale Cal. Soc. (Altrincham, Sale and Dist.) Secretary: Mrs. W. G. Diggle, 18 Gorses Mount, D'Arcy Lever, Bolton, Lanes.

XVII. Yorkshire-11 Clubs: 1 Member 548 Leeds Cal. Society 880 Otley and District 551 Scarborough Cal. Society 894 Beverly and District 555 Harrogate St. Andrew's Soc. 905 Keighley and District 718 St. Andrew Society of York 909 Richmond (Yorks.) Cal. Soc. 763 Wakefield Cal. Society 928 An Comunn Gaidhealach, 808 Pontefract and Dist. Cal. Soc. Leeds Secretary: A. Anderson Kidd, 'Failte,' 1 Copperbeach Close, Pontefract, Yorks. 100 XVlll North and East Midlands of England-25 Clubs: 3 Members 11 Chesterfield Cal. Society 854 North-East Midlands Assoc. 17 Nottingham of Scottish Societies 55 Derby 861 Cal. Soc. of Lincoln 329 Newark and District 862 Market Rasen Scottish 405 Sheffield Cal. Society Association 439 Barnsley Scottish Society 866 Heanor and Dist. Cal. Soc. 454 Rotherham 872 East Midlands Scottish Soc. 461 Leicester Cal. Society 878 Worksop Burns and Cal. 556 Doncaster Cal. Society Club 606 Corby 887 Gainsborough District 706 North Lindsey Scots Society 903 Newhall. Burton-on-Trent 720 Retford Cal. Society . Burns Club 746 Grimsby and District Cal. 917 Scottish Presidents' Assoc. Society ' 922 Clumber Burns Club 822 Mansfield Dist. Cal. Society 932 Corby Afton Burns Club Secretary: J. E. Inglis, 'Glentress,' Halloughton Road, Southwell, Notts.

XIX. West Midlands ofEngland-10 Clubs: 1 Member 167 Birmingham 683 Stratford upon Avon and 296 Walsall District Cal. Society 553 Wolverhampton 707 Malvern Scots Club 559 Coventry Cal. Society 777 Nuneaton Scottish Society 661 Leamington and Warwick Cal. 845 Tam o' Shanter, Coventry Society 881 Rugeley and Dist. Burns Club Secretary: A. M. McDowall, 15 Greensleeves Close, Coventry

XX. South-Western England-6 Clubs: 1 Member 120 Bristol 535 Plymouth and Dist. Cal. Soc. 446 Herefordshire 721 Plymouth Burns Club 462 Cheltenham Scottish Society 918 Dover and East Kent Secretary: Mrs. Dora Dodd, 11 Westmorland House, Durdham Park, Bristol BS6 6XH

XXI. Wales-1 Club: 1 Member 444 Swansea and West Wales

XXII. lreland-1 Club: 1 Member 15 Belfast Secretary:

XXID. Africa-2 Clubs: 1 Member 896 Sierra Leone 934 Manama Cal. Society 101 XXIV. Australia-11 Clubs: 1 Member 511 Perth 864 Burnie Burns Club, Tasmania 523 Highland Society of N.S.W. 874 Melbourne Masonic 566 Scottish Soc. and Burns Club 882 Canberra Highland Society of Australia ' 890 Wollongong Burns Society 711 Victorian Scottish Union 914 Ipswich and West Moreton 726 Melbourne 919 Orange and District

XXV. New Zealand-4 Clubs: 1 Member 69 Dunedin 860 Southland Burns Club 851 Auckland Burns Association 915 Canterbury Burns Club

:XXVI. Canada-14 Clubs: 1 Member 197 Winnipeg 710 The Burns Society of 303 Victoria (B.C.) St. Andrew's Toronto Soc. 841 Robert Burns Association of 443 Burns Club of Victoria (B.C.) Montreal 476 Border Cities (Ontario) 842 Ye Bonny Doon, Hamilton, 501 Galt Ontario 561 London (Ontario) 888 Vancouver Burns Club 571 Edmonton Burns Club 893 North Bay B.C., Ontario 575 Windsor (Ont.) Jean Armour 927 Tarbolton Club, Edmonton

XXVII. India-1 Club: 1 Member 355 Calcutta

XXVIII. U.S.A.-11 Clubs: 1 Member 220 St. Louis 557 Atlanta Ladies 238 Atlanta 597-The Burns Society of the City 284 Philadelphia of New York 320 Troy 701 Detroit 413 San Francisco St. Andrew's 826 North Carolina Society 870 Massachussetts 453 Philadelphia Ladies Aux. Secretary: Howard D. Whinnery, 560 Fourth Avenue, North Troy, New York, U.S.A.

XXIX. Europe--2 Clubs: 1 Member 727 The St. Andrew Soc. of Denmark 912 DIU Club, Jevicko

102 MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF COUNCIL WHITEHALL THEATRE, DUNDEE. Saturday, l3th September, 1975 The President, Provost Robertson, extended a warm welcome to the members with a special welcome to the overseas delegates Mrs. Jean Gall and Mrs. Jessie Lamb from Sydney, Australia; Mrs. Ryles from Canada and Miss May White from trouble-torn Belfast. He mentioned the loss of Anderson Wilson who had died shortly after the last Conference and who had been President in 1962/63-he would be sadly missed. He also referred to the sudden death of James Veitch who had been a humble man with a great sense of humour and Editor of the Burns Chronicle for 20 years; his death left a gap which would be hard to fill. We also heard of the death of Miss Grace Campbell, secretary of the Scottish Society and Burns Club of Australia for a number of years. Local Associations had also suffered many losses. The members stood in a minute's silence in their memory.

CLUBS REPRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE The figures in brackets denote the number of delegates who handed in their cards. 0 Kilmarnock Burns Club (3), 1 The Burns Club of London (3), 11 Chesterfield and District Caledonian Association (1), 14 Dundee Burns Club (3), 15 Belfast Burns Association (1), 20 Airdrie Burns Club (1), 21 Greenock Burns Club (2), 37 Dollar Burns Club (3), 40 Aberdeen Burns Club (3), 62 Cupar Burns Club (3), 85 Dunfermline United Burns Club (2), 89 Sunderland Burns Club (3), 95 Bolton Burns Club (3), 112 Dumfries Burns Howff Club (3), 133 Newarthill Burns Club (3), 158 Darlington Burns Association (3), 167 Birmingham and Midland Scottish Society (2), 169 Glasgow and District Burns Association (2), 192 Ayrshire Association of Burns Clubs (3), 198 Gore­ bridge Burns Club (3), 217 Eskdale Burns Club (1), 226 Dumfries Burns Club (2), 242 Montrose Burns Club (3), 252 Alloway Burns Club (2), 263 Glasgow Masonic Burns Club (1), 275 Ayr Burns Club (2), 307 Edinburgh Ayrshire Association (2), 314 Scottish Burns Club, Edinburgh (3), 349 The Howff Burns Club (3), 360 Lochee Burns Club (3), 365 Catrine Burns Club (2), 366 Liverpool Burns Club (3), 370 Dun­ donald Burns Club (2), 378 Edinburgh District Burns Clubs Association (3), 387 Cam­ buslang Mary Campbell Burns Club (2), 393 Annan Ladies' Burns Club (3), 405 Caledonian Society of Sheffield (2), 437 Dumfries Ladies' Burns Club (3), 461 Leicester Caledonian Society (2), 492 Harrow and District Caledonian Society (2), 503 Dunblane Burns Club (1), 520 Uddingston Lochlie Ladies' Burns Club (2), 530 Southern Scottish Counties Burns Association (3), 559 Coventry and District Caledonian Society (3), 566 Scottish Society and Burns Club of Australia (1), 578 Lanarkshire Association of Burns Clubs (3), 612 Torrance Masonic Social and Burns Club (2), 627 Kinross Jolly Beggars Burns Club (3), 630 Coalsnaughton Burns Club (3), 632 Symington Burns Club (3), 659 Dundee Burns Society (2), 660 Langholm Ladies' Burns Club (I), 681 The Cronies Burns Club, Kilmarnock (3), 696 Whitley Bay and District Society of St. Andrew (2), 718 The St. Andrew Society of York (1), 719 Chelmsford and District Scottish Society (1), 721 The Plymouth Burns Club (2), 743 The Romford Scottish Association (1), 744 Durham and District Caledonian Society (2), 745 Northumberland and District Caledonian Society (1), 809 Allanton Jolly Beggars Burns Club (3), 811 Logangate Burns Club (2), 813 Tranent '25 Burns Club (2), 822 Mansfield District Caledonian Society (2), 839 Coldstream Burns Club (2), 845 Tam o' Shanter, Coventry (3), 887 Gainsborough and District Caledonian Society (2), 889 Strathclyde 'Bonnie Jean' Burns Club (3), 894 Beverley and District Caledonian Society (1), 897 Glenbervie Burns Memorials Association (3), 900 Irvine Valley Burns Club (2), 916 Hole i' the Wa' Burns Club (3), 917 Scottish Presidents Association (1), 921 Northern Scottish Counties Association of Burns Clubs (3), 922 The Clumber Burns Club (3), 926 Rosa­ mond Burns Club, Gretna Green (2), 933 Busbiehill Burns Club (3), 936 Irvine Lasses Burns Club (1), Executive Committee, 38. Apologies: Apologies were intimated from Miss N. J. Symons, J. Miller, R. Miller, J.C. W. Nicol, Alex. Johnston, John McBain, and the Sierra Leone Caledonian Society. Best wishes for a successful Conference had been received from Auckland Burns Club, New Zealand; Melbourne Burns Club and the Scottish Society and Burns Club of Australia; and Atlanta Burns Club, U.S.A. The Minutes of the previous meeting, as printed in the 1975 Burns Chronicle were unanimously approved. 103 SECRETARY'S REPORT

The Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. J. F. T. Thomson, M.A., F.L.A., presented the annual report. The acceptance of honorary office places immediate restrictions in the execution of the duties entailed in the office. The work, not being full-time has to be performed in addition to one's daily job; the remuneration being nil, an association or society can easily be lumbered with a dizzy but enthusiastic amateur or with an autocratic despot. The voluntary nature of honorary office should demand a degree of sincere application c::im.lling, at least, the standards of employed personnel. It is often not like that, and the past year has witnessed an amateur secretary to the Federation having less time than ever to devote to the duties of the ·office. Change has been in the air and the extensive reorganisation in local government has made demands which, although of a temporary nature, have made difficult the carrying out of the secretarial duties. The past year has also been tinged with great shock and sadness. That old stalwart, -Anderson Wilson, is no longer with us. The Conferences and the Executive meetings will never be the same without him. As tireless in his activities for the Federation as he was in his leisure pursuits, Andy was a kenspeckle figure amongst us, and a lot of laughter will have gone out of life. The death of James Veitch was shattering in its unexpectedness. His usual self at the December meeting of the Executive, he enjoyed the fellowship of his friends that day and departed for Tweedsmuir with an era of the B1/rns Chronicle behind him. His new series was to be different but he never Jived to begin it. Catching a chill which developed into pneumonia, he died early in the New Year. Meantime, miles away from the quiet Border home of Jimmy Veitch, our friends in Australia were saddened by the death of Miss Grace Campbell, Hon. Secretary of the Scottish Society and Burns Club of Australia. Doing yeoman work on our behalf, it was always refreshing to hear from Grace Campbell and to learn of the large-scale work which is the norm in Australia. We mourn their passing. Whilst it is admitted that, without these stalwarts ,the Federation won't be the same we must ensure that their work was not in vain. Generations differ in their attitude to life and work; we must be confident that, despite these differences, the Burns Federa­ tion will continue to thrive. One proof of this is the direct contact which is extending between individuals and overseas clubs-Tom and Meg Dalgleish travelling to North America and Australia, the Rev. Gemmell Campbell to Canada, and this year the cele­ brating of Burns Day in Moscow. Some of the stories are told elsewhere in the Chronicle but the Federation must surely benefit by these contacts. Yet much more can be done and we have the whole world to tap. Scots by the million have colonised distant places and it is with pride that their off-spring look to the homeland and to the con­ tinuation of the old customs. We should be more dynamic and make every possible contact. Canada and Australia flourish at present but there is a wealth of opportunity within the United States. It might be argued that these are not the times for expansion­ change is everywhere. A few years back we were amazed to hear how 'mugging' in Alrulrica had Jed to the break-up of society and social life. Today, inflation and recession make existence difficult for small clubs. But perhaps we are at our best with our backs to the wall and are stimulated by a challenge. More and more are younger people Burnsians; they take their place at club and Executive level and pass on their freshness and idealism, offering rejuvenation to the older members (the auld yins) among us. Conferences may not be the same in future but in their confident continua­ tion, we shall remember Andy Wilson and Jimmy Veitch.

Membership There has again been an increase in the number of clubs on the roll although there has been a slight decrease in the number of individual members due to a few deaths and several people changing their addresses without notifying us. Number of clubs on roll as at October 1974 334 Lapsed or disbanded 4 338

104 Affiliated: Corby Afton Burns Club Busbiehill Burns Club Torbrex Burns Club, Stirling Manama Caledonian Society lrvine Lasses Burns Club East Kilbride Burns Club Milton Community Centre Burns Club Griffin Burns Club, Gartcosh 8 346

Scottish National Dictionary Balance brought forward from last Report £4,066·87 Donations sent to the Hon. Treasurer, Burns Federation: Cumbrae Burns Club 6'00 . Denny Cross Burns Club 2-00 Donations sent direct to Scottish National Dictionary: Caledonian Society of Sheffield .. 10·00 London Burns Club 5·00 Northumberland and Durham Caledonian Society 3·00 Hamilton Burns Club 15·00 Caledonian Society of Sheffield .. 10·00 Fraserburgh Burns Club 10·00 Paisley Burns Club 10·00 Sunderland Burns Club .. 2-50 London Burns Club 5·00 Plymouth Burns Club 5·00 Alloway Burns Club and Alloway Primary School 28·45 Greenock Burns Club 37·00 Ayr Burns Club 10·00 £4,225·82

Quarterly Meetings During the year the following Quarterly Meetings were held: October, 1974-­ , Dean Castle, Kilmarnock; December, 1974--Highlanders' Institute, Glasgow; March, 1975-County Hotel, Dumfries; June, 1975-Dick Institute, Kilmarnock. Jean Armour Burns Houses The Glasgow and District, Burns Association express appreciation and thanks to the Burns Federation, Burns Clubs, Kindred Societies and others whose generous dona­ tions throughout the year have enabled them to meet evcr-risingcosts, especially coal and electricity. We appeal for continued financial support of this most worthy cause where every office-bearer gives his services in an honorary capacity. All contributions please, to the Hon. Treasurer, A. Neil Campbell, F.C.l.S., 141 Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh EHlO 5PP. THE 'BURNS CHRONICLE' The untimely death of James Veitch, editor, c£me at a period when he was preparing to give the Chronicle a new look. The old format was to be changed, with a new cover and a realignment of contents which would m?.ke our annu?.I more readable. The new editor, Arthur Daw, has undertaken this task, as far as costs allow. He has had vast experience as editor of The Scots Magazine and will bring his expertise to bear on the new production. At a time when many periodicals and annuals are going to the wall because of rising costs, it behoves us all to 'sell' the Chronicle to all friends interested in the poet and his works There is never any dearth of material. We have to be more selective, so that the Chronicle is more to the taste of readers, for without it, the 'Federation' would be a poor thing. ALEX. MACMILLAN, Convener, Scottish Literature Committee.

TREASURER'S REPORT Mr. Thomson then submitted the following Report, which was adopted. 105 FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR ORDINARY RECEIPTS Balances as at lst May, 1974: Deposit Account .. £55·13 Current Account .. 45-68 Aru1ual Subscriptions: Current 1,088·88 Arrears 211-80 Advance .. 9·50 Associate Members 103'81 Half Affiliation Fees 13·50 Badges .. 3-84 Diplomas 0·15 Donation 5·00 Credit for Clubs 5·57 Posts 5·23 Vignettes 19·08 Hans Hecht 7-50 Music and Records 34·00 Family Trees 0·30 Burns Stamped Envelopes 0·30 Map 3·50 Burns Check 4·70 Administration-Central Fund 50·00 Interest on Deposit Account .. 8·96 £1,676-33

SCOTTISH LITER RECEIPTS Balances as at lst May, 1974: £22,300 5 % Treasury Stock £18,127·00 Deposit Account .. 0·37 Deposit Account .. 0·13 Burns Federation Song Book 22-87 Affiliation Fees 13·50 Sales of Scots Readers 155·06 Burns and Edinburgh .. l ·42 Declaration of Arbroath 1·05 Burns Chronicles: Sales to Clubs £962-46 Sales to Trade 116·23 Advertising 318·90 1,397·59 Interest on Stock 1,115·00 Interest on Deposit Accounts 43·31 Transferred from Central Fund for Chronicle 400·00 Scots Reader Reserve-Transferred from Reserve Fund 1,274·72 Anderson Wilson Memorial .. 26-00

£22,578·02 •

106 YEAR ENDED 30th APRIL, 1975 FUND PAYMENTS Posts £124·49 Salary, etc. 909·36 Stationery 104·37 Audit Fee 44·00 Secretary's Expenses 7·73 Past President's Badge 14·90 Corporation Tax 87·04 Insurance 12·25 Wreaths and Flowers 14·15 Vignettes 40·00 Records .. 72·00 Bank Charges .. 10·74 Expenses of Meetings .. 32·72 President and Vice-Presidents 100·00 Hans Hecht .. 9·00 Postages-Dick Institute 47·28 Balances as at 30th April: Deposit Account 3-30 Current Account .. 45·00

£1,676·33

ATUREFUND PAYMENTS Burns Chronicle: Printing, etc. £2,212·02 Editor's Allowance and expenses 520·59 Purchase of back numbers 11-20 2,743-81 Fergusson Competition 15·00 Publicity Agent 100·60 Printing .. 99·20 Certificates 169·37 Officials' Expenses 11·86 Conveners' Allowances 100·00 F. J. Belford 9·71 Dinwiddie 181 ·63 Balances as at 30th April : On Deposit Account for Anderson Wilson Memorial £26·00 Scots Readers 1,274·72 £1,300·72 Less Overspent 280·88 1,019·84 £22,300 5 % Treasury Stock 18,127·00 £22,578·02

107 CENTRAL RECEIPTS Balances as at lst May, 1974: Deposit Account .. £21·29 £16,00 5 % Treasury Stock 12,777·80 Interest on Treasury Stock 800·00 Interest on Deposit Account 18·46

£13,617·55

GENERAL APPEALS RECEIPTS Balance as at lst May, 1974: Deposit Account .. £4·55 Conference Collection 140·50 Donations to: Jean Armour Burns Houses 96-04 Scottish National Dictionary 8·00 Interest on Deposit Account .. 3·68 £252·77

VISITS RECEIPTS Balance as at lst May, 1974: Deposit Receipt £1,103·56 Deposit Account 289·72 Donations: Mrs. Broom £2·00 J. Gray 20·00 Melbourne Burns Club 20·00 A. Johnstone 10·00 G. A. Findlay 20·00 Burns Federation .. 66-05 138·05 Transferred from Reserve Fund (Edgar Young Memorial) 50·00 Interest on Stock 94·68 Interest on Deposit Receipt .. 44·21 Interest on Deposit Account 20·93 £1,741 ·15

JOSEPH LAING WAUGH RECEIPTS Balance as at lst May, 1974: Deposit Account .. £5·90 £300 4 % Consolidated Stock 207·00 Interest on Stock 8·04 Interest on Deposit Account .. 0·89 £221 ·83

108 FUND PAYMENTS Convener's Expenses £7·00 Maintenance-Leglen Wood .. 5·02 Administration .. 50·00 Jean Armour Burns Houses 200·00 National Memorial Homes .. 75·00 Mauchline Museum 50·00 Edinburgh District 50·00 Transferred to Literature Fund for Burns Chronicle 400·00 Balances as at 30th April, 1975: £16,000 5% Treasury Stock 12,777·80 Deposit Account .. 2·73 £13,617·55

Account outstanding-Bolton Churchyard, £46. FUND PAYMENTS Paid to: Jean Armour Burns Houses £236-54 Scottish National Dictionary 8·00 Balance as at 30th April, 1975: Deposit Account .. 8·23

£252·77

FUND PAYMENTS Balance as at 30th April: J. DyalJ Memorial (£1,170·16 Treasury Stock) £1,103·56 £400 Treasury Stock 372-01 Edgar Young Memorial (Deposit Account) 50·00 Deposit Account .. 215·58

£1,741 ·15

MEMORIAL FUND . PAYMENTS Paid to Southern Scottish Counties Burns Association £8·93 Balances as at 30th April, 1975: Deposit Account .. 5-90 £300 4 % Treasury Stock 207·00

£221 ·83

109 RESERVE RECEIPTS Balance as at lst May, 1974: Deposit Account .. £2,828·66 Conference Surplus 648·33 Interest on Deposit Account .. 176·69 Interest on Local Authority Stock 49·41

£3,703·09

110 FUND PAYMENTS Edinburgh Conference: £25·00 Secretary's Gratuity 88·01 Officials' Expenses 43·55 Printing 23'89 Dundee Conference-Officials' Expenses Fund £1,274·72 Scots Reader Reserve to Literature 66·05 Donation to Visits Fund Balances as at 30th April, 1975: Stock 1,002·50 £1,000 Local Authority 1,129·37 Deposit Account .. £3,703·09

111 Clubs which purchased 20 or more copies: 226 Dumfries Burns Club Copies 220 Burns Club of St. Louis 86 173 Irvine Burns Club 51 275 Ayr Burns Club 50 48 Paisley Burns Club 48 0 Kilmarnock Burns Club 37 10 Dumbarton Burns Club 30 14 Dundee Burns Club .. 30 252 Alloway Burns Club .. 30 30 559 Coventry and District Caledonian Society 845 Tam o' Shanter, Coventry .. 30 263 Glasgow Masonic Burns Club 30 701 The Detroit Burns Club 26 35 Dairy (Ayrshire) Burns Club 25 632 Symington Burns Club 24 20 Airdrie Burns Club .. 24 21 Greenock Burns Club 22 1 London Burns Club .. 21 33 Glasgow Haggis Club 20 95 Bolton Burns Club 20 l 12 Dumfries Burns Howff 20 Club 20 349 Kilmarnock Howff Burns Club 370 Dundonald Burns Club 20 500 New Cumnock Burns 20 Club .. 20 566 Scottish Society and Burns Club of Australia 811 Logangate Burns Club 20 900 Irvine Valley Burns Club 20 901 Cramlington Burns Club 20 918 Dover and East Kent 20 Scottish Society 20 (also 20 of 1974) 930 The Wheatsheaf Burns Club, Falkirk 933 Busbiehill Burns 20 Club 20 The report was unanimously approved. SCHOOL COMPETITION REPORT The School Competitions in Scottish Literature interest and Music continue to hold the of teachers and pupils, .and from letters received from the Heads zeal which the young of schools the folks display in the study of the poems and songs in the vernacular is quite impressive. Scottish The number of pupils reported to us as having taken part in the 1975 Competition is 131,795 from 558 schools, awarded. and 7,400 certificates were Several new schools entered the Competition this year, smaller but quite a number of the schools are no longer functioning. The Burns Federation would inclusion of more welcome the schools in these annual Competitions and so encourage more love of our Scottish Tongue. wide the We take this opportunity of warmly thanking Mrs. Jane Burgoyne for the questions in the three framing age-groups of the Competition. Congratulations on their quality have been received from many sources. Interest in the Art Competition continues to Paintings develop and this year the number of inspected by the Art Panel was 386. As in past years by far of entries came the greatest number from Primary Schools but many of the Paintings were of standard. The Art Panel a very high spent much time over their selection and the Federation is much indebted to them. This year in addition to Book Certificates Tokens to the Prize Winners, were awarded to 30 young artists whose work was worthy It was pleasant and of recognition. encouraging to have so many letters from Head Teachers saying how much their pupils had enjoyed taking part in the Competition for the future. and this augurs well The Executive Committee of the Burns Federation thank the Directors of Education, Head Teachers and staffs for their co-operation and for the time to the study and energy they devote by their pupils of the History, Literature and Traditions of Scotland. F. J. BELFORD, A. W. FINLAYSON, Hon. Joint Secretaries. The report was accepted by acclamation. 112 MEMORIALS REPORT The meetings of the Memorials Committee have again been well attended over the past year and the committee wish to thank Mr. Thomson and Mrs. Turner for their work on our behalf. The Bonnie Lesley Monument at Stevenston is to be restored by the District Council; work at Kirkoswald Cemetery is well in hand; the Burns Statue at Newcastle has been repaired and moved to a new site, the Federation having supplied a plaque to be fitted thereto. The Museum at Castle Street, Mauchline, has had a good year and would be pleased to welcome Club outings or individuals at any time. Your Convener and Mr. Thomson have attended the meetings of the Burns Heritage Trail Committee and progress is being made with the authorised projects. I would again remind Clubs to keep all memorials in review and report any damage the memorials may have sustained. GEORGE VALLANCE, Convener. The report was approved.

SCOTTISH LITERATURE COMMITTEE REPORT The main problem facing the Committee throughout the year has been the Chronicle, and in January this assumed alarming proportions with the death of the editor. Through the good offices of Charles Easton, Arthur Daw, retired editor of the Scots Magazine, was approached, and expressed an interest. As a result, the Convener and the Secretary journeyed to Arbroath and spent some hours with Mr. Daw. He agreed to the undertaking in the meantime. The Committee has also had to discuss costs. In spite of an attempt last year to make the Chronicle pay for itself, because of the price of paper, each copy lost thirteen pence on the sale. Worse still, we did not attain our target of copies sold. The new issue will cost more, but is still very cheap as periodicals go, and should prove very attractive. Bairnsangs by Sandy Thomas Ross-original poems for children in Scots, has been used in our poetry competitions for years. As it is now out of print, the Executive, with the concurrence of the Finance Committee, agreed on a reprint. It should be ready for the autumn. The New Scots Reader is still selling well, but strangely enough, a limited number of Burns Clubs use it as school prizes. At its low price, it is still a 'best buy' for prizes, and in buying it, you help the Federation's finances. A warm thank you to the Committee members, whose enthusiasm is encouraging in these hard times. ALEX. MACMILLAN, Convener. This report was unanimously accepted.

113 CLUB NOTES

0; KILMARNOCK BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24tli. January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by A. L. Taylor, M.A., D.Litt. Other events: On 17th October the film, "Ayrshire Lang Syne" was shown with a supporting feature. At the St. Andrew's Day dinner on 29th November, 1974, the principal toast was proposed by Alex Macmillan, M.A., M.Ed., a Past and an Honorary President of the Burns Federation. ALASDAIR M. GORDON, Secretary. 2; ALEXANDRIA BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. James P. Simpson, Past-President of Glasgow and District Burns Association and Past-President of Rosebery Burns Club. Other events: A Scotch Night was held in March, with appreciated readings and songs. ROBERT L. KERR, Treasurer. 5; ERCILDOUNE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by PC G. Jackson, Earlston. Other toasts and replies were by Mr. D. Runciman, Mrs. S. Tully, Mr. J. Turnbull and Mr. D. Thomson. The Haggis was piped in by Mr. W. Chisholm and carried by Mr. T. Darling. Mr. J. Irvine proposed votes of thanks. Other events: A St. Andrew's Night was held on 29th November, 1974, and a social evening on 19th April, 1975. J. H. NOTMAN, Secretary. 7: THISTLE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 28th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Colin Neeson. Other events: The annual bowling match between Thistle and Royalty took place on 24th June, 1975. R. s. MILLAR, Secretary. 9: ROYALTY BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 23rd January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. William Kelly. Other events: The annual appeals for charity amounted to a record £542·00. St. Andrew's Night dinner was on 27th November, 1974; the annual bus run to Prestwick and Ayr in May, 1974; and a Clyde cruise in August, 1974. A wreath was laid at the Burns Statue in George Square, Glasgow, on 25th January. Prizes were awarded to pupils of Williamwood High School and Eastwood High School for interest in Burns's Works. As we had no report in last year's Chronicle we would like to record that our President for 1973/75, Mr. R. T. Grier, proposed the "Immortal Memory" in January, 1974. HENRY w. G. KERR, Secretary. 114 10: DUMBARTON BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 3lst January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Club President, Mr. George S. Begg. Other events: The annual appeal realised £107 which was distributed among the usual charities. A successful St. Andrew's Night Dinner was held on 29th November, 1974, in McQueen's Hotel, Helensburgh. Prizes were awarded to the winners for singing and verse-speaking in local schools. THOMAS WILSON, Secretary.

11: CHESTERFIELD AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN ASSOCIATION Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. J. V. Moran, M.A., a headmaster from Rugby, and also Vice­ President of the National Association of Speakers Clubs. Mr. Moran is a native of Ayr. All the toasts were superbly proposed and for the.first time for many years there was a full house, a number of would-be guests being disappointed. It was indeed an evening to be remembered. Other events: St. Andrew's Ball on 29th November, 1974, when the speaker was Larry Marshall, TV personality from Glasgow. TREVOR CHAPPELL, Secretary. 14: DUNDEE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Club President, Mr. F. Curran. Other events: A wreath was laid at the Burns Statue in Albert Square. Various social events were held during the year, including Folk Nights, which proved very successful. G. CURRAN, Secretary. 15: BELFAST BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: We met to celebrate the birth of the Poet, but on account of the state of our troubled city we thought it wise not to bring a speaker from Scotland. However, we had a happy time together. Other events: In May we had a bus run to Newcastle, County Down, "Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the Sea". (Miss) MAY WHITE, Secretary. 17: NOTTINGHAM SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. Dr. J. Richmond. The Lord Mayor and the Sheriff of Nottingham with their Ladies, were among the 116 guests attending. Other events: St. Andrew's dinner-dance attractea 100 guests, and the annual church service at St. Andrew's Church next day was also well attended. On 3rd January, the Caledonian Ball was staged at Nottingham University's Portland Building. •I Secretary. 115 20: AIRDRIE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 23rd January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Robt. Jack, LL.B. Other events: Mr. Keith G. Black, B.L., proposed the toast "Scotland" on 28th November, 1974. MATIHEW P. KIDD, Secretary. 21: GREENOCK BURNS CLUB (THE MOTHER CLUB) Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Dr. George Johnstone who, as is our custom, was then inducted as Hon. President of the Club. £92 was collected for Burns charities. Other events: The St. Andrew's celebration was held on 29th November, 1974 when Dr. Isobel Mair was the principal guest and speaker. The annual spring outing was again held, with Kirkoswald as the main destination. The usual monthly meetings took place throughout the winter. D. McSwEIN, Secretary. 22: EDINBURGH BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 27th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Robert Reid, M.A. Other events: Monthly meetings were held during the winter. HELEN M. MUIR, Secretary/ Treasurer. 33: GLASGOW HAGGIS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Dinner was usual success. "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Kenneth Dron; Toast to the Lasses by James Simpson and reply by Councillor Anna Douglas. · Other events: Spring outing to Ayrshire, including visit to the Jean Armour Burns Houses at Mauchline. Golf outing also held. DAVID WATSON, Secretary. 35: DALRY (AYRSHIRE) BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the 150th consecutive anni­ versary Supper of the Club, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the chairman, Mr. James R. M. Kelso. Other events: To mark the Club's century and a half, a brochure detailing the history of the Club has been published. A number of events were organised throughout the year, including a Scottish concert, a St. Andrew's Night, and a visit to the Irvine Burns Club museum. The annual schools competition was carried out in a revised form which proved to be very successful. W. D. WALKER, Secretary. 36: ROSEBERY BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Owing to unforeseen difficulties, the annual dinner was postponed from 25th January to 12th February. Although the attendance was affected, the spirits of the members were not. Other events: A successful winter session was enjoyed by the Club, the out­ standing event of which was the Schools Evening in the Kelvindale Bowling Club. A. R. PEACOCK, Secretary. 116 37: DOLLAR BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was roposed by Mr. MW. Barker, Alva. It was with regret that the Club said goodbye to Mr. Graham Richardson, Rector of Dollar Academy, who has retired, and who presided at his last function with the Club. Other events: On 22nd February, a gala Burns Supper, to which the ladies were invited, was held, and the "Immortal Memory" proposed by Mr. David Malcolm, Stirling. A. B. MclvER, Secretary. 40: ABERDEEN BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 23rd January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. David Baillie, Ayr. Other events: On 28th November, 1974, St. Andrew's Night Function; Speaker, Prof. M. C. Meston, Aberdeen; on 20th and 21st April, 1975, bus excursion to Ayrshire; party were welcomed by Mr. John Gray, Ayr, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Anderson, Kilmarnock, and Mrs. Dalgleish. Mr. Gray, Hon. Member of the Club, 'gave an interesting commentary at Burns Cottage and Alloway Kirk. T. CoLTHART, Secretary. 42: STRATHEARN BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Held in Drummond Arms Hotel, Crietf; "Im­ mortal Memory" given by Mr. Gavin Catto. Toast to Lasses-Mr. Hugh Maccoll. Reply-Mrs. Murray. As a result of an appeal for members, we now have 25. Other events: Jumble sale in aid of Federation Conference in Dundee raised £60. GEORGINA B. LOWE, Secretary. 45: CUMNOCK BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 20th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Club President, Mr. Gordon M. Douglas, and the toast to the Club by TV personality, Jameson Clark. K. H. McCALL, Secretary. 48: PAISLEY BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Because of the untimely death of Jack Stewart, our President, Tom Gibson, internationally known plastic surgeon, took over the presidency at short notice. In our Club the President has not only to chair the meeting but deliver the "Immortal Memory". Tom told us that in line with his philosophy as a surgeon-"Do No Harm"­ he had looked at the Poet, warts and all, and decided to do no harm. He made a most unusual examination of Burns through the pseudo-science of Phrenology. This is well worth reading in the lOOth anniversary issue of our Club Chronicle, in which we have published an account of every dinner since 1875. Other events: On a beautiful day in June, 1974, we drove to Thornhill for lunch, and then as guests visited Maxwelton House where we marvelled at the restoration work initiated by the late husband of Mrs. Stenhouse. From Moniaive we journeyed via Clatteringshaws Loch to Newton Stewart, and thence over the moorland road to the Black Bull at Straiton, for dinner. CLARK HUNTER, Secretary. 117 49: BRIDGETON BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Charles Jarvis. Other events: On 22nd June, 1974, the Club ran a bus outing to the Burns Country, and tea was provided by the ladies of the Jean Armour Burns Houses at Mossgiel. In addition to a Hallowe'en Supper and the annual Ladies Evening, the Club held a concert at which the winners of the annual schools competition enter­ tained. Secretary. 50: STIRLING BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. David Malcolm. HENRY ROBB, Secretary. 59: GOUROCK JOLLY BEGGARS BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. David K. Steel, Greenock. ' Other events: The annual competition for Burns readings was held in Gourock Primary School, with about 60 pupils attending. Twelve book prizes of Burns's Poems and Readings were presented. ROBERT SMITH, Secretary. 62: CUPAR BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. A. Webster. Other events: during February, members of the committee and other artistes entertained the residents of both Kinloch Eventide Home, Collessie, and Leslie Eventide Home. ROBERT W. MACLEOD, Secretary. 69: DUNEDIN BURNS CLUB The Anniversary Dinner was held in the Y.W.C.A., Dunedin, on 25th January. The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Patron of the Club, Mr. William Brown, M.B.E., and the Address to the Haggis was given by Mr. Charles Turner a Past-President. Among the special guests were the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand, Mr. Armistead L. Seldon, jun., and the Mayor of Dunedin, Mr. J. G. Barnes. Other events: On Sunday, 26th January, the Mayor placed a wreath on the Burns Statue in the Octagon. Following the ceremony members attended service in First Church, Dunedin, the first Minister of which was Rev. Dr. Thomas Burns, a nephew of the Poet. The lessons were read by the President, Mr. J. K. McGrouther and a Vice-President, Mr. H. J. Horrell. On Monday, 27th January, a Burns Anniversary Concert was held in Dunedin Town Hall attended by 650 persons. The Club continues to hold monthly concerts throughout the year and during the winter months additional meetings are held. Mr. Kenneth McKellar who is an Honorary Member of the Club, gave a concert in Dunedin on 23rd November and members of his' party took tea at a function arranged by the Club. During the year members of the Club's Entertainment Group visited old peoples' homes, rest homes and hospitals. J. D. McDONALD, Secretary. 118 71: CARLISLE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: This was held in Central Hotel on 23rd January. Present 80 members and friends. The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. David Shankland, Lochmaben; and other toasts and replies were by the president, Dr. T. T. Ferguson; Mr. Stuart Sinclair; Dr. J. Stewart Moffat; Mrs. Isobel Carneigie and Dr. R. M. Yule. The dinner is always well attended but support for the club is dwindling. D. I. TURNER, Secretary, p.p. Stuart Sinclair.

72: PARTICK BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The Annual Supper was held in the Refectory of Glasgow University on 24th January. Eighty members and guests enjoyed the excellent proposal of the "Immortal Memory" by Mr. Bill Tennent; and the traditional toast to "Old Partick" by Mr. Colin Mair, Rector of Kelvinside Academy. RUSSELL A. SHARP, Secretary. 85: DUNFERMLINE UNITED BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The dinner was held in City Hotel, Dunfermline, on 22nd January, Chairman the Earl of Elgin. The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Robert Burns, Glasgow; "The Lasses" by Lord Thomson, Q.C.; Reply by Mrs. Kathleen Carson, Glasgow. J. TORRIE, Secretary. 89: SUNDERLAND BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 23rd January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. John D. Pollock, General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland. Other events: On 25th January, the President, Mr. Henry McGeechan, gave the customary oration and laid a wreath at the bust of the Poet in Sunderland Museum and Art Gallery. W. K. DONNAN, Secretary. 96: JEDBURGH BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. Hector Houston of Perth. Other events: The original certificate of the Club's affiliation to the Burns Federation, dated 1897, which had been missing for several years, was found in a local saleroom and has been restored to the Club, framed and in excellent condition. J. K. PATON, Secretary. 112: BURNS HOWFF CLUB, DUMFRIES Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. A. W. Finlayson, M.A., F.E.I.S., Dumfries, who next day laid a wreath on the Poet's Tomb in the Mauseleum, following the annual memorial service at St. Michael's Church. . Other events: In March, 1975, following a request from Dumfries Technical College, the Club organised a Scots Night for a large party of visiting students from Dusseldorf, Germany. This proved so successful that it may become a regular event. In May, 1974, a party of English journalists was entertained in the Globe Inn, and on two occasions, teams from BBC Radio visited the Club and recorded material for later broadcasting. D. SMITH, Secretary. 119 152: THE HAMILTON BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the 'Immortal Memory" was proposed by the President, Mr. J. Wallace Jackson, M.A., LL.B. Other events: About 1OOO pupils from Hamilton secondary schools partici­ pated in the annual Scottish Literature Competition, and prizes were presented by the Club. L. PATTISON, Secretary.

158: DARLINGTON BURNS ASSOCIATION Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. A. Charters of Ayr. Our session opened with a successful Wine and Cheese Evening and other events included a Hallowe'en Ceilidh, a St. Andrew's Night Supper Dance, a Scottish Musical Evening and a "Nicht wi' Burns", arranged by our immediate Past-President, Mr. J. Dawson. We deeply regret to report the deaths of three of our Committee Members­ Miss Mary Dickson, an Associate Member of the Federation and a Past-Presi­ dent of our Association; Miss J. Rickinson and Mrs. F. Raisbeck, all of whom will be greatly missed. Following a successful outing to Dumfries another coach trip-to Abbotsford -was enjoyed by members in September, 1974. F. CRAMMOND, Secretary.

167: BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND SCOTTISH SOCIETY AND BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 23rd January, for first time in the Society's history, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by a non-Scot, Mr. Arnold Gowrie. FRANCES A. D. HIGHWAY, Secretary.

173: IRVINE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by President Charles Masson at the 149th Annual Celebration of the Club. Among the guests were members of the last Town Council of Irvine and the President paid tribute to them. Other events: The usual activities all went well: the wreathlaying at the Statue on Irvine Moor with other Irvine Bums Clubs; the fundraising barn dance at Corsehill Farm in May; the children's festival at Marymass; the St. Andrew's Night dominated by the brilliant Mcllvanneys-journalist Hugh, tome from London, to propose "Scotland", Novelist Willie proposing "The Lassies" with the Reply capably undertaken by his wife Moira. A memorable evening. · Extensive alterations ar~ being planned for the Museum. £40,000 has been received from the Common Good Fund, half of which is to be spent in the formation of a Burgh Museum and the other half invested for income to maintain it. It is hoped to have all complete for our 150th Anniversary on 2nd June, 1976. ANDREW HooD, Hon. Secretary. 120 192: AYRSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF BURNS CLUBS The Association held meetings at Logangate; Alloway, Kilmarnock Howff; Ayrshire Metal Products, Dundonald and Irvine Burns Clubs, each club enter­ taining the members. Kilmarnock Old High Church was the venue for the annual service. The Provost and Councillors of Kilmarnock were present and wreaths were laid on the grave of John Wilson, Printer. The Association provided wreaths at Burns Statue, Ayr, on the 25th January and 21st July. Leglen Wood service was again well supported by Association members. We welcome the formation of an all-Ladies Club in Irvine, the second Ladies­ only Club in the Association. Book tokens were supplied to the Ayr Musical Festival and prizes to St. Joseph's and Kilmarnock Academies. GEORGE VALLANCE, Secretary.

197: WINNIPEG BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: President John D. Barbour presided and Mr. H. B. Donnelly delivered the toast to the "Immortal Memory." Guests from the Sons of Scotland Benevolent Association and the Winnipeg St. Andrew's Society graced the head table. Other events: In addition to our Burns Nicht we held six monthly luncheon meetings and six Executive Committee meetings. The annual service was held in the church of our Chaplain Rev. A. R. Maciver, North Kildonan United Church. An afternoon picnic was well attended by members and friends. E. R. EVANS, Secretary.

217: ESKDALE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the chief guest was Lord Birsay, K.T. Other events: Mrs. Jean Dickson, a Past-President, was the guest speaker at a St. Andrew's Night Social held on 29th November. (Mrs.) S. T. ELLIOT, Secretary.

220: THE BURNS CLUB OF ST. LOUIS Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the President, Mr. J. Gordon Forsyth, with Burns's songs led by Mr. Jay Willoughby, and dramatic readings from the poems by Mr. Richard Mathews, a professional actor from Princeton, New Jersey. STEPHEN T. KOHLBRY, Secretary.

226: DUMFRIES BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Edward Armstrong, M.B.E. The toast to the Royal Burgh of Dumfries was proposed (for the last time) by Mr. Hector S. Munro, M.P., and Alfred Turley. On 25th January, the Club President, 9 the Reply given by Bailie Mr. Eric Bannerman, laid a wreath at Burns Statue. That afternoon civic 121 dignatories and members of local Burns Clubs attended the commemorative service in St. Michael's Church. After the service, the President presided at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Mausoleum in the churchyard. Other events: At the Saint Andrew's Night Supper, Mr. Donald Watson gave a talk on the natural history of Galloway and on local personalities. Music was provided by the Dalbeattie Layabouts. Hon. Membership was conferred upon ex-Provost Harry Mogerley. It is with regret that the death of Police Judge Edmund C. B. Webb is recorded. Police Judge Webb had been an active supporter of the Club for many years and at the time of his death Vice-President of, and delegate to, the Burns Federation. JoHN A. C. McFADDEN, Secretary. 252: ALLOWAY BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. S. K. Gaw, President Ayrshire Association of Burns Clubs. During our Supper part of the proceedings were included in a publicity film about the West of Scotland. Other events: Our summer outing was to Kirkoswald and Culzean Castle. In October, 1974, we had a whist drive. On St. Andrew's Night, November, 1974, a talk entitled "Scottish Heroes and Hero Worship," was given by J. Douglas Cairns, M.A., F.E.I.S. The annual concert given by pupils of Alloway Primary School, enabled the Club to donate £28·45 to the Scottish National Dictionary Association. A talk on "The Yukon Poet" was given by Mr. R. W. Paterson, M.A., with readings by Allan Stoddart, President Catrine Burns Club. The usual prizes were donated to the winners of the Burns Competition in Alloway Primary School. These prizes were presented to the winners by Dr. B. N. P. Bannatyne, the Club's Senior Vice-President. The Leglen Wood service, wreath-laying at Burns Statue Square and the annual church service were all well attended by officials and members of the Club. GEORGE A. BRYAN, Secretary, 263: GLASGOW MASONIC BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 31st January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Bro. T. A. MacMillan, President of the Cronies Burns Club, Kilmarnock. Other events: Miss Margaret Anderson, Edinburgh, gave the address at our St. Andrew's and Ladies Night. We had the pleasure of a visit from Mr. A. Neil Campbell, Past-President of the Burns Federation, and from Bro. A. Bruce. The Rev. J. W. Burnside gave a talk on Tannahill. The annual bus run took place to Irvine The Children's Verse-Speaking Competition was held on 19th April, 1975, with an increased entry, and a very high standard. L. S. McGREGOR, Secretary. 274: TROON BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. George Mcculloch, President Elect of the Club. Other events: On 29th November, 1974, the toast to "Scotland" was proposed by Mr. Robert Coulter at our St. Andrew's Night dinner at the Marine Hotel. THOMAS McGRATH, • Secretary. 122 275: AYR BURNS CLUB Anniversary :Cinner Report: On 23rd January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by David Malcolm, M.A., LL.B., of Stirling. Other events: The annual concert in St. Andrew's Church Hall on 20th February, in which all schools in Ayr took part, was arranged and conducted by our Council member, Mr. J. D. Cairns, M.A., F.E.1.S. The summer outing took place on 8th June, when 55 members went to Blair­ quhan Castle, May bole, and to Culzean Castle. The speaker at the St. Andrew's Night on 28th November, 1974, was Mr. John Weir, D.S.O., M.A., F.E.I.S. ROBERT CUTHBERTSON, Secretary. 284: NORTH-EASTERN BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: This was held on 25th January in conjunction with the Ladies' Association. The toast to the "Immortal Memory" was pro­ posed by our President, the Rev. John Leitch. Cronie Tom Paton provided the soloist and his Scottish Choir added to a very nice evening. ' ARCHIE BOWMAN; Secretary.

293: NEWCRAIGHALL WELFARE "POOSIE NANSIE" BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Fred T. Belford, M.A., F.E.l.S., Past-President of the Burns Federation. Other events: The Club donated seven prizes of the Works of Robert Burns to seven schools in the district. The annual bowling match for the "Poosie Nansie" Shield was played at Jewel Green in July, and the Robert Kelly Singles Bowling Shield at Niddrie Green in August. GEORGE FLOCKHART, Secretary.

303: VICTORIA ST. ANDREW'S AND CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: The Sir William Wallace Room at Holyrood House was filled to capacity for the 116th annual Burns Night Dinner, Concert . and Ball on 25th January. Toast to the "Irnn1ortal Memory" by the Hon. Alexander B. MacDonald, Q.C., Attorney-General of British Columbia. Other events: On 26th January, our Society joined other Burns societies at the Burns Monument in Beacon Hill Park, followed by a gathering at the Kirk Hall. 30th November, 1974, St. Andrew's Dinner and Ball; lst December, Annual Church Parade. During the season parties were held at Hallowe'en, Christmas, New Year, St. Valentine's Day and a strawberry social and dance in June. LILY SUTHERLAND, Secretary. , 307: EDINBURGH AYRSHIRE ASSOCIATION Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Andrew Mcintyre, B.Sc., retired headmaster of Craigmillar School. Soloists were Fiona Cameron and Ian Cameron. Other events: A successful rockin' -whist-drive-children's-party social evening was held. G. HENDERSON LAING, Secretary. 123 310: MAUCHLINE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the playwright Hector MacMillan, author of "The Sash" and "The Rising". An appeal on behalf of the Burns House Museum raised £27·50. Other events: Meetings formal and informal are now being held fortnightly from October to April. Two very successful joint meetings were held with Catrine and Dundonald clubs. D. L. LYELL, Secretary.

314: SCOTTISH BURNS CLUB, EDINBURGH , Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Thomas Bell, A.Mus., T.C.L., A.T.C.L. Other events: At the Burns Monument, Regent Road, a wreath was laid by the President, Mr. M. Mcintyre. , In response to an invitation extended at the 1974 conference, the Vice­ President and Secretary, Mr. and Mrs. A. Bruce, went on tour "down under" from 16th March to lOth June. They visited some 14 Burns clubs in Australia and New Zealand. (MRS.) JESSIE A. BRUCE, Secretary.

329: NEWARK AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. Dr. James Ross Keillor. Other events: Functions throughout the year included a coffee evening, cheese and wine party, Hallowe'en children's party, and St. Andrew's Night dance, and the season ended with a very successful President's evening. (MRS.) ELIZABETH HAMILTON, Secretary. 336: PETERHEAD BURNS CLUB To mark the Club's 150th anniversary this year we are planning a week­ end expedition to the Burns country in celebration. J. SMITH, Secretary. 349: THE HOWFF BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 20th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. William Millar, M.A. Other events: The annual Burns church service was held in the Old High Kirk, Kilmarnock on 26th January, and afterwards wreaths were laid on the grave of John Wilson, printer of the "Kilmarnock Edition". Members also attended wreath-laying ceremonies at the Burns Statue, Ayr, on 25th January and again on 20th July. At the end of the latter event they took part in a con­ venticle at Leglen Wood. The Club again awarded a prize to the winner of the Burns Competition in the James Hamilton Academy. It was with great regret that we learned of the passing of Mr. James W. Rae, a former President of the Club. A. M. LENNOX, Secretary. 124 360: LOCHEE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. T. R. S. Campbell, B.D. Other events: Various social evenings were held during the year, and our concert party, composed of a group of members who are retired, compered by Mr. William Sime, Hon. President, were in great demand throughout the year. K. G. SEATIER, Hon. Treasurer.

366; THE LIVERPOOL BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Dr. J. Baxter. The Lord Mayor of Liverpool also spoke. Other events: Monthly literary nights included a recital of Burns's works; a photographic tour of Scottish Ancient Monuments; a quiz; and a talk on Lady Lever Art Gallery which was also visited by a party of members. Rambles were held during the summer and socials in the winter. MARGARET J. BROWNLIE, Secretary. 370: DUNDONALD BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: For the first time in a number of years, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by a guest speaker, Mr. Jack Hay of Troon. Other events: During Dundonald Festival Week, the Club was responsible for organising the highlight-a Gala Night which featured well-known artists Johnny Beattie and Alistair McDonald. Two members, Drew Goodwin and Gordon Robertson, were responsible for one of our most successful monthly meetings on "The Lesser Known Songs of Burns". ROBERT KIRK, Secretary. 377: KILBIRNIE ROSEBERY BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by President Mr. Joseph Davidson before a company of 120. Other events: The annual Hallowe'en dance was well attended as were the winter talks. Innovation was a Bothy Nicht. A brief tour of the Burns Country was much appreciated. w. J. SMITH, Secretary.

378: EDINBURGH DISTRICT BURNS CLUBS ASSOCIATION Wreath-laying ceremony on Sunday, 19th January. Verse and Song Compe­ tition. Burns Federation Conference. Presentation Dinner to Mr. Fred Belford and Mrs. Jane Burgoyne for their work in the Burns movement. Monu­ ment opened on Sunday afternoons during the summer months. G. HENDERSON LAING, Secretary.

387: CAMBUSLANG MARY CAMPBELL BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Held at home of President, Mrs. Molly Rennie. Supper and refreshment, song and chatter enjoyed by all. Due to smallness of numbers, all meetings held in members' homes in turn. 125 393: ANNAN LADIES' BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: This was held in the Corner House Hotel on 23rd January. The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. David Campbell, Amisfield, Dumfries. Pipe-Major Walter Cowan piped in the haggis. Other events: The summer drive took place to Moffat. The Christmas party was a great success, as were other socials. On St. Andrew's Night Mrs. Beck gave a talk about Scotland. The Dumfries Ladies' Club invited the Annan Ladies' Burns Club to their last social, which was a great success. (MRS.) MARY BLACK, Secretary. 401: BRIG-EN (WAVERLEY) BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, in the Waverley Hotel, Dumfries, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Ian McNaught. Supper was followed by songs and dances.

403: FRASERBURGH BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. James B. Kay, J.P., a Past-President and an Honorary Life Member. The President, Mr. Andrew J. D. Stephen presented Mr. Kay with a book in appreciation of his long and devoted service to the Club. Mr. Kay, who is now resident in Kirkcaldy, joined the Club in 1948. He was President in 1961 and Secretary and Treasurer from 1957 to 1973. ROBERT WATT, Secreta.ry. 405 : THE CALEDONIAN SOCIETY OF SHEFFIELD Anniversary Dinner Report: This year's dinner was a great success. The main speaker was our recently appointed Hon. Chaplain, Rev. Ernest C. Marvin. He recalled the suspicion with which Burns viewed the Church but felt "his attacks on the Church were not those of the light-hearted sceptic but were motivated by a passionate desire to see genuine piety and the righteousness it entailed . . . " The toast was drunk in silence. G. R. M. THOMSON, Secretary. 417: BURNLEY AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: This was held at the Keirby Hotel, 90 members and guests attending, including the Mayor and Mayoress of Burnley. Dr. R. J. Calvert was in the chair; the haggis was piped in by Pipe Major Tinnior; and the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. J. Williamson, Past­ President of Bury. Other events: Ceilidh in March; Charity Shop raised £122; St. Andrew's Ball. Slides on the Caribbean by a new member, followed by social evening, with a raffle which raised over £14 for charity. (MRs.) GRETA GREIG, Secretary. 426: SAUCHIE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Alex I. Dickie, O.B.E., M.A., Muckhart. Other events: Annual meeting and supper held on 18th October, and the annual dance on 2nd November, both 1974. DAVID ROBERTSON, Secretary. 126 437: DUMFRIES LADIES BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: At 45th anniversary dinner on 18th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. F. Crosbie. Other events: Readings of Burns 's poems by members, have become a feature of monthly meetings. - Our usual donation was made to Dumfries Muscial Festival, and Christmas gifts given to senior members. Highlight of the year was the visit to Russia for Moscow's first Burns dinner, by six members. At our social in April, 45 ladies from Annan Ladies Burns Club were enter­ tained. (MRS.) E. KIRKLAND, Secretary. 458: STONEHAVEN (FATHERLAND) BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Speakers at the annual dinner all excelled themselves, and guests and members enjoyed what was considered to be the best dinner in the Club's history. Other events: Over 80 members took part in the June outing to the Trossachs, while the half-day run to Macduff was well attended. (MRS.) F. THOMSON, Secretary. 462: CHELTENHAM SCOTTISH SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Dr. T. E. Durkin, at the Queen's Hotel. Other events: We began our season in 1974 with a Ceilidh, which was followed at the appropriate time by a Hallowe'en Party, St. Andrew's Dinner and Hog­ manay Ball. Country and Highland dancers have met almost every week and teams of ancers have performed at many functions held to raise money for charity. M. W. AITKENHEAD, Secretary. 470: ST. GILES BURNS CLUB, ELGIN Anniversary Dinner Report: This was held in the Gordon Arms Hotel on 22nd January. The principal toast was proposed by Chief Superintendent Norman Burns, North-East Counties Constabulary, who later accepted the scroll of Hon. Membership from the. President, Mr. James Taylor. Other events: Six members of our Club left Elgin on 23rd January to attend the first Burns Supper in Moscow. LOUIS G. GOWAN, Secretary. 492: HARROW AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 22nd March, Lord Mackie of Benshie proposed the toast to the Society. Lord Banks of Kenton replied to the toast to the guests given by Past President James Mason. Other events: On 24th January a Burns Supper was held at which the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by James B. Black. The annual New Year Ball on 3rd January was well attended by members and others from kindred societies. D. WILLIAMS, Secretary. 127 503: DUNBLANE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Sheriff J. Irvine Smith. T. A. TURNBULL, Secretary.

511: PERTH ROBERT BURNS CLUB (WESTERN AUSTRALIA) Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was given by Mr. Jock Spence, secretary of Perth Scottish Union. Other events: Visitors to the club were Mr. and Mrs. Rodger, Dumfries, and Mr. and Mrs. Bruce, Edinburgh-visitors always welcome. Members attended Fremantle Caledonian Society and Fremantle Scots Ladies Club dinners. JANET RUSSELL, Secretary.

516: AIRTH BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: We held our Burns Supper on 25th January. The "Immortal Memory" was given by the Rev. A. McD. Millar, of Tranent Parish Church. Other events: Monthly dances throughout the year. Also a bus drive to the Ayrshire Burns country. WALTER M. MUIR, Secretary.

530: SOUTHERN SCOTTISH COUNTIES BURNS ASSOCIATION The Commemorative Service was held in St. Michael's Church on 25th January, when representatives from the Town Council and Burns Clubs were in attendance. The wreath-laying ceremony at the Mausoleum followed thereafter. Quarterly meetings were held in the Globe Inn and were well attended. Twenty-seven schools and 2,160 pupils took part in the Literature Compe­ tition and prizes to the value of £70 were donated. (MRS.) MARY SHEARER, Secretary.

S48 : LEEDS CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Donnie B. Macleod of Aberdeen. Other principal speakers included Baroness Masham of Ilton and Lord Feather. Other events: Annual church service, St. Andrew's Day dinner and dance; Hogmanay dance; golf and bowls tournaments, lectures, etc. EMILY WELLS, Secretary.

553: WOLVERHAMPTON AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY In brief we have had a very satisfactory year, both socially and financially. All our functions have been well attended and enjoyed by all. J. J. JOHNSTON, Secretary. 128 555: HARROGATE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: At our Burns dinner/dance which was held on 25th January, we welcomed two worthy sons of Scotland-Mr. R. Myles Gibson, the eminent neurosurgeon, formerly of Kilmarnock, who proposed the "Immortal Memory," and Sir William Slimmings, C.B.E., formerly of Dun­ fermline, who proposed "The Lasses". Other events: The St. Andrew's Day dinner/dance was notable for the speeches of Dr. David Bookless of Norwich.and, Professor G. P. McNicol, formerly of Glasgow. Many thanks are due to Mrs. Betty Sharpe, the third lady President of the Society, for the contribution she made to a successful and happy year. During the course of the year. w~ sent donations to: Princess Louisa Erskine Home for War Disabled; Yorkshire Cancer Research Campaign; the local Meals on Wheels. JoHN L. SHARPE, Secretary.

559: COVENTRY AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY The anniversary dinner, held at the Manor Hotel, Meriden, Coventry, on 24th January had a distinct Ayrshire :flavour. The President Mr. R. Brown, a native of Hayhill, Drongan, Ochiltree, presided. He was accompanied by his wife and eldest daughter Ann, aged 12, who delighted the company with the recitation "Let not Woman E'er Complain". Mr. T. Bain, a native of Ochiltree, travelled to Coventry to propose the "Immortal Memory". Other speakers were Mr. J. Jackson who was born in New Cumnock, Mr. A. McDowall, also a native ofHayhill, Drongan. The singer was Mr. H. McPherson from Dalmellington. The guests of honour were the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Coventry. The St. Andrew's Dinner Panrec was held in Bedworth Civic Hall, with a record attendance of 284. ROBERT BROWN, Secretary.

561: LONDON (ONTARIO) CANADA Anniversary Dinner Report: The annual banquet was held in the Officers' Mess at the Armouries. President Jim Connor introduced the Hon. W. A. Stewart as our principal guest and presented Mr. Stewart with honorary membership of the Club. Secretary Bob Clements gave the address to the haggis and Club member D. Hunter spoke on the life of our national bard. An exhi­ bition of piping was given by the London Ladies' Pipe Band, and the London branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society demonstrated their outstanding ability. All in all, the biggest and best banquet in the Club's history. Other events: 7th April saw the Club sponsor "An Evening with Kenneth McKellar" to over 2,000 Scots from the area. Kenneth was granted the privilege of honorary membership. R. CLEMENTS, Secretary. 129 E 566: THE SCOTTISH SOCIETY AND BURNS CLUB OF AUSTRALIA Anniversary Dinner Report: On lst February our guest of honour was Senator, the Hon. Sir Kenneth Anderson, K.B.E. (M.P. for the Liberal Party) who replied to the toast "Land of our Adoption". Mr. Chas. Murray our immediate Past President proposed the "Immortal Memory". A selection of songs by Burns was sung by leading Australian artistes. Our President, Mr. Arch. Ferguson was Chairman and our Senior Vice President, Mr. John Begg (a direct descendant of Robert Bums's sister, Isabella) acted as compere. Monthly meetings are well patronised by members and friends and all pro­ grammes are of a highly Scottish flavour. We were all saddened by the death of our dear friend and secretary Miss Grace C. Campbell, on 4th March this year. MISS MAY DICKIE, Secretary.

593: BARRMILL JOLLY BEGGARS BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Held on 24th January, in the Masonic Rooms, Beith. The "Immortal Memory" was given by Peter Morton, of Paisley. Other events: Four Open Nights were held, one being an illustrated lecture on "Life behind the Iron Curtain" by J. Biggins, from Geilsland School, Beith. The usual St. Andrew's Night was held on 29th November, 1974 when the speaker was R. W. Paterson, M.A. Committee meetings were held monthly. B. C. BEARE, Secretary.

597: THE BURNS SOCIETY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK Anniversary Dinner Report: Our 104th annual celebration was held on 24th January, at the Princeton Club, N.Y. In the chair was the President, Mr. D. Malcolm Fleming. The haggis was addressed by the Rev. Dr. D. L. Maclean, and the toast to the "Immortal Memory" proposed by Mr. Ian D. Naismith. Arrangements as always were in the capable hands of Mr. Robert W. (Bob) Morrison. Other events: A golf outing on 1,0th October, 1974, at the Garden City Golf Club. This was chaired by Mr. Robert M. McKinnon. S. THOMAS AITKEN, Secretary.

612: TORRANCE MASONIC SOCIAL AND BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On llth January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. James Currie. An appeal for the Jean Armour Building Fund produced the sum of £50. Other events: Guest speaker at the St. Andrew's Night on 30th November, 1974, was Mr. Samuel Gaw, President of the Ayrshire Association of Burns Clubs. The Club joined with the Glasgow Masonic Burns Club in February in a service at Colston-Milton Parish Church when the sermon was preached by Rev. John M. Stewart on "Burns and the Kirk". FRED c. JORDAN, Secretary. ,13:> 618: ALTRINCHAM AND SALE CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: Principal speaker at the Burns Supper was Mr. R. S. Allan, 0.B.E., B.E.M. A selection of Scottish songs was rendered by Mr. Peter Phillips. We were pleased to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Phoenix from over the Border to sup with us again. Other events: Our "All Scottish Dance" was held in Sale Town Hall on November 15. It was supported by most of the local Caledonian and Highland Societies, Mr. J. Wilson, President, and Mr. R. Anderson, Chieftain. J. MCFARLANE, Secretary.

626: MOFFAT AND DISTRICT BURNS CLUB Anniversary" Dinner Report: Held in Balmoral Hotel on 24th January. The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Rev. Ian Auld, Moffat. There was a record attendance of 102. Other events: Usual monthly meetings were held from October to April. C. J. YOUNG, Secretary.

627: KINROSS JOLLY BEGGARS Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. George A. McCutcheon, M.A., of Clackmannan. The gener­ ous sum of £150 was collected for the Burns Federation Conference in Dundee. Other events: It is with regret that we note the passing of three of our members: Rev. Karl Greenlaw of Rosslyn; Thomas Smith and Robert Pollock. JOHN KmD', Secretary.

630: COALSNAUGHTON BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Alex McMillan, J.P., M.A., Irvine, Honorary and Past President, the Burns Federation. Other events: The Ladies' Anniversary Dinner was held on 13th February, and Rev. James Currie, J.P., M.A., B.D., proposed the "Immortal Memory". Among visitors to the Club Rooms were members of the Cronies Burns Club, Kilmarnock, on their way to visit the cairn at Harviestoun East Lodge. Books were awarded to winners of the school competition, and gifts to the infant class. ALEX c. COOK, Secretary.

632: SYMINGTON BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 22nd January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Matthew Brown, M.A., B.A., F.E.I.S., F.S.A.(Scot.), of Stepps. A collection taken on behalf of the Jean Armour Burns Houses raised £14·12. Other events: The guest speaker at the St. Andrew's Night was Rev. James Currie, Dunlop. The Club was represented at the Burns church service in Old High Kirk, Kilmarnock in January, and at the wreath-laying ceremony in July at Ayr, 131 the wreath being laid .by -the President. Prizes were awarded to winners of the schools Burns competition. In March, Mr. J. F. T. Thomson gave a most interesting account of his visit to Moscow last January. We deeply regret the passing of three members, Miss M. Paterson, Mr. W. Currie and Miss C. Stevenson, all loyal members for many years, and the last-named a keen committee member. (MRS.) JEAN ANDERSON, Secretary.

646: THE CLEAR WINDING DEVON ALVA BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. John Murray, M.A., B.A., Rector of Alva Academy. Other events: The guest speaker at the St. Andrew's Night on 29th November was Mr. Roy Ramage. Five other social evenings were held during the season. Past Presidents, Mr. J. K. Fox (10 years) and Mrs. Marion Fox (2 years), both members of the Club for 24 years were elected Honorary Presidents and presented with a silver salver in recognition of their outstanding services. Past President, Mr. R. Law, was again elected Vice-President of the Area Federation. President Mr. E ...Mur

657: FALLIN GOTHENBURG BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 31st January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. T. Milroy. A collection during the evening amounted to £10 which was forwarded to the Jean Armour Homes. Other events: The annual drive held on 9th June went to Dumfries and Hamilton. A successful St. Andrew's celebration was staged on 29th November. We regret the passing of one of our oldest members, Mr. P. Lang. J. MILROY, Secretary. ·

659: DUNDEE BURNS SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 27th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. T. R. S. Campbell, B.D., Honorary President. Other events: On 26th January the annual Burns memorial service was conducted in St. Andrew's Parish Church by Rev. Mr. Campbell. The Society's annual outing took place on 24th May to Pitlochry, with over 50 members and friends participating. As a result of a concert, coffee meetings and individual and communal efforts by committee members, the Society raised approximately £300 towards expenses of the 1975 Federation Conference in Dundee. DAVID W. BETT, Secretary. 132 660: LANGHOLM LADIES' BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On the 23rd January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. George Jeffrey of Jedburgh. Other events: A musical evening was held on the 31st October, 1974, at which a report on the Conference held in Edinburgh was submitted by the Vice­ President. St. Andrew's night was celebrated with a supper and this was followed by a travel talk with slide illustrations by Mr. D. G. Fisher from Australia. On the 27th February, a supper and Bring and Buy sale brought the season to a close. N. L. c. McINTOSH, Secretary.

661: LEAMINGTON AND WARWICK CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. A. M. McDowall, Secretary of the West Midlands of England District of the Federation and of Coventry Caledonian Society. Other events: President's Night; St. Andrew's Night dinner and dance; Hogmanay Party; Host Society at Association of West Midlands Scottish Societies' Highland Ball; supper evenings. (MRS.) K. M. 0LLETT, Secretary. 663: BOURNEMOUTH CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: Held at the Pavilion, Bournemouth on Saturday, 25th January, The "Immortal Memory" given by Mr. Peter Campbell, a member of the Society. Other events: On 31st May, 1975 a commemorative plaque was unveiled by life member Mrs. M. MacLay, to mark the sixth anniversary of the opening of the Scottish Hall, Bournemouth, on lOth May, 1969. HELENE S. HARDWICK, Secretary. 664: WEST KILBRIDE BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Held in the Seamill Hydro on 22nd January, when the principal speaker was R. H. Barnett, J.P. The toast to the Lassies was proposed by T. Caldwell, with response by Mrs. P. Millar White; the Address to the Haggis was given by J. Mccallum; and R. P. Airston, Vice-President, proposed the vote of thanks. w. G. SHOWELL, Secretary. 665: GARTMORN LADIES' BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: We held our anniversary on 29th January, when our speaker was Mr. Sam Hay from Sauchie. We had representatives from various clubs in the county. Other events: At our opening meeting we had Mr. A. Cook, from Coals­ naughton, telling us about the quarterly meeting of the Federation Executive held at Coalsnaughton. We had one or two functions to raise money which were very successful. M. RAMAGE, Secretary. 133 681 : THE CRONIES BURNS CLUB, KILMARNOCK Anniversary Dinner Report: On 22nd January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Major John Weir, D.S.O., M.A., F.E.I.S. Other events: The annual outing held in May visited the cairn erected in Glen Afton to commemorate the song "Afton Water", thence to Annie Laurie's home between Dunscore and Monaiave and Threave Gardens with a stop for high tea at Kirkcudbright and home via New Galloway. Members also attended the "Burns Ride" in June. A full bus party attended the wreath-laying service at Burns Statue Square in Ayr on 19th July, where the Club President placed a wreath. The company then went on to the service at Legleu Wood. In October, 45 members attended the Harvest Thanksgiving Service in Dunlop Church whose minister the Rev. James Currie, J.P., M.A., B.D., is a member of the Club. The President on this occasion read one of the lessons in "braid Scots". After the service the company visited Pollok House. St. Andrew's night celebration was held in the Ross Hotel, Kilmarnock and the toast to St. Andrew was proposed by the Rev. E.T. Hewitt, M.A., B.D., a member of the Club. Members also attended a special church service in the old High Kirk, Kilmarnock, in January, on the bicentenary of the death of John Wilson, printer. A. ABREY, Secretary. 691: INVERNESS BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 21st January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Andrew Charters, of Ayr. The function was attended by 149 members and guests. D. F. MAcDouGALL, Secretary. 695: KILMARONOCK BURNS CLUB (DUNBARTONSHIRE) Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the Club was honoured to have as guest speaker the Rev. Robert Paterson, of Jamestown. Other events: St. Andrew's Night was held on 29th November, 1974. Mem­ bers' social evenings were held in March and October. MAY CALDWELL, Secretary.

696: WHITLEY BAY AND DISTRICT SOCIETY OF SAINT ANDREW Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Dr. Ian Airlie, Past President of the Northumberland and Durham Caledonian Society. Other events: At the Saint Andrew's Ball the guest speaker was Rev. A. P. Dickey. (MISS) J. H. COLVILLE, Secretary. • 699: CHOPPINGTON BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was given by President Mr. Campbell Keenlyside; followed by social evening and dance. Other events: Saturday, llth May, 1974-Buffet Dance; 7th September­ Coach trip to the Borders; 26th October-Hallowe'en Buffet Dance; 30th November-Stag Night Dinner; lst March, 1975-Ladies' Night Buffet Dance. J. E. GODDEN, Secretary. 134 701: THE DETROIT BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On the 25th January, in the M.E.A. Hall, Dearborn, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Past President John Ross, and the Haggis was addressed by Past President Hugh Ringland. Robert Morrison was the Chief and the haggis was piped in by George Stewart, Piper of Clan MacRae, of Dearborn, Michigan. Other events: On 25th January, 1974, the Club placed a wreath at the Burns Statue in Cass Park; and a Lassies' Night was held in June, 1974 and March, 1975. An Honorary Life Member, Mr. Joseph B. Dickey passed away in September. 1974. SAMUEL R. DICKEY, Secretary

718: ST. ANDREW SOCIETY OF YORK Anniversary Dinner Report: The anniversary dinner and dance was held at Messrs. Terry's, York, on 24th January, when the "Immortal Memory" was submitted by Prof. B. P. Ruthven, M.A., F.E.I.S. The other guest was the Sheriff of York, Councillor R. Pulleyn, who replied to the toast, "The Toon We Bide in and Our Guests" which was proposed by D. M. Craig, President Elect of the Society. . Other events: Season opened with the President's Reception, followed by St. Andrew's Night Dinner and Dance; and New Year Supper Dance. The Ladies' Circle held monthly luncheon meetings from October to April; and monthly meetings in the evenings with guest speakers. J. ROBERTSON, Secretary.

720: RETFORD AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 29th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mrs. Susan Court, B.Sc., M.Ph. Other events: Functions included President's Reception; Hallowe'en children's party; a haggis supper on St. Andrew's Night; Hogmanay dance; coffee evening; and an end of season buffet dance in March. (MRS.) D. I. WALKER, Secretary.

721: PLYMOUTH BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the President, George F. Johnston. Amongst the principal guests and speakers were the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Plymouth and the Presidents of kindred societies. Other events: The Club was well represented at the conference in Edinburgh and many old friendships were renewed. The usual series of successful functions were held throughout the year and keep us to the fore in Plymouth's social life. (MRS.) MYRA JoHNSTON, Secretary. 135 725: BEN CLEUCH BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. R. Kirk, secretary of Dundonald Burns Club. Other events: Mr. R. Curran, Provost of Alva, was guest speaker at the St. Andrew's Night, held in Tillycoultry Primary School. A documentary of the Club's long history was compiled and gifted to us by Mr. A. J. Bett, one of the oldest members. G. LEATHARD, Secretary. 727: THE ST. ANDREW SOCIETY OF DENMARK Anniversary Dinner Report: Members and their guests could this year enjoy the pleasure of meeting again a dear and well-known guest when gathered for the Burns Supper on 25th January. Mr. Loudon Hamilton, former President of the St. Andrew Society of Denmark, came to Copenhagen to propose the "Immortal Memory". Other events: The night ball in November was as usual a great occasion. In December the Society sent the Danish Christmas tree to Edinburgh. Over 4,000 people from Copenhagen and surrounding areas watched the Highland Games, which this year also included a display of Scottish folk music. OLSEN, for Secretary. 733: ABERDEEN BURNS STUDY CIRCLE Anniversary Dinner Report: Highlight of the Burns Nicht was the "Immortal Memory" proposed by Mr. J. Revie, Immediate Past President, who travelled up from Preston, Lanes., where he now resides. Over 80 years of age, he gave an inspiring address, speaking for nearly 20 minutes without a note. Mr. Revie was presented with an inscribed tankard by Mrs. Watt, wife of the President, and an appreciation of his past work for the Circle was given by Mr. R. H. Watson. A musical evening followed. R. H. WATSON, ..... Secretary . 744: DURHAM AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rt. Hon. H. S. Monro, M.P. Other events: On 31st October a Hallowe'en ceilidh was held; our guests were foreign students from all parts of the world; St. Andrew's dinner dance; Scottish country dance. J. STEWART TAIT, Secretary.

745: NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Andrew Charters, of Ayr, who gave a most interesting and humorous address. He was well supported by the other speakers who were all drawn from our own members. Other events: As this was our 50th Anniversary Year a special President's Reception was held on 27th September, 1974, in the Royal Station Hotel, Newcastle. Other events included the St. Andrew's Dinner and Ball; New Year Dance; Spring Ball; monthly social evenings, a bus outing and a golf outing. A. M. FROOD, Secretary. 136 748: OUPLAYMUIR BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Held in the Inn, Uplawmoor, on 31st January. 1he "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Charles C. Brown, an Honorary Member of the Club and a novelty was a toast "Hail Caledonia" proposed by the Rt. Hon. Edward Taylor, M.P. for Glasgow Cathcart. J. A. M. INGLIS, Secretary.

768: AUCHTERDERRAN JOLLY BEGGARS Anniversary Dinner Report: The anniversary supper was held on Saturday, 25th January, in the No. 1 Gothenburg, Bowhill. Mr. Duncan McLean pro­ posed the "Immortal Memory". This supper was the largest since the Club's beginning in 1912, over 100 members attending. Other events: The Club held their other traditional supper at Hallowe'en on Saturday, 2nd November.

772: PRESTWICK BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: At this Club's 21st annual supper, the President, Cronie Robert Hawthorn, proposed the "Immortal Memory". Other toasts included: the proposer of the "Immortal Memory"-Cronie S. Archibald; Pre~twick Bums Club-Cronie P. Hynd; Reply-Cronie S. Beck; The Lassies­ Cronie J. Law; Scotia-Cronie J. Milliken; Chairman and Artistes, Cronie S. Smith. The Haggis was addressed by Cronie D. Johnston who also recited "Tam o' Shanter" and "Tam Samson's Elegy". Cronie Roy Hunter was elected President for 1975/76 at the A.G.M. on 15th April, and Cronie Tom Morrison Vice-President. Other events: In June the Club's summer outing took place to the Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, and thereafter to the Castle Hotel, Dundonald. The annual cricket and bowling matches were against Prestwick Cricket Club. PETER HYND, Secretary.

796: GATESHEAD AND DISTRICT ST ..ANDREW'S SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: At a Burns supper and ceilidh on 24th January the President, Mrs. J. Dawson, read some of Burns's poems. A display of Scottish dancing was given, and Scots songs rendered. Other events: Some members visited Sunderland Burns Club on 13th March when we heard a very good talk on Galloway. The outing on 15th June was to Bowhill, near Selkirk, the Border home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queens­ berry. One of the founder members, Dr. James Grant, died in April. He will be much missed. (MRS.) H. s. JAMIESON, Secretary.

803: BOWHILL PEOPLE'S BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Mr. James Gillies presided and the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. George Coleshill, London, in No. 1 Goth. on 18thJanuary. Other events: Burns competitions for schoolchildren were held in St. Fothad's 137 Church Hall, where 400 of the general public attended; also competition in Auchterderran Junior High School. Burns books and Federation Certificates were given as prizes. There were 100 competitors. Eight monthly meetings throughout the year. The Club Party put on Burns Suppers and concerts for a number of organisations. JAMES EWAN, Secretary.

808: PONTEFRACT AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 7th February the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. A. Jeffers, of the Leeds Caledonian Society. Other speakers included the Presidents of Otley and Rotherham societies. Other events: President's Evening, October, 1974, with Presidents from surrounding societies; Visit to Edinburgh Tattoo; Scottish Evening and Quiz; Ceilidh. Our Pipe Band entered many competitions and entertained other societies, etc. VALERIE RICHMOND, Secretary. 809: ALLANTON "JOLLY BEGGARS" Anniversary Dinner Report: On January 25th the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Joe Cowan, Past-President of Lanarkshire Association of Burns Clubs. Other events: the a~nual schoolchildren's Burns Competition attracted entries from three local schools. The Alex Neilson Trophy was won for the second year in succession by St. Brigid's Primary School, Newmains. (MRS.) MAY SHEDDEN, Secretary. 810: THIRTY-SEVEN BURNS CLUB, SHOTTS Anniversary Dinner Report: Thomas Davie Campbell, the Club Secretary, proposed the "Immortal Memory". The platform had distinctive panel paintings by D. J. McDonald. Other events: A very successful St. Andrew's Night was held on 30th Novem­ ber, 1974. Pipe-Major Tom McAlister of Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band presented the Club with an inscribed silver tray on behalf of the band members. TOM CAMPBELL, Secretary.

813: TRANENT "25" BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 27th January Mr. David Shankland, Loch­ maben, Dumfries, was the guest speaker. Capacity gathering of 120 members and friends. Other events: Mr. Neville Garden, Edinburgh, was the speaker at the St. Andrew's Night dinner, on 28th November, 1974. Work parties of Club members made several visits to Grants Braes and tended the Burns Memorial Cairn and the well. Books and certificates were awarded to the winners of the school Burns Competitions. ROBERT R. WATT, Secretary. 138 821 : AYR MASONIC BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Rev. J. C. Glennie from Mauchline Church. On this occasion ladies were present, and Mrs. W. Smith, senior, in replying to "The Lassies" hoped they would continue to grace the function. Other events: Mr. Glennie had been speaking to one of our monthly meetings during the past year, and we were privileged to see the Kirk Session book pertaining to the Bard and some of his characters. President J. H. McClement was among those who laid wreaths at the Burns Statue, Ayr, on 25th January. A few members attended the service at the Leglen Memorial. JAMES NIVEN, Secretary.

839: COLDSTREAM BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Re{t. David S. Walker, of Smailholm Parish Church, Roxburghshire. Other events: "A Nicht wi' Burns wi' the Womenfolk" was held on 14th February. The toast was proposed by Mr. John Goodall, Past President of Durham Caledonian Society. WM. JACKSON, Secretary.

842: "YE BONNIE DOON" BURNS CLUB (CANADA) Anniversary Dinner Report: Our anniversary dinner was a big success this year and our numbers were also increased. Speaker was Rev. E. McKinlay, Ph.D., who originated from Bellshill. As well as being a grand speaker, he also entertained us by singing some of the bard's works instead of reciting them. Other events: Our picnic was at our Past-President's summer cottage. The Club entertained and supplied lunch, as well as gifts, to one of our many senior citizens' homes. (MRS.) M. CASSIDY, Secretary.

845: TAM O' SHANTER BURNS CLUB (COVENTRY) Anniversary Dinner Report: On 23rd January at the Club, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. G. Leitch. The Lord Mayor of Coventry, Councillor Dennis Berry, replied to the toast of "The City of our Adoption". On 30th January the Jolly Beggars held their dinner when Mr. K. Dron, M.A., Dip.Ed., proposed the "Immortal Memory". Other events: A stereo radiogram was presented to the Robert Burns School for mentally handicapped children by the Domino Section of the Club. JAMES MCCAW, Secretary.

851; AUCKLAND BURNS ASSOCIATION Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Rev. Douglas Watt. One of the guests of honour was 139 Mrs. H. Kerr from the Cronies Burns Club, Kilmarnock, who was visiting her son now residing in Auckland. Other events: Social evenings were held in May, July, September and Novem­ ber. The September evening commemorated the 200th anniversary of the death of Robert Fergusson. On 26th January, our President, Mr. F. T. Hogsden, laid a wreath on the statue of Robert Burns in the Auckland Domain, in the presence of a large group of members and friends. The City of Auckland Pipe Band provided appropriate music at the ceremony. GEORGE A. PEDDIESON, Secretary.

854: NORTH-EAST MIDLANDS ASSOCIATION OF SCOTTISH SOCIETIES Anniversary Dinner Reports: 24 Societies held individual Burns suppers. Other events: Scottish concert with artistes from various Societies enter­ taining. Annual verse-speaking competitions: winners, Binnie Rose Bowl, Miss Stella Jean McHale; Anderson Wilson TroP,hy, Miss Jillian McHale; Pat McHale Trophy, Miss Lisa Walker; all from 'Worksop Burns and Cale­ donian Club. Country dance festival was held at Edlington. Sad occasion was the passing of Past President Anderson Wilson, who will be greatly missed. K. F. ENGLISH, Secretary. 862: MARKET RASEN SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION Anniversary Dinner Report: On 17th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Dr. B. Weir, M.B., Ch.B.(St. A.) of Lincoln. Other events: A donation of £40 was made to the Jean Armour Burns Houses and the annual rental of a television for the Stonecroft Cheshire Home was paid for by the Association. JOHN A. BELL, Secretary. 870: MASSACHUSETTS SCOTTISH BURNS ASSOCIATION Anniversary Dinner Report: On 18th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Robert R. Matson, secretary, before a company of over 400. The toast to "The Lasses" was proposed by Past-President Peter Stewart and the "Address to the Haggis" was delivered by Mr. David Munn. ROBERT R. MATSON, Secretary. 878: WORKSOP BURNS AND CALEDONIAN CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The 'Immortal Memory' was given by Mr. Tom English, Past President. Guests included the Chairman of Bassetlaw District Council, Mr. R. Webster, and the town Mayor, Nr. Herbert Simcox, and their ladies. Other events: Over 500 attended the St. Andrew's Day Dance at which entertainment was provided by Sheffield City Pipe Band. Miss Stella Jean McHale won the Binnie Rosebowl for Worksop at the Nemass Verse Speaking Competition, for the fourth year running. Eight functions were held during year and donations sent to various societies. New Club pipe band formed-coming along nicely. T. H. ENGLISH, Secretary. 140 880: OTLEY AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Events planned: 28th November, St. Andrew's dinner and dance; 3lst· October, Hallowe'en party; 31st December, Hogmanay dance; 3rd October opening ceilidh-dance; 15th October, bargain party. H. LEE, Secretary. 882: CANBERRA HIGHLAND SOCIETY AND BURNS CLUB , Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Ian Wallace. Other events: The Golden Jubilee was held at the Club Rooms on 13th October.

887: GAINSBOROUGH AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: Held on 24th January, the "Immortal Memory" proposed by Anderson Kidd, Past President, Pontefract Caledonian Society. Other events: President's Reception; St. Andrew's Day Service at Beckingham Methodist Church, conducted by our member, Rev. Robin Napier. Our annual ceilidh was an outstanding success, attended by Lincoln Scottish Asso­ ciation and members of Mansfield Caledonian Society. A large party attended the annual dinner of the Scottish Presidents' Association of which member Lew W. Reid is the current President. LEW W. REID, Secretary. 889; STRATHCLYDE "BONNIE JEAN" BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 30th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Robert Cleland, Vice-President. Other events: On 30th November, 1974, the toast "St. Andrew and Caledonia" was proposed by Mr. A. Rae, President, at the annual St. Andrew's Night. The annual outing to the Burns country was held on lOth May. IAN HUTHCISON, Secretary. 890: WOLLONGONG BURNS SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 18th January the toast to the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Dr. J. J. Mullin. Other events: Social evenings were held in March, May, July, September and November. L. M. CHIRNSIDE, Secretary. 893; THE NORTH BAY BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: A Burns dinner was held at the Elks Club on Johnson Road, Saturday, 25th January. Since it was the 50th anniversary of the city of North Bay, a special Scottish programme was conducted by President Ron Stirling and Past-President Ron Coyne. John McKenzie, Chairman of the "50th Anniversary Committee" attendea this function. Other events: A St. Andrew's night gathering was held on Friday, 29th November. The annual Club picnic was held on Sunday, 20th July, 1974, with 40 children of members attending. (MRS.) THELMA STIRLING, Secretary. 141 894: BEVERLEY AND DISTRICT CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. A. Weighton, Past President of the Scots Society of St. Andrew, Hull. The Rev. J. Bruce Hannah proposed "The Toon We Bide in". ' The Mayor of Beverley, Councillor A. Neville Collier, responded. Other events: A Caledonian Ball was held on 22nd November, 1974, a Christmas Party on 28th December, and a Buffet Dance on 21st March. Avis A. SMEDLEY, Secretary.

896: SIERRA LEONE CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: Held on 25th January, this was attended by 170 people and enjoyed by all. The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by the Chieftain, Mr. J. S. Baird, the haggis having been addressed by Mr. D. Morris. Other toasts and replies were by Mr. J. Watson, Mr. I. Duncan, Mrs. C. Watson and Mr. G. Nash, with Mr. J. Watson as Toastmaster, and Mr. G. Johnston, piper. A dance followed the dinner. J. S. BAIRD, For Secretary.

897: GLENBERVIE BURNS MEMORIALS ASSOCIATION The chief responsibility of the Association is looking after places of Burns interest in the North-East, including the family tombstones at Glenbervie; Memorial Cairn at Clochnahill; and Memorial Plaque in Laurencekirk. Meet­ ings are held in the Gardenston Hotel, Laurencekirk where the poet stayed during his northern tour in 1787. Unfortunately, it was the scene last year of a fire but the plaque was not damaged .. The Association was instrumental i:!l i;etting Aberdeen Town Council to clean the monument to John Burness (Thrummy Cap) in St. Peter's Cemetery; and also to undertake its maintenance in the future. R. H. WATSON, Secretary.

907: "A' THE AIRTS" BURNS CLUB, STONEHOUSE Anniversary Dinner Report: The anniversary dinner was held on 24th January, President Robert Scott in the chair. The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. James Miller Watt. Other events: The schools competition was held in Stonehouse P1imary School hall; four schools competed, two age groups, 8-10 and 10-12, in reading& and songs. Burns Federation certificates were presented to winners. Social evening was held at Stonehouse with sister Clubs, Allanton Jolly Beggars and Bonnie Jean, Motherwell. The Club entered a decorated lorry in the festival pageant on Saturday, 28th June and received first prize. The entry depicted Jean Armour, Robert Burns, Tam o' Shanter, Souter Johnnie, Clarinda and Highland Mary. RICHARD GIBB, Secretary. 142 908: "BRITHERS BE" BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: Our annual Burns Supper was held on 3lst January. The Rt. Hon. William Ross, Secretary of State for Scotland, proposed the "Immortal Memory". Also present, speaking for The Lassies, was the Provost of Kilmarnock, Mrs. M. Garvin. Other events: Our annual anniversary dinner was held in October, main guest, Rev. J. Currie, of Dunlop. Annual visit to Burns Statue in Ayr and visit to the Batchelors' Club in Tarbolton. H. MCFARLANE, Secretary.

909: RICHMOND (YORKS) CALEDONIAN SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Jim Smith. The haggis was piped in by Jim Miller and addressed by Mr. Donald Johnstone. Other events: The Club marked its lOth anniversary on 17th April with a dinner, dance and ceilidh. J. SMITH, Secretary.

914: IPSWICH AND WEST MORETON CALEDONIAN SOCIETY AND BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Jack Lettuce of Townsville and the Address to the Haggis was by Chieftain James Birrell. The Society suffered a severe blow, first by the death in December of our deputy chieftain Bob Clark. This was followed in April by the death of our chieftain Jim Birrell. Both had been over 40 years in the Society and were willing and devoted workers. It will be most difficult to replace them. MARGARET CowE, Secretary.

915: CANTERBURY BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Rev. David Steedman to a capacity gathering of 270 guests. Other events: Monthly "Friendship Evenings" were held throughout the year at which nine speakers gave talks on Burns. Monthly "Discussion Group" meetings were held, using recordings relating to Burns's works. Regular weekly meetings are held by the male members at which the philoso­ phy and spirit of Burns are looked at in association with an evening meal and refreshments. On 21st July Club members attended a special Burns Memorial Service in St. Andrew's Church, Christchurch. . A good relationship has been established with the' Christchurch Dickens Society who have attended our Friendship Evenings, while we have attended their Dickens Evenings. Kenneth McKellar was entertained in our Club rooms by members, and duly received a certificate of Honorary Membership. The Club instituted a Hogmanay Ball, an outstanding success, now to be an annual event. (MRS.) JANET GRANT, Secretary.

143 918: DOVER AND EAST KENT SCOTTISH SOCIETY Anniversary Dinner Report: On 25th January the retiring President, Mr. H. Hutchison, with Mrs. Hutchison, welcomed 300 guests. The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Commander Fraser Buchanan. Other events: The President's party, a car treasure hunt, Hallowe'en dance and St. Andrew's ball, were among the well-attended social events of the year. Mr. J. A. MacKenzie was elected President for the 1975-76 season. (MRS.) IRENE FYFE, Secretary.

921: NORTHERN SCOTTISH COUNTIES ASSOCIATION OF BURNS CLUBS Clubs represented at the annual general meeting in Aberdeen on 25th May, 1975, were Aberdeen Burns Club; Aberdeen Study Circle; Glenbervie Memorials Association; Inverness Burns Club and Stonehaven (Fatherland) Bums Club. Mr. Charles C. Easton, Past President of the Burns Federation, and Mr. Douglas Cruickshank, District Representative, were present. A very successful balance sheet was presented by the Secretary and Treasurer. ETHEL HALL, Secretary. 922: CLUMBER BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mrs. Eva E. Reid, Secretary. Other events: Speaker at the St. Andrew's night dinner at Royston Manor, Clayworth, was Mr. A. Allan. (MRs.) EvA E. REID, Secretary.

926: ROSAMOND BURNS CLUB (GRETNA GREEN) Anniversary Dinner Report: On 24th January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Bill Thom, of Lockerbie. Other events: At the St. Andrew's Night Dinner on 29th November, 1974, the Club entertained as guests of honour Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Johnson, Mayor and Mayoress of Carlisle; the toast of "St. Andrew and Scotland' being pro­ posed by Mrs. Hilda Faulder, Oakbank, Kirkandrews. Five monthly meetings were held, addressed by local speakers. Because of its subject, "Music of Burns's Songs" by Mrs. Betty Davidson merits special remark, members hearing what was virtually an "Immortal Memory" in music. JAMES J. MCCAFFERY, Secretary. 928 : THE LEEDS SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS SOCIETY The Society was reconstituted this year to encourage the study of Scottish literature, history, language, music, art and traditions; also the study of Scottish connections and influences in Yorkshire; participation in local Scottish activi­ ties; and the wearing of the Highland dress. A programme of talks, discussions and friendly meetings is being arranged, and we hope to get more support for the cultural interests as well as enjoyment in the social side of district events. ROBERT PINE, President· 144 929: BATHGATE "JOLLY BEGGARS" BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: The "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. R. A. B. McLaren at the Club's first Bums Supper and Dance held in the Tartan Rooms, Bathgate. Other events: Annual bus outing was held on 2nd June, 1974, to Mauchline, and a St. Andrew's Night on 29th November.

930: THE WHEATSHEAF BURNS CLUB, FALKIRK Anniversary Dinner Report: On 23rd January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. James Anderson, County Convener of Stirlingshire, who has now been appointed Chairman of the Central District. Mr. Ken Waddell editor of the "Falkirk Herald" presented the Federation Charter to Pr sident K. Macleod before the supper commenced. Other events: Two musical evenings were held in Grangemouth which proved very enjoyable occasions. A bus outing to the Bums country was held on 15th June. T. WEIR, Secretary. 932: AFTON BURNS CLUB (CORBY) Although a young Club, we have had an excellent response from members throughout the year, and we hope to expand even further with visits to other clubs. We had a gratifying turn-out of members at the Burns Suppers; we also held two good social evenings with the consent of our parent Club, Corby Ex-Servicemen's and Social Club, Corby. GEORGE HOLT, Secretary. 933: BUSBIEHILL BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: On 31st January the "Immortal Memory" was proposed, at the Club's first anniversary dinner, by Mr. W. Logan. Mr. H. Roberts presented President F. Todd with the new President's medallion. Other events: Several well-known guests attended meetings, including Mr. S. Gaw, Mr. J. F. T. Thomson, Mr. John Gray and Mr. W. Bolton. Members attended wreath-laying ceremonies in Ayr in July and January. The guest speaker at the St. Andrew's night, was Mr. David Lambie, M.P. for Central Ayrshire. H. ROBERTS, Secretary. 934: MANAMA CALEDONIAN SOCIETY, BAHRAIN Anniversary Dinner Report: 180 members and guests attended the Burns Supper in the Gulf Hotel on 23rd January. The president, Mrs.. E. B. Galloway, welcomed the company after which Athol Brose was served. The haggis was piped in by Graeme McWhannel, carried by Bill Smith and escorted by Chris Pearson. After supper, the "Immortal Memory" was proposed by Mr. Colin Cameron. Other events: The Society held a ceilidh, St. Andrew's Night Ball, and High­ land Games during the past year. The latter included tossing the caber, which was won by Montrose's Jim Coull. Membership of the Society grew steadily throughout the year and by May, 1975, had reached 240. I. K. DREYER, President. 145 936: IRVINE LASSES BURNS CLUB Anniversary Dinner Report: None as yet. This Club was formed in February of this year, since which time we have had monthly meetings, all well attended, with membership increasing at each. Several outstanding speakers have already visited us, and we have made our plans for Burns night, 1976. It is understood we are the only all female Club in Ayrshire. The formation of our Club caused a great stir locally, as Irvine Burns Club has never permitted females to join, and no one quite expected us to gain the following which we now enjoy! ROSALIND M. KEYTE, Secretary .

• 146 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 0 Kilmarnock Burns Club 1808 188S 84 Frank J. Jones Alasdair M. Gordon, 39 Port- land Street, Kilmarnock KAl lJJ 1 The Burns Club of 1868 188S 21S W. Young, C.B.E. A. C. Brown, 4S Cecil Park, London Pinner, Middlesex HAS SHJ 2 Alexandria Burns Club 1884 188S lSO Robert Armstrong John Barton, Cedar Cottage, 126 Middleton Street, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire G83 ODQ 4 Callandc::r Burns Club 1877 188S 43 A. R. Thompson D. M. Elliott, S8 Glen Gdns., Callander, Perthshire S Ercildoune Burns Club 188S 1963 6S James Irvine J. H. Notman, Kirkgate:, Earl- ston, Berwickshire TD4 7 Thistle Burns Club 1882 188S so James McAulay Robert S. Millar, 12 Avon Avenue, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 2PS 9 Royalty Burns Club 1882 1886 218 Oswald Garry Henry W. G. Kc.rr, S7 Crook- Prosser ston Rd., Glasgow GS2 3QF 10 Dumbarton Burns Club 18S9 1886 120 Robert M. Thomas Wilson, 111 Bruce- Macintosh hill Road, Durr.barton G82 4ER 11 Chr.s•erfield and District 1886 1886 139 Simon Fraser Trevor Chappell, 26 Ashgate Cal.~donian Assoc. Avenur., Chflstc,rfield, Derby- shin~ S40 1JB 14 Dundee Burns Club 1860 1886 S3 F. Curran G. Curran, c/o Dundee Burns Club, 37 Union St., Dundee lS Belfast Burns Assoc. 1886 1886 86 Mrs. Jean Allan Miss May White, 20a Cyprus Park, Belfast BTS 6EA 17 Nottingham Scottish 1871 1886 2SO G. A. R. Calccr, Capt. D. Shore, 21 Farm Rd., Association B.Sc., A.R.I.C. Chilwell, Benston, Nottirg- ham NG9 SBZ 20 Airdrie Burns Club 1883 188S 110 Wm. Gill, M.A. Matthew P. Kidd, 'Coorie Doon,' Queen Victoria St., Airdrie ML6 ODL 21 Greenock Burns Club 1801 1886 16S Wm. F. Balnave Duncan McSwein (Snr.), 3 Welbeck Street, Greenock PA16 7RW 22 Edinburgh Burns Club 1848 1886 36 H.J. Hayhoe Miss Helen M. Muir, 10 Blinkbonny Rd., Edinburgh EH43HX 33 Glasgow Haggis Club 1872 1886 100 Douglas Wright David Watson, C.A., 147 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4SN 3S Dairy (Ayrshire) Burns 182S 1887 90 T. Mulholland W. Walker, 10 Braehead, Club Dairy, Ayrshire KA24 SEX 36 Rosebery Burns Club 188S 1887 SS F. M. Skinner Angus R. Peacock, J.P., 12 Endfield Avenue, Glasgow G12 '37 Dollf.r Burns Club 1887 1887 100 Emm Breingan Alex. B. Mclver, Harvkstoun Lodge, Dollar FK14 7PY 147 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. hers President Secretary 40 Aberdeen Burns Club 1872 1889 131 John Fraser Thos. C. Colthart, 39 Thorn- grove Avenue, Aberdeen AB17XT 42 Strathearn Burns Club 1889 1950 20 John Duncan Mrs. G. B. Lowe, 10 Millar Street, Crieff, Perthshire PH7 3AH 45 Cumnock Burns Club 1887 1891 120 Alistair Mackie K. H. McCall, 51 Richmond Terr., Cumnock KA18 lDN 48 Paisley Burns Club 1805 1891 37 Thomas Gibson, Clark Hunter, 'Holmdale,' 27 M.B., F.R.C.S. Thornley Park Ave., Paisley (Edin) PA2 7SD 49 Bridgeton Burns Club 1870 1891 700 GordonK. Moore P. J. Wilson, 121 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 2SD 50 Stirling Burns Club 1886 1892 120 Rev. Dr. David Henry Robb, LL.B., 3 Pitt Dick Terrace, Stirling 55 Derby Scottish Assoc. 1890 1893 383 John D. Mac- Robert Bryce, 14 Clifton Rd., and Burns Club Farlane Allestree, Derby DE3 2PH 56 Muirkirk Lapraik Burns 1893 1971 20 Wm. Livingstone Jos. Mackin, 42 Logan Ave., Club Cumnock, Ayrshire KA18 3HB 59 Gourock Jolly Beggars 1893 1893 90 David H. Nelson Robert Smith, 105 Kirn Drive, Burns Club Gourock PA19 lEG 62 Cupar Burns Club 1884 1893 130 Provost And. M. Robert W. McLeod, 'Dun- Scott, M.B.E. vegan,' Ashlar Park, Cupar, Fife KA15 5AQ 68 Sandyford (Glasgow) 1893 1894 550 Geo. F. Graham J. S. Steel, 139 St. Vincent St., Burns Club Glasgow 69 Dunedin Burns Club, 1861 1894 391 H. J. Horrell D. McDonald 181 Shetland inc. St., Dunedin, New Zealand 71 Carlisle Burns Club 1889 1895 18 T. T. Ferguson S. Sinclair, 3 Holme Close, Scotby, Carlisle, Cumbria CA48BN 72 Partick Burns Club 1885 1895 90 Robert M. Russell A. Sharp, 270 Dum- Davidson barton Road, Partick, Glas- gow Gll 6TX 74 Nat. Burns Memorial 1888 1895 Sir Claud Hagart John Findlay, 299 West and Cottage Homes, Alexander of George Street, Glasgow G2 Mauch line Ballochmyle, Bt. 76 Brechin Burns Club 1894 1896 60 Alex. L. Eggo David Young, 'Glenavon,' 19 Eastbank, Brechin 82 Arbroath Burns Club 1888 1896 87 David Chapel, R. Robertson, 10 Gallowden M.B.E. Rd., Arbroath, Angus 85 Dunfermline United 1812 1896 104 The Rt. Hon. the J. Torrie, 14 Park Avenue, Burns Club Earl of Elgin and Dunfermline KY12 7HX Kincardine, D.L., J.P., M.A. 89 Sunderland Burns Club 1897 1897 78 Mrs. Kath. Nicol W. K. Donnan, 5 Buxton Gardens, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR3 lLZ 95 Bolton Burns Club 1881 1897 162 Mrs. H. Breen Mrs. E. Fish, 129 Bradford Street, Bolton, Lanes. 148 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 99 Jedburgh 1897 1897 50 Richard Douglas John Ker Paton, 2 Meadow Street, Jedburgh, Rox. TD8 6HE 112 Dumfries Burns Howff 1889 1899 90 Rich'd Weismach D. Smith, 22 Cargenbridge, Club Troqueer, Dumfries DG2 8LW 116 Greenloaning Burns 1889 1900 70 Peter I. Mcintosh, Norman Ure, 6 Drummond Club J.P. Rise, Dunblane, Perthshire 120 Bristol Caledonian Soc. 1820 1900 280 T. Johnstone Lieut. Comdr. D. W. Wooller R.N., 'Parkwood,' Hazel­ wood Rd., Bristol BS9 IPX 124 The Ninety Burns Club 1890 1902 57 D. G. Blyth J. C. McVittie, W.S., 4 North Charlotte St., Edinburgh EH24HT 126 Falkirk Burns Club 1866 1902 200 John Liddell, C. Inglis McAulay, Kirkshiels F.C.I.S. Polmont, Stirlingshire 133 Newarthill Burns Club 1903 1904 30 R. Paton Thomas Boslem, 82 Mosshall St., Newarthill, Motherwell 149 Elgin Burns Club 1901 1905 120 William Wittet, Wm. D. G. Chalmers, Royal C.B.E., J.P. Bank Bdgs., Elgin, Moray IV30 IDY , 152 The Hamilton Burns 1877 1906 210 J. Wallace Lisle Pattison, T.D., F.C.I.S., Club Jackson Lisdor, Glasford Rd., Strath­ aven, Lanarks. MLIO 6LL 153 Scottish Burns Club 1904 1906 125 John C. McNicol K. E. Fisher, 160 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 TJ 158 Darlir.gton Burns Assoc. 1906 1906 81 Mrs. M. A. Hogg Mrs. F. Crammond, 'Tilly­ birnie,' 1 Teesdale Rd., Start­ forth, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham DL12 9AT 167 Birmingham and Mid- 1888 1924 279 S. C. Mackay Mrs. Francis A. D. Highway, land Scottish Society High Ash Farm, Meriden, Nr. Coventry, Warwickshire 169 Glasgow and District 1907 1908 15 W. Page Burgess, John F. Brodie, C.A., 82 West Burns Association Clubs F.R.I.C.S. Nile St., Glasgow Gl 2QL (Interim) 173 Irvine Burns Club 1826 1908 469 Charles Masson Andrew Hood, 'Chamber­ houscs,' Irvine KA12 OJQ 179 Dailly Jolly Beggars 1909 1909 9 Dr. R. Mclmoy John Dorward, 17 Linfern Club Rd., Dailly KA26 9SW 187 Galashiels Burns Club 1908 1909 130 William Cowan D. Wilkinson, 27 Kenilworth Ave., Galashiels TDI 2DD 190 Port Glasgow Burns Club 1910 1910 12 Joseph Hill Colin McKenzie, 67 Pladda Avenue, Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire 192 Ayrshire Association of 1908 1910 28 Samuel K. Gaw Geo. Vallance, 5 Park Terr., Burns Clubs Clubs Lugar, Cumnock KAIS 3LD 197 Winnipeg Burns Club 1907 1911 46 John D. Barbour F. R. Evans, 116-81 Roslyn Rd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3L OG3 198 Gorebridge Burns Club 1906 1911 240 Archd. Lochrie Richard Young, 23 Hillside Crescent South, Gorebricge, Midlothian 149 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 199 Newbattle and District 1910 1911 60 J. Telford David Smith, 77 Sixth Street, Burns Club Newtongrange, Midlothian 209 Greenock St. John's 1909 1909 50 RoJx,rt Miller Robert Miller, F.S.A.Scot., 11 Burns Club Murdieston Street, Greenock PAIS 4DT 212 Portobello Eurns Club 1892 1913 56 J. Stanley Cavaye Robert Mackay, M.A., 'Quar­ dene,' Bryce Ave., Edinburgh EH7 6TX 217 Eskdale Burns Club 1886 1913 150 Arthur N. Elliot Mrs. Sheena Elliot, 5 Academy Place, Langholm, Dumfries­ shire DG13 OBA 220 Burns Club of St. Louis 1905 1913 37 J. Gordon Forsyth, Stephen H. Kohl by, 32 Wood- Jr. cliffe Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63124, U.S.A. 226 Dumfries Burns Club 1820 1913- 96 Eric W. Banner- John A. C. McFadden, 37 man, C.A. Gr.orge Street, Dumfries DGl !EA 236 Whitehaven Burns Club 1914 1914 60 James Quin J. Quin, 15 Carlton Drive, Fairfield, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 237 Uddingston Masonic 1914 1914 30 Joseph Polson J. Polson, 4 Watson Street, Burns Club Bellshill, Lanarkshire 238 Burns Club of Atlanta 1896 1914 70 Ian MacFarlane William J. Brown, 1744 Ponce De Leon Av,1., N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30307, U.S.A. 239 Hawick Burns Club 1878 1914 904 Martin Deal H. L. Willison, 49E Branx­ holme Road, Hawick, Roxburghshire 242 Montrose Burns Club 1908 1915 120 R. M. Livingston James F. Smeaton, 5 Whin­ ficld Way, Montrose, Angus 252 Alloway Burns Club 1908 1918 160 James Glass, M.A. George A. Bryan, , T.Eng.(CEI), A.M.I.T.E., 20 Hawkshill Avenue, Ayr KA8 9JP 263 GI _sgow Masonic 1919 1919 105 David White Leslir. S. McGregor, 120 Moss Burns Club Heights Avenue, Glasgow G52 2TZ 274 Troon Burns Club 1920 1920 120 Geo. McCulloch Thos. McGrath, 24 Fullarton Drive, Troon, Ayrshire KAlO 6PJ 275 Ayr Burns Club 1886 1920 180 Allan Stoddart Robert Cuthbertson, 'The Moun',' 15 Carrick Avenue, Ayr KA7 2SN 282 The Burns Bowling 1898 1920 17 John C. McNicol John Melville, 24 Woodlands Assoc. Clubs Rd., Glasgow G3 6UR 284 Phil'-t:,~lphia North­ 1896 1921 22 Joan McGiinchey Archie Bowman, 4120 E. east,,rn Burns Club Barnett Str0ct, Philad,.Jphia, P.A., 19135, U.S.A. 293 Newcraighall Welfare 1921 1921 40 William Duncan George Flockhart, 173 Porto- Poosie Nansie Burns bello High S:., Edinburgh Club EH15 !EU 296 Wdsall Burns Club 1900 1922 150 G. H. Henderson W. A. Reid, 16 Harpur Road, Walsall, Staffs. 150 Mem­ No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 303 Victoria St. Andrew's 1849 1922 210 Allen Houston Miss Lily Sutherland, 2315 and Caledonian Soc. Blanchard St., Victoria, B.C. VST 4J4, Canada 307 Edinburgh Ayrshire 1914 1922 181 Mrs. D. C. G. Henderson Laing, 50 Association Cargill, M.A. Marrionville Dr., Edinburgh EH7 6BW 310 Mauchlir..e Burns Club 1923 1923 76 T. Kerr D. I. Lyell, M.A., 9 East Park Ave., Mauchline KA5 5BS 314 Scottish Burns Club, 1920 1923 70 M. Mcintyre Mrs. Jessie A. Bruce, 9 Victor Edinburgh Hood Park Terr., Corstorphine, Edinburgh EH12 SBA 320 Troy Burns Club 1903 1924 10 H. Lawson James A. MacAdam, 31 Cardinal Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12208, U.S.A. 323 Kirkcudbright Burns 1918 1924 104 Donald G. Adam Gray, Jnr., Ingleston, Club Clement Borgue, Kirkcudbrightshire DG64UA 329 Newark and District 1923 1924 125 Mrs. G. M. Mrs. E. Hamilton, 'Lindis­ Cal. Soc. Mcintyre farne,' 27 MacAulay Ave., Balderton, Newark, Notts. 336 Peterhead Burns Club 1826 1925 225 Dr. DavidDaiches J.M. M. Smith, 13 Broad St., ' Peterhead, Aberdeenshire AB4 6JA 340 Bakrno Burns Club 1881 1965 34 Robert Brown William R. Shanks, 15 Dean­ park Grovfl, Balerno, Mid­ lothian EHl4 7EA 341 Leith Eurns Club 1826 1925 27 Wm. Brunton Kenneth N. W. Pagr., 6 Cassel­ bank St., Lr.ith, Edinburgh 6 346 Oakbank Mossgiel 1923 1925 9 Mrs. Elizabeth Mrs. E. Walker, 31 Broom­ Burns Club Jamieson park Viow, East Calder, Mid­ lothi~n EH53 ODA 348 Newton Jean Armour 1924 1925 40 Mrs. M. Kennedy Mrs. S. Kean, 14 Woodland Burns Club Crescflnt, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire 349 The Howff Burns Club 1925 1925 40 Samuel Hannah Mrs. A. M. Lennox, 28 Bruce Avenuo, Dundonald, Kil­ marnock KA2 9HX 350 Markinch Burns Club 1899 1925 120 James M. Brodie Robert Muirhead, Kirk­ forthar Feus, by Markinch, Fife KY7 6LR 355 Calcutta Burns Club 1926 1926 55 F. McNeill W. D. MacGregor, National and Grindleys Bank Ltd., 19 Netaji Subhas Rd., Calcutta I, India 356 Burnbank and Dist. 1826 1926 48 Adam Russell Charles C. Brownlie, 4 Yews Masonic Burns Club Crescent, Harr.ilton 360 Lochee Burns Club 1926 · 1926 250 John G. Watt Brian L. Lawson, 30 Suther­ land Cres., Dundee, Angus DD22HP 363 Barrow St. Ancirew's 1878 1926 137 Dr. W. J. Liddle, W. Eccles, 'Greystead,' 30 Society M.B., F.R.C.S. Dane Avenue, Barrow-in­ (Ed.) Furness LAl4 4JS 151 Mem­ No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 36S Catrine Burns Club I92S I926 40 Hunter Faulds Daniel F. Hannah, 30 Aird Ave., Auchinleck, Ayrshire KAIB 2JS 366 Liverpool Burns Club I924 1926 S9 Mrs. A. V. Bell Miss Margaret J. Brownlie, 4S2 Queen's Drive, West Derby, Liverpool, L4 BUA 370 Dundonald Burns Club I963 I964 IOO Sidney A. Nichols Robert Kirk, Parkstone, Ploughlands Road, Dun­ donald, Ayrshire KA2 9BY 377 Kilbirnie Rosebery 1906 1927 BO Tom Smith Wm. J. Smith, 'Brookfield,' 13 Burns Club Grahamstone Avenue, Glen­ garnock KAI4 3AF 37B Edinburgh Dist. Burns 192S 1927 14 R. Campbell G. Henderson Laing, SO Clubs Association Clubs Marionville Dr., Edinburgh EH76BW 3B7 Cambuslang Mary I96S I96S I4 Mrs. M. Rennie Mrs. M. Easton, 6S Trossachs Campbell Burns Club Road, Cathkin, Rutherglen 3BB Kyle Ladies' Burns Club 192S 1927 26 Mrs. M. McPhail Mrs. H. Shaw, 4 Hunter St., Dykehead, Shotts, Lanark­ shire ML? 4EE 392 Whiffiet Burns Club 1920 192B 3S John Johnston W. C. Sproul, 6S Blair Road, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire MLS ING 393 Annan Ladies' Burns I92B I92B IOO Mrs. M. Graham Mrs. Mary Black, IB Newing­ Club ton Rd., Annan, Dumfries­ shire 401 Brig-en' (Waverley) IB76 I92B 30 Dr. W. D. Balfour R. Agnew, 'Restalrig,' S Grey­ Burns Club, Dumfries stonc Avenue, Dumfries DGl IPE 403 Fraserburgh Burns Club 192B 192B lSl Colin McRae, Robert Watt, 62 Broad Street, B.L. Fraserburgh AB4 SAS 40S Cal. Soc. of Sheffield 1B22 1929 277 F. G. Campbell Geo. R. M. Thomson, B.Sc., 4S Cortworth Rd., Sheffield Sll 9LN 413 St. Andrew Society of 1B63 1929 100 Donald J. H. Charles M. Doig, 333 Kearny San Francisco Sinclair Street, San Francisco, Cal. 94109, U.S.A. 417 Burnley and Dist. Cal. I924 I929 IOO Dr. R. J. Calvert Mrs. R. S. Greig, 'Cruachan,' Society 367 Higher Brunshaw Rd., Burnley, Lanes. BBIO 3HX 426 Sauchie Burns Club I929 I929 IOO William Snaddon David S. Robertson, 3I Craig­ bank, Sauchie, by Alloa, Clackmannanshire FKIO 3EG 430 Gourock Burns Club IBB? I929 110 Hamish Melville Daniel Ferguson, M.A., 'Rockside,' 9 Albert Road, Gourock PAIS INH 436 Walney Jolly Beggars I929 I930 lSO Mrs. L. Nicholson Mrs. Elizabeth Doyle, I 72 Ladies' Club Yarlside Road, Barrow-in­ Furness, Cumbria LAI 3 OEG 437 Dumfries Ladies' Burns 1930 1930 96 Mrs. M. Shearer Mrs. E. Kirkland, 17 Kirk- Club owens Street, Dumfries DGl 3DR 1S2 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 439 Barnsley and District 1930 1930 50 Dr. J. G. Robert- C. L. Sutherland, 'Woodleigh,' Scottish Society son Alverthorpe, Wakefield, Yorks. WF2 OAD 443 Victoria (B.C.) Burns 1922 1931 36 Hugh Ross Mrs. Catherine M. Clarke, Club 3780 Savannah, Victoria, B.C., Canada V8X 1T2 444 Swansea and West Wales 1921 1931 312 A. K. Miller J. Lightbody, 42 Fairy Grove, Caledonian Society Killay, Swansea 446 Herefordshire Burns 1910 1931 53 Rev. W. P. W. A. Muir, 3 Orchard Close, Club Shannon Holmer, Hereford HR4 9QY 453 North-Eastern Burns 1927 1931 75 Elizabeth Hurst Mrs. Mary C. Christie, 4254 Club of Philadelphia Ormond St., Philadelphia, Ladies' Awe. PA, 19124, U.S.A. 454 Rotherham and District 1924 1931 80 William Ingram John Scott, 81 Hill Top Lane Scottish Association Rotherham, S. yorkshire ' 458 Stonehaven (Fatherland) 1926 1932 112 W.R. Murray Mrs. E. Thomson, 56c High Burns Club St., Stonehaven, Kincardine- shire AB3 2JQ 461 Leicester Cal. Society 1877 1932 313 R. A. Ralston Mrs. J. M. Cutting, Glen- moray, 56 Dean Road West, Hinchley, Leics. LEIO lQB 462 Cheltenham Scot. Soc. 1930 1932 177 John Scott Mrs. Peggy Aitkenhead, 28 Charlton Kings, Chelten- ham, Glos. 469 Denny Cross Burns Club 1932 1932 30 William Hendry David Blair, 51 Westboreland Rd., Denny, Stirlingshire FK6 470 St. Giles' Burns Club 1924 1932 85 James Taylor George Peterkin, 24 Pansport Road, Elgin, Moray 472 Renfrewshire Assoc. of 1929 1932 11 R. Macfarlan James A. Baird, 4 Binnie St., Burns Clubs Clubs Gourock, Renfrewshire 476 Border Cities Burns 1932 1933 115 John McKay John G. Saunders, 796 Mon- Club Cullen mouth Road, Windsor, Ontario, Canada N8Y 3L2 492 Harrow and Dist. Cal. 1928 1934 434 Geo. MacFarlane Dorothy M. J. Williams, 40 Society Hilbury Ave., Kenton, Middlesex HA3 SEW 494 Motherwell United Ser- 1934 1934 85 F. Paterson John Addie, 1 Forridon Ave., vices Burns Club Newarthill, Motherwell 500 New Cumnock Burns 1923 1934 200 Alex. McKechnie W. C. G. Pearson, M.A., Club Schoolhouse, 33 Lanehead Terr., New Cumnock, Ayr- shire KA18 4EW 501 Galt Burns Club 1907 1935 74 W. Pettigrew J. Curran, 145 Dorset Road, Cambridge (Galt), Ontario, Canada 503 Dunblane Burns Club 1923 1935 20 Ian Mcintosh T. A. Turnbull, The Royal Bank of Scotland Ltd., 53A High St., Dunblane FK15 OEQ 153 Mem­ No. Name lnst. Fed. bers President Secretary 510 I.C.I. Grangemouth 1935 1935 150 G. J. Richards G. S. Murrie, c/o I.C.I. Burns Club Grangemouth Recreation Club, Earl's Road, Grange­ mouth, Stirlingshire FK3 8XG 511 Perth (West Australia) 1935 1935 86 Mrs. Helen Baillie Mrs. J. Russell, 56 Carcoola Burns Club St., Nollamara, Perth 6061, West Australia 516 Airts Burns Club, 1936 1959 50 David Teffrin Walter M. Muir, 89 Gardiner Preston pans Road, Prestonpans, East Lothian EH32 9QR 520 Uddingston Lochlic 1935 1936 15 Mrs. E. Gilmour Mrs. Margaret McKellar, 50 Ladies' Burns Club Douglas Street, Viewpark, Uddingston, Glasgow G71 SEA 523 Highland Soc. of New 1877 1936 143 J. Millar South Wales

530 Southern Scot. Counties 1937 1937 20 H. Cunningham Mrs. Mary Shearer, 211 Loch­ Bums Association Clubs side Rd., Lochside, Dumfries DG20EH 534 Be:llington and District 1934 1937 140 Dr. John Brown R. B. Hamilton, 1 Acorn Ave., Burns Club Bedlington, Northumber­ land, NE22 5SN 535 Plymouth and District 1927 1937 130 A. C. Christie John G. Clark, 2 Litchaton Caledonian Society Cres., Woodford, Plympton, Plymouth PL7 4RE 536 Whithorn and District 1937 1937 68 Rev. Angus W. William Rae, B.L., 58 George Burns Club Morrison, B.D. Street, Whithorn, Newton St~wart 542 Newarthill Whi~e William Burns Andrew Pettigrew, 'Glengon­ Heather Burns Club nar,' Bellside, Cleland, Lanarkshire MLl 5NY 543 Abbey Craig Burns Club 1935 1938 95 A. J. Gourlay A. J. Gourlay, 'Fedra,' Kier Street, Brief go of Allan 548 Leeds Caledonian Soc. 1894 1938 211 Dr. Donald Mrs. E. Wells, 11 St. Mary's MacMillan Court, Leeds, 7 551 Scarborough Cal. Soc. 1934 1938 95 Mrs. A. V. T. Ferguson, M.R.C.V.S., 203 Chamberlain Scalby Road, Scarborough Y012 6TE 553 Wolverhampton and 1937 1937 130 Dr. A. S. Neilson J. J. Johnson, Wrottesley Dist. Cal. Society Lodge Farm, Albrighton, nr. Wolverhampton WV7 3AP 555 Harrogate St. Andrew's 1921 1938 241 Hugh Campbell J. L. Sharpe, 7 Harcourt Rd., Society Harrogate, Yorks.HGl 5NL 556 Caledonian Society of 1883 1938 120 G. N. Thomas G. D. Pratt, 17 St. Christo- Doncaster pher's Crescent, Scawsby, Doncaster DN5 8NY 557 Ladies' Burns Club of 1937 1938 15 Mrs. W. C. Mason Mrs. W. A. Burns, 161 Bolling Atlanta, Georgia Rd., N.E. Atlanta, Georgia, 30305, U.S.A. 154 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 559 Coventry a'1d Dist. Cal. 1911 1938 360 J. Scobie R. Brown, 190 Lutterworth Society Rd., Nuneaton CVll 6GP 561 London (Ontario) Burns 1938 1939 12 Dr. James Connor Rob. Clements, 329 Brock St., Club London, Ontario, Canada N6K2M3 562 Castle Doug! :s Burns 1930 1939 80 Dr. T. M. Donald John C. Stoddart, 9 Ernespie Club Road, Castle Douglas 566 Scottish Soc. and Burns 1939 1939 190 Archd. Ferguson Miss May Dickie, Unit 1, 25 Club of Australia Lavender Cres., North Syd- ney, N.S.W. 2060, Australia 570 The Scottish Clans 1898 1939 350 L. Barnes W. P. Raffan, M.Sc., F.Inst.P., Assoc. of London, Ltd. 2 Erridge Rd., Merton Park, London, S.W. 19 571 The Edmonton Burns 1921 1971 36 Ian Cameron Robert M. Allan, 32 Greer Club Cres., St. Albert, Alberta, Canada 572 Chester Cal. Assoc. 1884 1939 89 Norman Fisher T. S. Lea, Kirkton House, Hunter St., Chester CHI 2AS 575 Windsor (Ont.) Jean 1937 1939 22 Mrs. Marie Auld Mrs. Bella Tough, 2437 Arthur Armour Burns Club Road, Sand, Windsor, 19, Ontario, Canada 576 Fort Matilda Burns Club 1934 1940 100 Leslie Bacon A. B. Hawkins, 9 Denholm Street, Greenock 577 Dalserf and Clydesdale 1939 1940 30 Wm. Tannahill Burns Club 578 Lanarkshire Assoc. of 1924 1942 23 J. Cowan Thos. N. Paterson, 90 Branch- Burns Clubs Clubs alfield Dr., Wishaw, Lanark- shire ML2 ONS 580 Cumbrae Burns Club 1896 1942 120 James M. Elliott Jas. C. Allan, Craigengour, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae KA28 OHQ 581 Cumbernauld and Dist. 1943 1943 40 John Boyle Thos. Stewart, 1 Carrick Rd., Burns Club Cumbernauld 585 Queen's Park Bowling 1930 1943 175 R. B. Dunwoodie John G. Adams, 68 Curling Club Clarinda Burns Crescent, Glasgow G44 4QH Circle 592 Benwhat Burns Club 1941 1944 80 James Hill John Gray, Merrick Avenue, Dalmellington 593 Barrmill Jolly Beggar 1944 1967 45 Hunter Dewar B. C. Beare, 31 Crummock St., Burns Club BP.ith, Ayrshire KAIS 2BD 597 The Burns Society of the 1871 1944 160 Leslie D. Taggart S. Thos. Aitken, c/o People's City of New York National Bank and Trust Co., 237 Washington Ave., Belleville, New Jersey 07109, U.S.A. 606 Corby Stewarts & Lloyds' 1944 1945 32 W. Montgomery, M. Sullivan, 4 Blackmoor Burns Club J.P. Avenue, Corby, Northants.

612 Torrance Masonic Social 1928 1945 60 Wm. Frew Fred C. Jordan, West Balgro- and Burns Club chan Cottage, Torrance, nr. Glasgow 614 Bellshill Cal. Burns Club 1969 1969 45 Wm. Mitchell D. McKnight, 44 Belvidere Cres., Bellshill, Lanarkshire 155 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. hers President Secretary 617 Reading and Dist. Cal. 1906 1946 200 R. C. Stuart Mrs. Robina M. Hagnell, 58 Association Sturrock Wokingham Rd., Reading, Berks. 618 Altrincham and Sale 1945 1945 50 Mrs. E. Hewson J. McFarlane, 9 Kipling Close, Caledonian Society Offerton, Stockport, Cheshire 626 Moffat and Dist. Burns 1946 1946 89 T. Sweetman Charles J. Young, 4 Eastgate, Club Moffat, Dumfriesshire DG109AA 627 Kinross Jolly Beggars 1889 1946 150 Alex. Henderson John Kidd, Little Aldie, Burns Club Fossoway, Kinross KY13 7QJ 629 Sanquhar Black Joan 1945 1946 60 T. A. Johnston T. A. Johnstone, High Street, Club Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire 630 Coalsnaughton Burns 1945 1946 120 James Hunter Alex. C. Cook, 4 School Terr., Club Coalsnaughton, Tillicoultry FK13 6JX 632 Symington Burns Club 1946 i946 136 Rev. Alex. S. Mrs. Jean Anderson, 36 Lin- Sutherland fern Ave., East, Kilmarnock KAl 3LL 637 Millheugh Burns Club 1941 1946 20 David Banks John Perrie, 28 Westerton Ave., Strutherhill, Larkhall, Lanarkshire 646 The Clear Winding 1946 1947 60 James Lindsay Mrs. Anna Law, 65 Queen St., Devon Alva Burns Alva, Clackmannanshire Club FK12 5EJ 648 Carron Bridge Cronies 1941 1947 55 Henry Graham Lawrence F. Sherry, 28 Burns Club, Kilsyth Duncan Grahamshill Ter., Fankerton by Denny, Stirlingshire 657 Fallin Gothenberg Burns 1947 1947 70 John Young JohnMilroy,28LamontCres., Club Fallin, Stirlingshire FK7 7EJ

659 Dundee Burns So~iety 1896 1947 70 Mrs. Jessie W. David W. Bett, 5 Tay Terrace, Myles Newport on Tay, Fife DD6 8AZ 660 Langholm Ladies' Burns 1947 1947 50 Miss A. M. Mann Mrs. N. C. L. Mcintosh, 27 Club Townfoot, Langholm, Dum­ friesshire DG13 OEH 661 Leamington and War- 1947 1947 72 Mrs. D. Sinclair Mrs. K. M. Ollett, 67 Kenil- wick Caledonian Soc. Tucker worth Court, Warwick Rd., Coventry CV3 6JA 663 Bournemouth and Dist. 1907 1947 203 Jack Kerr Mrs. Helen S. Hardwick, 70 Caledonian Society The Avenue, Oaktree Farm, St. Leonards, nr. Ringwood, Rants BH24 2RJ 664 West Kilbride Burns 1947 1947 180 Robt. P. Airston H. G. Showell, 'Dalblair,' 87 Club Meadowfoot Rd., West Kil­ bride, Ayrshire KA23 9BZ 665 Gartmorn Ladies' Burns 1947 1948 40 Mrs. D. Morrice Mrs. J. Ramage, 6 Holton Club Cres., Sauchie, by Alloa FK10 3DZ 671 St. Andrew's Cronies 1947 1949 135 Wm. Mattews John Hutchison, 48 Clark Dr., Burns Club Irvine 156 Mem­ No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 674 Manchester and Salford 1890 1948 150 J. Fraser Mrs. F. S. Wenborn, 8 Firs Caledonian Assoc. Ave., Firswood, Manchester M160EP 679 Tullibody and Cambus 1947 1948 50 S. Cherrie Mrs. W. G. Stewart, 17 Park Burns Club Terr., Tullibody, Clackman­ nanshire FKIO 2QA 681 The Cronies Burns Club, 1948 1948 100 T. A. McMillan Miss Andrea Abrey, 28 Kilmarnock Simons Cres., Caprington, Kilmarnock KAI 4UU 683 Stratford-upon-Avon 1947 1948 100 Mrs. A. Sinton Mrs. J. Denton, 38 Hunts Rd., and Dist. Cal. Soc. Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks. 688 KirkcaldyPoosieNansie 1939 1949 31 Mrs. A. Smith Mrs. Isa Davidson, 6 Invertree Ladies' Burns Club Terr., Kirkcaldy, Fife 691 Inverness Burns Club 1949 1949 120 J. F. Michie , D. F. MacDougall, 'Belle Vue,' Stratherick Rd., Inver­ ness IV2 4JY 693 Masonic Burns Club, 1949 1949 77 Thos. A. Sproat Andrew S. Ross, 3 Shilling­ Kirkcudbright hill, Kirkcudbright 695 Kilma1onockBurns Club 1949 1949 114 John K. Galloway Miss May Caldwell, Mid Gar- (Dunbartonshire) tocharn Farm, by Alex­ andria, Dunbartonshire S83 8NG 696 Whitley Bay and Dist. 1930 1949 200 D. F. Gray Miss Jessie H. Colville, 60 Soc. of St. Andrew Park Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear NE26 IDX 698 Turriff Burns Club 1920 1949 90 A. C. W. Sinclair George Morrison, 9 Church Terr., Turriff AB2 7DR 699 Choppington Burns Club 1948 1949 70 C. Keenlyside John E. Godden, 91 East Green, Choppington, North- umberland NE62 5SQ 701 The Detroit Burns Club 1912 1949 51 Hector Marshall Sam R. Dickey, 4700 Curtis Ave., Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.A. 48126 706 North Lindsey Scots Soc. 1927 1949 97 J. D. Young Mrs. Elizabeth L. Davenport, 206 Ashby Rd., Scunthorpe, South Humberside 707 Malvern Scots Club 1945 1949 100 J.B. Arthur Spencer W. Noble, 4 Stoke Gardens, Severn Stoke, Worcestershire 710 Burns Society of Toronto 1896 1970 163 Robt. W. McVey Jock Anderson, 17 Lamont Ave., Weston, Ontario, Canada 711 The Victorian Scottish 1905 1950 E. D. Hucker F. R. Stewart, 46 Donald St., Union Footscray, Victoria, Aus­ tralia 3011 718 The St. Andrew Society 1894 1950 262 D. M. Craig J. Robertson, 4 Hunters Cl., of York Dunnington, YorkY015QH 719 Chelmsford and Dist. 1934 1950 130 I. M. Gillespie Miss E. R. Dick, 6 Burwood Scottish Society Ct., Goldlay Ave., Chelms­ ford, Essex 157 Mem­ No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 720 Retford and Dist. Cal. 1949 1950 90 Miss E. M. Elliot Mrs. D. I. Walker, 37 Hare­ Society wood Ave., Retford, Notts. DN22 7PH 721 The Plymouth Burns 1948 1950 125 Geo. F. Johnston Mrs. Myra Johnston, 33 Club Princess Cres., Plymstock, Plymouth PL9 9ET 723 Strathpeffer Burns Club 1920 1950 90 John McLintock, M. McKenzie, Francis Ville, M.A., LL.B. Strathpeffer, Ross-shire 725 Ben Cleugh Burns Club 1936 1950 70 T. Izatt George Leathard, 19 St. Serf's Rd., Tillicoultry FK13 6QH 726 Melbourne Burns Club 1950 1951 66 Sid Graham Mrs. Stella M. Brown, 10 Elgar Rd., Burwood, Vic­ toria, 3125, Australia 727 The St. Andrew Society 1949 1951 320 H. Barclay Per Bergenholz, Valbygaards­ of Denmark vej 7, 2500 Valby, Denmark 728 Bachelors' Club Com. 1951 1951 12 Maj. John Weir, Charles H. Garven, 109 St. Tarbolton D.S.0., J.P., Quivox Rd., Prestwick, Ayr­ M.A., F.E.I.S. shire KA9 2ER 730 Wigtown Burns Club 1905 1951 60 Gordon S. Henry D. S. Gladstone, 'Glassock,' Newton Stewart, Wigtown­ shire 733 Aberdeen Burns Study 1951 1974. 22 G. F.Watt R. H. Watson, 6 Derbeth Circle Cres., Aberdeen AB2 6LH 740 Thorntree Mystic Burns 1949 1952 68 Wm. Cockburn W. Muir, 101 High Street' Club Prestonpans, East Lothian 741 Plean Burns Club 1952 1952 44 J. Keirs J. White, 67 Wallace Crescent, Plean, Stirlingshire 743 The Romford Scottish 1931 1952 143 J. G. Campbell A. Semple, 'Craigmore,' 32 Association Queens Gardens, Cranham, Essex RM14 ING 744 Durham and Dist. Cal. 1950 1952 199 Mrs. G. Cowie J. Stewart Tait, 66 Grange Society Rd., Belmont, Durham DHl lAL 745 Northumberland and 1924 1952 500 R. A. Howat A. M. Frood, 16 Berkeley Sq., Durham Cal. Society Gosforth, Newcastle-upon­ Tyne NE3 2JB 746 Grimsby and Dist. Cal. 1906 1952 114 Mrs. Dyte Mrs. R. M. Bellamy, 121 Society Highgate, Clccthorpes, Lines. DN35 SPA 748 Ouplaymuir Burns Club 1936 1953 32 David G. Runcie J. A. M. Inglis, M.A., LL.B., Crioch, Uplawmoor, Glas­ gow G78 4AB 753 Westmorland St. Andrew 1938 1953 150 V. W. N. Forrest W. W. Blunt, 82 Gr<:enside, Society Kendal, Westmorland 754 Thornton Cleveleys and 1951 1953 103 Mrs. A. Taylor A. A. Geddes, 50 Westmor­ Dist. Scottish Society land Ave., Cleveleys, Black­ pool FY5 2LX 759 Sunderland and Dist. 1950 1953 76 L. A. Nicol Mrs. L. A. Nicol, 49 Hips burn Caledonian Society Dr., Sunderland, Tyne-Wear SR31TY 761 Kirkton Bonnie Jean 1953 1953 40 Andrew Young, John Stewart, 28 Mount Burns Club, Carluke M.A. Stewart St., Carluke, MLS 5EB Lanarkshire 158 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 763 Wakefield Cal. Society 1953 1953 100 H. B. Cunningham Mrs. E. Young, 76 Silcoates Lane, Wrenthorpe, Wake­ field WF2 ONY 768 Auchterderran Jolly 1912 1954 70 W. Robertson James Penman, 12 Balderran Beggars Burns Club Dr., Cardenden, Fife 769 Robert Bruce Burns 1953 1954 120 John Russell John Russell, 42 Garden Terr., Club Clackmannan 772 Prestwick Burns Club 1954 1954 60 R. Hunter Peter Hynd, 'Corrie,' 50 Ayr Road, Prestwick KA9 lRR 773 Cumnock Cronies Burns 1910 1954 40 John McCreadie S. Fitzsimmons, 15 Hearth Club Road, Cumnock 775 The Hartlepools Cal. 1899 1954 154 A. M. F. Doig, Dr. C. G. Sim, 8 South Drive, Society B.Sc. Hartlepool, Co. Durham 777 Nuneaton and Dist. 1949 1954 137 G. Herbert Norman Spence, M.R.C.V.S., Scottish Society Bardon Cottage, Church Walk, Atherstone, Warwick­ shire 780 Isle of Man Cal. Soc. 1920 1955 250 Mrs. Jean Bisset Mrs. F. Wilson, Bridge Inn, North Quay, Douglas, Isle of Man 784 Kelso Burns Club 1872 1955 135 Robt. Donaldson John M. Stenhouse, C.A., 'Lyndo.n,' Poynder Place, Kelso TD5 7EH 791 Swindon and Dist. Cal. 1946 1955 60 Wm. Henderson , A. G. Robertson, 40 Chestnut Society Springs, Lydiard Millicent, nr. Swindon, Wilts. 796 Gateshead and Dist. St. 1955 1956 40 Mrs. J. L. Dawson Mrs. H. Jamieson, 13 North- Andrew's Society field Road, Gosforth, New­ castle-upon-Tyne NE3 3UL 803 Bowhill People's Burns 1940 1957 75 James G. Gillies JamesEwan,39KirkburnDr., Club Cardenden, Fife 808 Pontefract and Dist. Cal. 1956 1957 130 Mrs. E. D. Kidd Mrs. V. E. C. Richmond, Society Maypole Farm, Wistowgate, Cawood, nr. Selby, Yorks. Y08 OSH 809 Allanton Jolly Beggars 1957 1957 26 John Shedden Mrs. May Shedden, 23 Den­ ·Burns Club holm Dr., Wishaw, Lanark­ shire 810 Thirty-seven Burns Club, 1957 1973 40 J. Archibald Thos. D. Campbell, 76 Dyfrig Shotts St., Shotts, Lanarkshire ML74DQ 811 Logangate Burns Club 1957 1957 70 David Torrance Walter Hall, 11 Paterson Ave., Logan, Cumnock, Ayrshire KA18 3HR 813 Tranent '25' Burns Club 1892 1958 46 Arthur McClune Robert R. Watt, 'Ash Cott., 74 New Road, Tranent, East Lothian EH33 2AA 815 B.M.K. (Netherton) 1958 1958 27 Andrew Wilson David Orr, 39 Hemphill View, Burns Club Knockentiber, Crosshouse, Kilmarnock 818 Dalbeattie and District 1958 1958 40 James Campbell Ewan C. Mair, Briardale, Burns Club Haugh Road, Dalbcattie, Kirkcudbrightshire 159 Mem­ No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 821 Ayr Masonic Bums Club 1919 1958 20 William Smith, Jr. James Niven, 16 Noltmire Rd., Heathfield, Ayr 822 Mansfield Dist. Cal. 1952 1959 44 Callam I. Haggart WilliamJ. Edgar, 129 Marples Society Avenue, Mansfield, Wood­ house, Notts. NG19 9DN 824 Stirling, Clackmannan 1946 1959 36 John 0. Stewart Mrs. W. G. Stewarf, 17 Park and West Perthshire Clubs Terr., Tullibody FKlO 2QA Assoc. of Fed. Clubs 825 The 'Clarinda' Ladies 1959 1959 65 Mrs. Mary Mrs. Christine Wade, 123 Burns Club, Edinburgh Aytaun Caroline Terr., Corstorphine, Edinburgh 12 826 Burns Society of Char- 1955 1959 189 James B. Hunter lotte, North Carolina

831 Lochgoilhead Burns 1960 1960 32 Robt. Armstrong J. Gray, 6 Viewfield, Loch­ Club goilhead, Argyll 834 St. Andrew's Society 1959 1960 120 R. D. Wilson John Snaddon, 2 Hawarden (Altrincham, Sale and Rd., Altrincham, Cheshire District) WA141NG 839 Coldstream 1888 1961 120 Jas. S.Davidson, William Jackson, Homestead, B.Sc. Hirsel, Coldstream, Berwick- shire , 841 Robert Burns Assoc. of 1955 1961 160 James Murray Mrs. Pat MacLean, 5309 Cote Montreal, Canada St. Luc Road, Apartment No. 17, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3X 2C2 842 'Ye Bonnie Doon' Bums 1932 1961 35 Mrs. A. Staples Mrs. J. Cassidy, 459 Franklin Club, Hamilton, Ont., Road, Hamilton, 53, Ont., Canada Canada L8V 2A2 845 Tam o' Shanter, 1959 1961 1800 George Mudie Jas. McCaw, Tam o. Shanter Coventry Club,Hertford Pl., Coventry, Warwickshire CVl 3JZ 849 Jean Armour, Sauchie 1956 1961 60 James Westwood Russell Henderson, Manse­ field Arms, Sauchie, Alloa, Clackmannanshire 851 Auckland Burns Assoc. 1959 1962 36 F. T. Hogsden Geo. A. Peddison, 3 Kamahi St., Mount Eden, Auckland 3, New Zealand 852 Fishcross Jolly Beggars 1962 1962 83 George McCaig James B. McCaig, 41 Pitfaim Road, Fishcross, by Alloa, Clackmannanshire 854 North-East Midlands 1956 1962 24 Alvin Hirst Mrs. K. F. English, 166 Ray­ Assoc. of Scottish Socs. moth Lane, Worksop, Notts. Societies S81 7DY 859 Eglinton Burns Club, 1960 1963 130 R. Whyte S. Robertson, Eglinton Arms Irvine Hotel, Irvine 860 Southland Burns Club, 1962 1963 50 A.Roy Mrs. Ngaire Carr, Woodend New Zealand llRD, Invercargill, New Zealand 861 Cal. Soc. of Lincoln 1948 1963 60 Mrs. J. Aitkinson Miss D. V. Chambers, 2 Saxil­ by Road, Skellingthorpe, Lincoln LN6 OTZ 160 Mem­ No. Name .lnst. Fed. bers President Secretary 862 Market Rasen Scottish 1960 1963 150 E. A. Gass J. A. Bell, 'Attadale,' Orford Association Road, Binbrook, Lincoln LN3 6DU 864 Burnie Burns Club, 1962 1970 - J. Cameron Mrs. E. N. Tunbridge, 143 Tasmania David St., East Devonport, Tasmania, 7310 865 Foresters Arms Burns 1960 1963 35 L. Pope Robert Kemp, 43 Northend, Club Cambusbarron, Stirling 866 Heanor and Dist. Cal. 1955 1963 84 Wm. Clarke Mrs. M. Savage, 19/21 High Society Street, Codner, Derbyshire 870 Scottish Burns Assoc. of 1961 1964 98 John Murphy Robert R. Matson, 14 Woods Massachusetts Avenue, W. Somerville, Massachusetts, 02144, U.S.A. . 872 East Midland Scottish 1949 1964 9 Dr. Wm. J. R. Steele, 11 Ruskin Ave., Socs. Socs. Marshall, O.B.E. Wellingborough, Northants. 874 The Masonic Club Burns 1963 1964 27 Chieftain Tom Fred Lang, 21 Hotham Street, Club, Melbourne Graham Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Australia 3039 876 Tullibody Working . 1964 1965 50 Andrew Dewar Wm. Porteous (Snr.), 10 Firs Men's Burns Club Road, Tullibody, Clackman­ nanshire FKl 0 2TH 878 Worksop Burns and Cal. 1965 1965 260 Mrs. Kathleen T. H. English, 166 Raymoth Club English Lane, Worksop, Notts. S81 7DY 880 Otley and Dist. Cal. Soc. 1960 · 1965 150 W. A. K. Mrs. Harriet Lee, 58 Lark­ Mclndoe field Rd., Rawdon, Leeds 881 Rugeley and Dist. Burns 1966 1966 55 R. Cochrane P. Arkell, 5 Maddon Close, Club Brereton, Rugeley, Staffs. 882 Canberra Highland Soc. 1924 1966 1450 Ronald Kelly Robert D. Ogilvie, P.O. Box and Burns Club 69, Kingston, Canberra A.C.T. 2064, Australia 885 Motherwell and Wishaw 1966 1967 71 John Milligan D. Watson, Arran Road, Miners Welfare Burns Motherwell Club 887 Gainsborough and Dist. 1952 1967 35 Angus McLarty Lew W. Reid, Lea Rig, 152 Caledonian Society Lea Road, Gainsborough, Lines. DN211AN 888 Vancouver Burns Club 1967 1967 20 Geo. Wm. Smith Jas. McPeake, 3057 East 54th Ave., Vancouver, B.C., Canada 889 Strathclyde 'Bonnie Jean' 1959 1967 24 Andrew Rae Ian Hutchison, 60 Donaldson Burns Club St., Burnbank, Hamilton, Lanarkshire ML3 ONS 890 The Wollongong Burns 1966 1967 29 Wm. C. Scott, L. M. Chirnside, 5/1 Myuna Society M.Ch.S. Way, Mangerton Wollon­ gong, N.S.W., Australia2500 892 Ayrshire Metal Products 1966 1968 150 Wm. Faichney Robt. Campbell, 3 Gulliland Burns Club Place, Irvine, Ayrshire KA120EW 893 North Bay Burns Club, 1968 1968 55 Meg Hutchinson Mrs. Thelma Stirling, 264 Ontario Wesley Avenue, North Bay, Ontario, Canada PIA 2Ll 161 F Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 894 Beverley and Dist. Cal. 1967 1968 75 W. Punton Mrs. Avis A. Smedley, Society 'Avron,' 17 Martin Street, Beverley, Yorkshire. 895 Westerton Arms Burns 1968 1968 40 W. Davidson W. Jardine, 8 George Street, Club Dunblane, Perthshire 896 Sierra Leone Cal. Soc. 1957 1968 30 J. S. Baird George Nash, P.O. Box 674 · Freetown, Sierra Leone, W.A. 897 Glenbervie Burns 1947 1969 21 Chas. C. Easton, R. H. Watson, 6 Derbcth Memorials Assoc. F.S.A.(Scot.) Cres., Mastrick, Aberdeen AB26LH 898 Peterlee and Dist. Cal. 1954 1969 20 John R. Napier L. H. C. Battersby, 61 Relford Society Rd., Peterlee, Co. Durham 899 Portsmouth and Dist. 1898 1969 130 Mrs. I. Joly A. Hind, 'Bonnie Banks,' 39 Caledonian Society Carmarthan Avenue, E. Cosham, Portsmouth 900 Irvine Valley Burns Club 1968 1970 40 John Speirs Mrs. Helen P. R. McMillan, 5 Mill Cres., Newmilns, Ayr- shire KAI 6 9BB 901 Cramlington Burns Club 1970 1970 25 .1'eslie-Miller Peter Currie, 13 Melling Rd., Cramlington, Northumber- land 902 Newmarket Burns Club 1959 1970 54 Wm. Muirhead Alex Stewart, Wellington Bar, Manor Street, Falkirk 903 Newhall Burns Club 1970 1970 Hugh D. Pa,rker Mrs. E. Logie, 4 Abbots Cres., Newhall, Burton-on-Trent 904 'Star of Burns Club,' 1970 1971 25 R. Craig Larne 905 Keighley and Dist. Cal. 1971 1971 Mrs. D. Fletcher, Ashley Society House, Park Rd., Crosshills, Keighley, Yorks. 906 Ayrshire Constabulary 1926 1971 140 Supt. Donald Inspector Samuel Guthrie, Literary and Debat- Irving Police Station, Cumnock ing Society 907 Stonehouse Burns Club 1971 44 Robert Scott Richard Gibb, 157 Strathaven Road, Stonehouse, Lanarkshire 908 'Brithers Be' Burns Club 1971 1971 50 Mrs. Ann Harry McFarlane, 119 Crau- Mcintyre furdland Road, Onthank, Kilmarnock KA3 lHX 909 Richmond (Yorks.) Cal. 1964 1972 60 R. Wardle J. Smith, 69 Ronaldshay Dr., Society Richmond, North Yorkshire DLlO 5BW 910 Bankend 'Jolly Beggars' 1971 1972 10 Robert Strang Wm. J. Mcintyre, 1 Coalburn Burns Club Rd., Coalburn, Lanarkshire 911 Borestone Bowling Club 1947 1972 40 Alex. Irvine Alex. Irvine, 3c Bamsdale Rd., St. Ninians, Stirling 912 DIU-Club, Czecho- 1968 1972 20 Jan Chovanec Oldrich Bubenik, profesor, slovakia Jevicko 178, Czechoslovakia 913 Terregles Burns Club 1969 1972 78 L. Thomson Wm. Houston, Brooms Road, Dumfries 162 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. bers President Secretary 914 Ipswich and West More­ 1903 1972 35 Robert Cowe Mrs. Margt. Cowe, 9 Gwen- ton Cal. Soc. and Burns doline Street, Raceview, Club Ipswich, Qld. 4305, Australia 915 Canterbury Burns Club 1971 1972 120 P. W. Vinnell J. E. Grant, 26 Liggins Street, (Inc) Christchurch, New Zealand 916 Hole i' the Wa', Burns 1964 1972 75 Alan Goodwin Wm. Ferguson, 91 Dunlop .Club Road, Dunfries 917 Scottish Presidents' 1958 1972 127 G. Large R. S. Binnie, 'Glenbervie,' 27 Assoc. Lockton Avenue, Heanor, Derbyshire 918 Dover and East Kent 1887 1973 ... 162.:!· J. A ..... MacKenzie "Mii.'Irene A. Fyfe, 'Fant Scottish Society Cottage,' The Avenue, St. Margarets at Cliffe, nr. Dover, Kent 919 Orange and District 1944 1973 106 Chief Newton C. R. J. Davidson, 55 Molong Scottish Assoc. Maybin Road, Orange, N.S.W. 2800 Australia 920 Trysting Thorn Burns 1971 1973 50 James Cowan John Rowan, 26 Jean Armour Club Drive, Mauchline 921 Northern Scottish 1973 1973 36 Bailie Edward A. Miss Ethel Hall, 3 St. Mary's Counties Assoc. of Duncan, J.P. Place, Aberdeen ABl 2HL Burns Clubs 922 The Cl umber Burns Club 1973 1973 9 Mrs. N. Inglis Mrs. E. E. Reid, Lea Rig, Gainsborough, Lines. DN211AN 923 Old. Manor Burns Club, 1969 1973 50 ·A. G. Gourlay James Boyle, 28 Cawder Rd., Bridge of Allan Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire 924 S.C.T.A. (Dumfries 1969 1974 96 J. McKenzie D. Turner, 50 Georgetown Branch) Burns Club Cres., Dumfries 925 Laurieston Burns Club 1970 1974 112 John Anderson James Hunter, 'Cromdale,' 66 Redding Rd., Laurieston, Falkirk FK2 9JU 926 Rosamond Burns Club, 1973 1974 112 Mrs. H. Faulder James J. Mccaffery, 'Burn­ Gretna Green side,' Rigg Stn., Gretna I CA6 5JG . 927 The Tarbolton Club 1967 1974 16 D. McKelvie Robert M. Allan, 32 Greer Edmonton Cres., St. Albert, Alberta, Canada 928 Leeds Scottish Highland 1974 1974 21 Robert Pine Donal Broun, 5 Belle Vue Society Grove, Leeds 3, YorksJ::iire 929 Bathgate 'Jolly Beggars' 1974 1974 30 John Mackay James Whyte, 7 West Glen Burns Club Avenue, Deans, Livingstone, West Lothian 930 The Wheatsheaf Burns 1974 1974 50 K. McLeod T. Weir, 46 Bantaskine Drive, Club, Falkirk Falkirk, Stirlingshire FK15HS 931 Beith Caledonia Burns 1974 1974 Eddie Thomson, 48 Hawthorn Club Crescent, Beith 932 Corby Afton Burns Club 1974 1974 80 J. McKenzie George Holt, 42 Ibsen Walk, Danesholme, Corby, Northants. 163 Mem- No. Name Inst. Fed. hers President Secretary 933 Busbiehill Burns Club 1974 1974 43 F. Todd Hugh W. Roberts, 8 Carmel Drive, Springside, Irvine KAll 3AG 934 Manama Cal. Society 1975 240 Ian K. Drever J. Fraser Anderson, P.O. Box 640, Bahrain, Arabian Gulf 935 Torbrex Inn Burns Club 1975 1975 40 T. C. Ogilvie Alan J. Madge, 10 Laburnum Grove, Stirling 936 Irvine Lasses Burns Club 1975 1975 55 Mrs. Anne Gaw Mrs. Rosaline Keyte, 8 Thorn- house Avenue, Irvine KA12 8PZ 937 East Kilbride Burns Club 1973 1975 156 Geo. B. Young Miss Joyce M. McAteer, Atholl House, East Kilbride 938 Milton Com. Centre 1975 1975 20 Frank McAdam John Campbell, 22 Mingulay Burns Club Cres., Glasgow G22 939 Griffin Burns Club, 1975 1975 Sam. J. Hamilton William Adair, 36 Woodlands Gartcosh Ave., Mount Ellen, Gartcosh, Glasgow G69 8BT 940 The Pembrokeshire Cal. 1948 1975 Robert F. Capt. Donald Macarthur, Society Graham 'Garbhein,' Westaway Drive, Hakin, Milford Haven

164 ALPHABETICAL LIST OF CLUBS

No. No. 543 Abbey Craig 282 Burns Bowling Association 40 Aberdeen 112 Burns Howff 733 ---Burns Study Circle 597 Burns Society of the City of 889 A.E.I. (Motherwell) 'Bonnie Jean' New York 20 Airdrie 933 Busbiehill 516 Airts Burns Club 355 Calcutta 2 Alexandria 4 Callander 809 Allanton Jolly Beggars 387 Cambuslang Mary Campbell 252 Alloway 882 Canberra Highland Society 618 Altrincham Caledonian Society 915 Canterbury Burns Club (Inc.) 393 Annan Ladies 71 Carlisle 82 Arbroath 751 Carluke 238 Atlanta 648 Carron Bridge Cronies 557 ---Ladies 562 Castle Douglas 768 Auchterderran Jolly Beggars 365 Catrine 851 Auckland Burns Association 719 Chelmsford 906 Ayrshire Constabulary 462 Cheltenham 566 Australia, Scottish Society of 572 Chester Caledonia'n Association 275 Ayr 11 Chesterfield 821 Ayr Masonic 699 Choppington 192 Ayrshire Association 646 Clear Winding Devon Alva 892 Ayrshire Metal Products 922 Clumber Burns Club 728 Bachelors' Club (Tarbolton) 630 Coalsnaughton 340 Balerno 839 Coldstream 929 Bathgate Jolly Beggars 606 Corby 910 Bankend Jolly Beggars, Coalburn 932 Corby Afton 439 Barnsley , 559 Coventry 593 Barrmill Jolly Beggars 845 Coventry Tam o' Shanter 363 Barrow 901 Cramlington 534 Bedlington and District 581 Cumbernauld 931 Beith Caledonia 580 Cumbrae 15 Belfast 45 Cumnock 614 Bellshill Caledonian 773 --Cronies 725 Ben Cleuch 62 Cu par 592 Benwhat 818 Dalbeattie and District 894 Beverley and District Cal. Soc. 179 Dailly Jolly Beggars 167 Birmingham 35 Dairy 815 B.M.K. (Netherton) 577 Dalserf and Clydesdale 95 Bolton 158 Darlington 476 Border Cities (Ontario) 469 Denny Cross 911 Borestone Bowling Club 55 Derby 663 Bournemouth 701 Detroit 803 Bowhill People's Club 37 Dollar 76 Brech in 556 Doncaster 49 Bridgeton 918 Dover and E. Kent 401 Brig-en' (Waverley) 10 Dumbarton 120 Bristol 226 Dumfries 908 Brithers Be, Kilmarnock 437 ---Ladies No. 1 356 Burnbank 503 Dunblane 864 Burnie Burns Club, Tasmania 14 Dundee 417 Burnley 659 ---Burns Society 165

No. No. 903 Newhall, Burton Trent 812 St. Andrew's Soc. of Bradford 523 N.S.W. Highland Society 727 St. Andrew Soc. of Denmark 329 Newark 671 St. Andrew's Cronies, Irvine 133 Newarthill 470 St. Giles, Elgin 542 Newarthill White Heather 220 St. Louis 199 Newbattle 413 San Francisco 293 Newcraighall 68 Sandyford 902 Newmarket 629 Sanquhar 124 Ninety 426 Sauchie 563 Norfolk 551 Scarborough 893 North Bay, Ontario 314 Scottish (Edin.) 826 North Carolina 153 Scottish (Glas.) 706 North Lindsey Scots Society 917 Scottish Presidents' Assoc. 745 Northumberland and Durham 924 S.C.T.A. (Dumfries) Caledonian Society 405 Sheffield 854 North-East Midlands Assoc. 896 Sierra Leone Cal. Society of Scottish Societies 530 Southern Scottish Counties 921 Northern Scottish Counties 860 Southland B.C., New Zealand 17 Nottingham 50 Stirling 777 Nuneaton 824 Stirling, Clackmannan and West 346 Oakbank Perth Association 923 Old Manor Burns Club 458 Stonehaven 919 Orange and District 907 Stonehouse 880 Otley and District 683 Stratford upon Avon 748 Ouplaymuir 889 Strathclyde Bonnie Jean 48 Paisley 42 Strathearn 72 Partick 723 Strathpeffer 511 Perth (West Australia) 89 Sunderland 336 Peterhead 759 Sunderland and Dist. Cal. Soc. 898 Peterlee and District Cal. Soc. 444 Swansea 284 Philadelphia North-Eastern . 632 Symington 453 ---Ladies 791 Swindon Caledonian Society 741 Plean 913 Terregles 721 Plymouth 810 Thirty Seven Burns Club 535 Plymouth Caledonian Society 7 Thistle (Glasgow) 808 Pontefract 754 Thornton Cleveleys 688 Poosie Nansie Ladies Kirkcaldy 740 Thorn tree 190 Port Glasgow 935 Torbrex, Stirling 212 Portobello 710 Toronto 772 Prestwick 612 Torrance Masonic 585 Queen's Park Clarinda 813 Tranent '25' 617 Reading Caledonian Assoc. 274 Troon 472 Renfrewshire Association 320 Troy 720 Retford 920 Trysting Thorn 909 Richmond (Yorks) 679 Tullibody and Cambus 769 Robert Bruce (Clackmannan) 876 Tullibody Working Men's Club 743 Romford Scottish Association 698 Turri ff 926 Rosamond, B.C., Gretna 520 1.Jddingston Lochlie Ladies 36 Rosebery (Glas.) 237 Uddingston Masonic 454 Rotherham 888 Vancouver 9 Royalty 303 Victoria St. Andrew's Society 881 Rugeley and District 443 Victoria Burns Club 834 St. Andrew's Society 711 Victorian Scottish Union (Altrincham, Sale and District) 763 Wakefield 167 No. No. 436 Walney Ladies 696 Whitley Bay and District 296 Walsall 730 Wigtown 664 West Kilbride 575 Windsor (Ont.) Jean Armour 895 Westerton Arms 197 Winnipeg 753 Westmorland St. Andrew's 890 Wollongong 930 Wheatsheaf, Falkirk 553 Wolverhampton 392 Whiffiet 878 Worksop Burns and Cal. Club 236 Whitehaven 718 York St. Andrew Society 536 Whithorn

168 LIST OF ADVERTISERS

Jean Armour Burns Houses, Mauchline .. 174 Bank of Scotland 172 Burns House Museum, Mauchline 171 Classified Advertisements 191 Clydesdale Bank Ltd. 188 Dewar's Whisky 181 Dick Institute, Kilmarnock 182 Dinwiddies of Dumfries 176 Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries 175 Grant Bros (Meat Canners) Ltd. 179 Wm. Grant & Sons 173 The Globe Inn 177 Irvine Burns Club 189 Kyle and Carrick District 186 A. Kirkpatrick 187 Lochcarron Products Ltd. . . 188 Hugh MacPherson (Scotland) Ltd. 190 Moggerley's, Dumfries 189 Scottish National Dictionary 183 Scottish Tourist Board 184 Scottish White Heather Farm 190 Tam o' Shanter Museum 185 Johnnie Walker 178 F. W. Woolworth 180

The Burns House Museum, Mauchline, rescued from demolition and completely restored through the generosity of Burns lovers all over the world, is now open for your inspection.

In addition to many relics of the Poet and his works, there is on display a collection of 'Folk objects', furniture etc., illustrating the history and industry of Mauchline and district.

Open Weekdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. or by arrangement

Admission Adults 5p Children 2-!p

Donations for the maintenance of this historic building will be gratefully received by the Secretary: William Bee, M.P.S., F.S.A.Scot., 5 Loudoun Street, Mauchline

171 Free from Bank ofScotland Centuries ofhistory... captured in colour!

The Bank of Scotland has produced an intriguing 17 minute 16mm film- "A BANK FOR SCOTLAND"-which traces the progress of Scotland's first Bank from its foundation in 1695 right up to the present day. -Educationalists have welcomed it, now YOU can enjoy it. Combine it with two other Bank of Scotland films, "MONEY TO BURN"-an award-winning 7 minute documentary which shows £750, OOO going up in smoke and "MONEYWISE"-an 11 minute film-which takes a light-hearted look at some of the Bank of Scotland's many personal services. These films can be teamed with others of general interest to give a full evenings entertainment. Book no:w by completing the form below and sending it to:

~l!!latio~sl!!a!!'n~ - - ' I' i:~k of Scotland. The Mound, Edinburgh, EHl ~YZI NAME . I ORGANISATION I ADDRESS~~~~~~~~~~~~

I DATE OF SCREENING I I s~~ve alternatives) .I ~k--e·s•• ii.-"' •:<•BAIK OF SGOTL41D NOT JUST ANY BANK 172 GRANT'S SCOTCH WHISKY

Visit the only Distillery in the Burns Country Write to: William Grant & Sons, Grangestone, Girvan, Ayrshire

173 JEAN ARMOUR BURNS HOUSES MAUCHLINE, AYRSHIRE

Mrs. Young-one of the residents at Mauchline

The Glasgow and District Burns Association who manage the Jean Armour Burns Houses seek your support towards the upkeep of the ten 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 to keep this fact in mind. Please help this worthy cause by sending your donation now to: A. Neil Campbell, F.C.I.S., Hon. Treasurer, 141 Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh EHlO 5PP

174 Glasgow Museums are veritable Open Daily 10am-5pm treasure houses. The Art Gallery Sun2pm-5pm and Museum. Kelvingrove con- Admission Free tains perhaps Britain's :finest.civic art collection including such well known pictures as Rembrandt's "Man in Armour" and Giorgione's "Adulteress brought before Christ". The collection of French paintings includes all the great nai;nes and, of course, Scottish painting is well represented. Sculpture, silver, pottery, and porcelain, and the connoisseur's collection of arms and armour will make a visit memor­ able. The museum affords a fas­ cinating introduction to wildlife and the story of man in Scotland, while the splendid collection of ship models illustrates the Clyde's . industrial achievement. But visitors should not miss the branch museums. Glasgow's trams were famous; they can be seen at the Museum of Transport, Albert Drive, together with Scottish built cars and the handsome locomotives from Scottish lines. In complete contrast Pollok House, the fine house in Pollok Park designed by William :Adam, not only reflects the quiet dignity oflife in the · eighteenth century but, perhaps surprisingly contains a fine collection of Spanish painting. Glasgow Museums &Art Galleries 175 SECRETARIBS OF BURNS CLUBS AND CALEDONIAN SOCIBTIBS are specially catered for by our Robert Burns

Some hae meat and canna eat, Department And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat, And sac the Lord be thanket. PAPER NAPKINS (our own speciality) printed in colour with Poets' head and quotation Brithers A', Selkirk Grace, Auld Lang Syne or 45 Clan Crests and Tartan Scottie-Box of 250-£1 ·50p plus post. Sample packet (50) 40p. 'Bums 4 Toasts' 1r Dinner Napkins Box of 240-£2·60. pkt. of 20-33p plus post. MENU Cards-new BURNS designs in full colour. BOOKS. Our Tartan cloth bound pocket series (4 in. x 2! ins.) gilt edge .. Poems & Songs of Robert Burns (with notes)-96p. 'Brush up your Scotland' by Gordon Irving-96p. All new books on BURNS as published. Fine secondhand copies of early illustrated editions of Burns's Poems. 50 Superb 'Braemar' colour 35mm slides-'ln the Steps of Robert Bums' £4·95 with extensive commentary om each view. TARTAN PAPER in rolls 22 in. x a yds. Tartan Ribbon tin. and I in. SCOTTISH LION and ST. ANDREW'S FLAGS-wool bunting and silk nylon. Also 7 in. x 10 in. flags on sticks for ta!Jle or hall decoration- op.ly 9p each. · Burns and Scottish Pennants-60, Burns Check Ties and Bow Ties.

Send for our price Lisr B.Sc.7 of Burns Supper and Sr. Andrew's Night specialities and souvenirs for all Scottish occasions. Inquiries invited. INWIDDIE'S of D UMFRIES 'The Clan G({f Shop

PRINTERS, PUBLISIJERS, BOOKSELLERS, STATIONERS, ETC. Established since 1846 by the Old Midsteeple, DUMFRIES (Telephone 5248). STD code 0387

176 Established 1610

iThe@lobe-- \Jlnn ...

' ... the Globe Tavern here which for these many years has been my How.ff ... '

Extract from letter by Robert Burns to George Thomson, April 1796

Manageress: Mrs. D. B. Gibson

Bed and Breakfast Luncheons

56 High Street, Dumfries

177 "Freedom an' whisky gang thegither."

Johnnie Walker 178 Grant Bros. (MEAT CANNERS> Ltd. RICHMOND BRIDGE, GALSTON KA4 8JU Tel : 0563 820401

P.S. Available in 3lb. catering cans too

179 .We're alwa~s infavourof a worthwhile ·cause.

(Value & Quality are the ones we're famous for.)

~~~ 'WONDER or WOOLWORTH

180 Dewar's goes down smoothly

Blended for smoothness-it never varies. 181 This is the Dick Institute Kilmarnock boiler house of the Burns Federation

When you visit the Burns Country Auld Killie is well worth a visit

1R2 SCOTTISH NATIONAL DICTIONARY

This monumental work has now been com­ pleted. In 10 volumes it records the Scots language as it has been spoken and written since 1700. It serves as a key to the works of Burns, Scott and our other foremost Scottish writers and its vocabulary covers every facet of Scottish life and history in the last three centuries. The subscription for the total work is £150 and only 100 sets are still available.

Write now to the Secretary,. Scottish National Dictionary, 27 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LD.

The Scottish National Dictionary Association having successfully completed its first project intends to continue .to foster Scottish studies and is registered as a charity for this purpose. Legacies and donations to further its work will be welcomed by the above.

183 Follow ·the trail to the heart of Burns country The brief but colourful life of Robert Burns, great Poet of the Common Man, is contained in a region of Scotland unsurpassed in beauty and interest-the West Coast. Now the trail is linked, and you can follow the fascinating course of his life and work across country, moving at your oll'n speed and in your own way. . Start in Ayr and Alloway, ·scene of Burns' birth and childhood. Fol!oll' the trail to Carrick Country, where Burns met and married Jean Armour and wrote much of his great poetry, including 'The Selkirk Grace' and 'Tam O' Shanter'. Then on to Dumfries, where Burns is buried and where traces of his hectic social life and career as Exciseman abound. Set off on the Burns Heritage Trail-one of the most absorbing holiday tours you' II e!'er take. Write for our detailed brochure to: The Scottish Tourist Board 23 Ravelston Terrace Edinburgh EH4 3EU

184 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 lOp School Children 5p.

185 ~ KYLE& CARRICK DISTRICT Oft?~~~¥ AYR· PRESTWICK TROON · GIRVAN

There's much more to see and do on Scotland's Holiday Coast, Golf, Sailing, Sea Angling, River Fishing, Bowling, or rest in the many beautiful parks. Play on miles of safe sandy beaches. Tour the Burns Country. Whatever your age or taste you'll find your kind of enjoyment in ~yle and Carrick District.

Four illustrated Guides to choose from. Please write enclosing 15p PO (crossed) to the town of your choice:

Dept. BC, Tourists Information Bureau, 30 Miller Road, Ayr Dept. BC, Tourists Information Bureau, Station Road, Prestwick Dept. BC, Tourists Information Bureau, Bridge Street, Girvan Dept. BC, Tourists Information Bureau, 14 Templehill, Troon Ayr is a Golden Rail Resort

186 ~/\11% A. KIRKPATRICK I~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ OF SCOTLAND LIMITED Bacon Curers: Manufacturers of Sausages, Pies, Cooked Meats, and. Pre-packed Bacon

KIRKPATRICK'S combine quality and service with distribution throughout Scotland, including a daily distri­ bution service to Glasgow

We aim to please- Give us a call today

Tel: Stirling 2661 Tel: Thornhill 365

mEUROPE'S BIGGEST MEAT GROUP l=MC ·

187 Clydesdale Bank for my money

LOCHCARRON PRODUCTS LTD makers of ties, scarves, sashes and materials in Burns check Goods in the Burns check can be supplied either to your local retailer or to your club

Waverly Mill, Galashiels Scotland

188 Irvine Burns Club Now on view, in the Club Museum, Eglinton Street, Irvine: Five new and original paintings of scenes from 'Tam 0 Shanter' by Angus Scott. An original pencil drawing of the poet by Naysmith. The Irvine Collection of original Burns Manuscripts. Recently acquired beautifully bound copy of the Kilmarnock edition of Burns. Original Oil Painting 'Burns in Edinburgh, 1787' by Chas. M. Hardie, A.R.S.A. It is regretted that in the course of the current year the Club premises will be closed for some time to permit alterations and extentions. Unfortunately, the exact duration of the closure is not yet known. Enquiries should be made to 'Andrew Hood, Hon. Secretary, Chamberhouses, Irvine. Telephone Irvine 78126 (day) 79596 (night).

Aboune them a' Mogerley's (G. LITILE, PROP.) HAGGIS SPECIALISTS 49 FRIARS' VENNEL DUMFRIES Burns c;lubs Supplied all over Britain Enquiries Invited

189 Genuine Scottish White Heather for all occasions

Send for illustrated leaflet The Scottish White Heather Farm Toward Dunoon Argyll PA23 7UA

Sole Distributors of the beautiful Edinburgh and Northwest Territories Tartans Edinburgh Mohair Rugs Hundreds of tartans available HUGH MACPHERSON (SCOTLAND) LTD. Bagpipe and Kilt Makers, Highland Outfitters, Knitwear Manufacturers 17 WEST MAITLAND STREET, EDINBURGH, EH12 5EA (Western continuation of Princes Street) Telephone: 031-225 4008/9-Two lines Edcath(R) Send stamped addressed envelope for Price Lists. Deal direct with the manufacturers for first class service.

190 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

ROBERT BURNS TIE. Woven in wine ROBERT BURNS NOTELETS with scenes shade, Terylene, with bard's head, interspersed and quotes from much-loved poems. Three thistles. £1 ·65, including inland post. different packs of notelets £1, and VEITCH'S CORNER HOUSE, PEEBLES. ROBERT BURNS PRINTS with illus. from poems. Set of six £2. Edna Whyte, Old Rectory Design, Isle of Luing, ·by Oban, Argyll. ROBERT BURNS WALL PLAQUE. Bard's head in bronze on Burns check tweed backing, size 7t in. x 5 in. £5·25, all on oak plaque, CHRISTMAS CARDS, five inland post. VEITCH'S CORNER GAELIC including designs. Twenty cards with envelopes £1, and PEEBLES. HOUSE, SCOTTISH GREETINGS CARDS. Twelve good quality cards, assorted sizes and designs, with envelopes, £1. Edna Whyte, Old Rectory ROBERT BURNS TEA TOWELS. In linen., Design, Isle of Luing, by Oban, Argyll. Depicting the bard surrounded by many of his famous characters. 95p, including inland post. VEITCH'S CORNER HOUSE, ISLE OF COLL HOTEL, Arinagour, Isle of PEEBLES. Coll, Argyllshire PA78 6SZ. Telephone Coll 334 (STD 08793). Fully liceDsed, H & C all rooms. Central heating. Open all year. May The Steam-Boat Traveller's Remembrancer we send you our brochure? An enthralling little book of poems first published by the author William Harriston in 1824. The verses describe sights seen by ROBERT FERGUSSON was greatly admired intrepid travellers on the first paddle-steamers, by Robert Burns who paid for a stone to like Henry Bell's "Comet," which voyaged mark his grave in the Cannongate Kirk Yard, down the Clyde and along the Ayrshire coast. Edinburgh. Burns referred to Fergusson as, And there is a connection with Burns in the "My elder brother in misfortune, by far my fact of the bard's voyage on one of the earliest elder brother in the Muse". FERGUSSON­ steam-boats, designed by William Symington A BI-CENTENARY HANDSEL contains and launched on Dalswinton Loch in 1788. 18 of Fergusson's finest poems with a new For a copy of this exact facsimile of the original play "A Vision of Angels" by Anne Smith book send 10p (60p+10p postage) to The concerning Fergusson's last tragic days in the · Molendinar Press, 126 West Princes Street, Edinburgh bedlam in 1774. £1 ·40/$3·40 from Glasgow G4. Send also for our list of other Reprographia, 55 Marchmont Rd., Edinburgh publications on South West Scotland. EH91HT.

191

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