these days of great public schools. The back of the high wooden bed in which he slept was the only wall of partition between his sleeping apartment and the space in his cottage set apart for his school. He was an enthusiastic Jacobite, and wrote several pieces on the side of the Stuarts, the best known of which is 66 Whirry Whigs Awa', Man." Previous to the battle of Culloden, Halket wrote a satirical dialogue purporting to be between George II. and the Devil, the authorship of which was not discovered for some time. Soon after it was written, a copy fell into the hands of the Duke of Cumberland, who offered £100 reward for the person of the author dead or alive, but the secret of the authorship was kept till all danger was over. In 1727 Halket published a small volume of verses at Aberdeen entitled "Occasional Poems upon Several Subjects," which does not contain anything of merit equal to the well-known song, "Logie o' Buchan.' At one time the authorship of this song was a subject of dispute, but the claim of Halket is now fully established, and though when written the subject of it was of local interest, yet it did not prevent it from becoming a general favourite, especially among the Scottish peasantry. Alison Rutherford, the last of the trio, was a daughter of Robert Rutherford of Fernalie, in the county of Selkirk, and was afterwards known as Mrs Cockburn, having married Patrick Cockburn, an advocate. Her husband died in 1753, and for the forty remaining years of her life she remained a widow, and was regarded with the greatest respect by the wits and literati of Edinburgh for her brilliant accomplishments. Her society was highly appreciated by all who knew her, and her social gatherings were usually composed of the most distinguished men of the day, among whom were Lord Monboddo, David Hume, and John Home. It is stated that she wrote a number of fugitive pieces, but they have not been preserved, and nothing definite can be said in support of the statement. Two of her productions only have come down to us, one is some lines on the father of Sir Walter Scott, and the other is the "Flowers of the Forest," a production which in itself has been sufficient to prevent the name of the authoress from being forgotten. This song is said to have been written by Miss Rutherford before her marriage, and when she lived with her father at Fernalie. At one time it was popularly supposed that the song had some relation to the battle of Flodden Field, and that Miss Rutherford had contributed the modern words to it merely-a view which was taken by Burns. At anyrate, he said that "the manners were old, but the language was of yesterday." Sir Walter Scott finally settled the authorship, assigning it to Miss Rutherford, and furnishing details of the song and its writer which are to be found in Robert Chambers' Collection of Scottish Songs, published in 1829. But now, to briefly proceed with John Wilson, the next name occurring among the list of poets, no better proof can be given that the old ecclesiastic spirit of the previous century was not dead than is furnished by an incident in the life of the author of "The John Wilson, 1720-1789. Clyde," which is a piece of literary history worth reproducing for curiosity sake. Wilson was invited to take the position of headmaster of the Grammar School at Greenock in 1767, but before the magistrates and minister would admit him to the situation, they stipulated that he should give up the profane and unprofitable art of making poetry. Wilson was compelled to sacrifice himself on the altar of intolerance, circumstances preventing him from making a bolder stand, he having a wife and family to provide for; thus his muse was condemned to silence for ever. He accepted the conditions, burned his manuscripts, and hurled his lyre to Linbo. It is to be regretted that such conditions were imposed, considering how heroically he struggled against the disadvantages of poverty and ill-health in his early youth to acquire an education which might enable him to earn his bread in some occupation other than that of his father, who divided his labours between the anvil and the plough. It is evident that Wilson regarded the surrender of his intellectual independence to the authorities at Greenock as the one act of his life which contributed most to dwarf his hopes and aspirations. In a letter, dated January 21st, 1779, to his son George, who became a distinguished scholar at an early age, but died at the age of 21, he says ___" -"I once thought to live by the breath of fame, but how miserably was I disappointed. . . I was condemned to bawl myself to hoarseness among wayward brats, to cultivate sand, and wash Ethiopians." Our author was born at Lesmahago, June 30th, 1720, in humble circumstances, as has already been indicated, and his first appearance as an author was by the publication of 66 a Dramatic Essay," which he afterwards expanded into "The Earl Douglas-a Tragedy." It was dedicated to Archibald, Duke of Douglas, by whom he was invited to an interview which was attended by the following comical incident. He was requested by the Duke to have a glass of wine with him. After the second glass, the Duke sprang from his seat, seized a pair of pistols with which he paced the room, affecting a wild glare as of madness. Observing that Wilson betrayed no symptoms of fear, he laid the pistols on the table, and immediately assumed a pleasant expression, drank right loyally to the health of his guest, at the same time informing him that this was to test his firmness of mind and see whether he believed in the general report that his Grace was deranged. When parting, the Duke in the heartiest manner expressed himself willing to promote Wilson's interests at any time, but Fate was against him, for, on account of the death of the Duke soon after, Wilson's hopes were never realised. In 1764, about three years before Wilson was elected to the mastership of the Grammar School at Greenock and his connection with poetry had ceased, he had published at Glasgow his "Earl Douglas and "Clyde," and inscribed them to Margaret, Duchess of Douglas. The "Earl Douglas" is a stolid composition, and far too descriptive for the requirements of a drama. The poem entitled " 'Clyde" was the favourite of its author, and is no doubt his best production; his description of rural scenes are faithfully depicted, and he is eminently picturesque; but his scenes lack the vraisemblance which is needed to touch the deeper emotions of the human heart. This, perhaps, can be explained on the ground that it was an early effort, and had not been subjected to a more mature revision. He had pre pared for the press a revised and improved edition of it, which he destroyed when the guid and godly Presbyterians of Greenock compelled him to renounce the poetic art. In the "Clyde," when describing Glasgow and its University, the author makes the following allusion to his own want of a University education"Ye sacred Muses! who my soul inspire With true devotion, and with fame's desire, From earliest youth, though stern and diverse fate WM. M'ILWRAITH. GEORGE THOMSON, JOHN WILSON, AND GILBERT BURNS'S "APPENDIX No. V." O one interested in the literary history of Robert Burns, the great collection of papers known as the Earnock Manuscripts is of much interest. Selections from these manuscripts were printed in the seventh and eighth numbers (1898, 1899) of the Burns Chronicle, and constitute practically a history of the several editions of the Works of Robert Burns, as edited by James Currie, and published by Cadell and Davies, of London. Not often ist there brought together so much manuscript material relating to one work as is now in possession of Sir John Watson; less often is a collection so complete. Yet, since the publication of the letters by the Editor of the Burns Chronicle, others on the subject have come to light. Several are among the Burns family letters in Mr J. Cuthbert Hadden's George Thomson (London, 1898); two others, written by Thomson, are given here, being now printed, we believe, for the first time. The correspondence relating to Gilbert Burns's edition (1820) of Currie's work shows the reviser of Currie in an unenviable position. Knowing that he had little, and even that little unimportant, to add to Currie's volumes, Gilbert Burns yet had the assurance to ask an extravagant remuneration for his services; and no sooner were his terms accepted by Cadell and Davies than he hastened, on 20th February, 1816, to beg these gentlemen "always to bear in mind that I did not promise much." Begun and continued in this spirit, it is not surprising that, when published four years later, the work was a failure. From 8th September, 1815, the date on which he accepted Cadell and Davies's proposal that he should assist them in a new edition of Currie's work, Gilbert Burns appears, as Mr M'Naught says, "overweighted with too keen a sense of the |