RULES.

1. The Headquarters of the Federation shall be in Kilmarnock, the town in which the Federation was inaugurated and carried to a practical issue, and which contains the only properly organised Burns Library and Museum in the United Kingdom.

2. Properly organised Burns Clubs, St. Andrew's Societies, and kindred Associations may be admitted to the Federation by application in writing to the Hon. Secretary, enclosing a copy of Constitution, Rules, and list of members, which shall be submitted to the Executive Committee at their first meeting, and the Clubs shall be enrolled if there are not more than two dissentients.

3. The Registration Fee is 21s, on receipt of which the Diploma of the Federation shall be issued, after being numbered and signed by the President and Hon. Secretary.

4. Members of every Burns Club or kindred Association registered by the Federation shall be entitled to receive a pocket Diploma on payment of ls. These payments are final-not annual.

5. The funds of the Federation shall be vested in the Executive Committee for the purposes before-mentioned.

6. A meeting of the Executive Council shall be held annually on the first Saturday of September, at such place as may be agreed upon, when reports on the year's transactions shall be submitted by the Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer, and Office-bearers elected for the ensuing year.

7. A meeting of the Executive Committee shall take place some time before the Annual Meeting of the Executive Council to make the necessary arrangements for the same.

8. All nominations for the office of Vice-President must be lodged with the Hon. Secretary two months before the Annual Meeting.

9. Each Federated Club shall subscribe 10s 6d per annum towards the fund for the publication of the Burns Chronicle. Clubs failing to pay this subscription for two consecutive years may be struck off the Roll of the Federation. Any surplus profits resulting from the sale of the Chronicle shall be added to the general funds.

10. Notice of any amendment or alteration of the Constitution or Rules of the Federation to be considered at the Annual Meeting must be lodged in writing with the Hon. Secretary not later than 30th June.

BENEFITS.

1. Registered Clubs are supplied free with copies of newspapers containing accounts of meetings, demonstrations, etc., organised, conducted, or attended by the Executive Council of the Federation, and of the Annual Meeting of the Kilmarnock Burns Club.

2. Exchange of fraternal greetings on the anniversary of the Poet's natal day.

3. Members of Registered Clubs who have provided themselves with pocket diplomas are entitled to attend meetings of all Clubs on the Roll of the Federation, they being subject to the rules of the Club visited, but having no voice in its management unless admitted a member according to local form.

4. Members are entitled to be supplied, through the Secretaries of their respective Clubs, with copies of all Works published by the Federation at a discount of 33 per cent.

5. A list of Lecturers, Essayists, and Judges for Children's Competitions will be supplied to Clubs on application.

BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE FEDERATION.

BURNS HOLOGRAPH MANUSCRIPTS in the Kilmarnock Monument Museum, with Notes

1889

Is 6d

...

Copies of the last three vols. may still be had on application to the Hon. Treasurer,

THE Annual Meeting of the Executive Council of the Burns Federation was held here to-day, at 11.15 a.m., Mr D. M'Naught, J.P., presiding. Delegates were present from the following clubs :

No. 0, Kilmarnock; No. 1, London Robert Burns Club; No. 3, Glasgow Tam o' Shanter; No. 7, Glasgow Thistle; No. 9, Glasgow Royalty; No. 14, Dundee; No. 20, Airdrie; No. 21, Greenock; No. 33, Glasgow Haggis; No. 36, Glasgow Rosebery; No. 48, Paisley; No. 49, Glasgow Bridgeton; No. 57, Thornliebank; No. 62, Cupar; No. 63, Mossgiel; No. 67, Glasgow Carlton; No. 68, Glasgow Sandyford; No. 71, Carlisle; No. 75, Kirn; No. 76, Brechin; No. 79, Corstorphine; No. 82, Arbroath; No. 85, Dunfermline United; No. 86, Cumnock Winsome Willie ; No. 89, Sunderland; No. 91, Shettleston; No. 96, Jedburgh; No. 97, Kilmarnock Bellfield; No. 98, Lanark; No. 99, Barlinnie; No. 100, Hamilton Mossgiel; No. 118, Glasgow Albany; No. 121, Hamilton Junior; No. 123, Auchinleck; No. 125, Blackburn-onAlmond; No. 126, Falkirk; No. 133, Newarthill; No. 139, Glasgow National; No. 150, Kilmarnock Jolly Beggars; No. 151, Old Kilpatrick; No. 152, Hamilton; No. 153, The Scottish; No. 155, East Stirlingshire; No. 156, Newcastle and Tyneside; No. 163, Gateshead and District; No. 164, Kinning Park; No. 165, Wallsend; No. 169, Glasgow and District; No. 173, Irvine; No. 177, Prestwick; No. 178, Kilmarnock Begbie's; No. 181, Glasgow Primrose; No. 183, Londonderry; No. 186, Kilmarnock Glencairn; No. 187, Galashiels; No. 189, Clydebank Barns o' Clyde; No. 192, Ayrshire Association; No. 195, Shiremoor Blue Bell; No. 198, Gorebridge; No. 199, Newbattle; No. 201, Carlisle Newtown; No. 202, Govan Ye Cronies; No. 203, Dennistoun Jolly Beggars; No. 204, Dundalk ; Apologies were intimated from Mr James Thomson, London; Mr St. John M'Donald, London; Mr Adam Mackay, Kilmarnock; Mr Philip Sulley, F.S.A., London; Mr Alex. Pollock, Glasgow; Mr J. Taylor Gibb, Mauchline; and Dr Anderson, Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Mr D. Main, President of the Carlisle Burns Club, welcomed the Delegates to the city, and in a very interesting speech recalled some of the incidents connected with the visit of Burns to Carlisle.

The President, and Provost Smith, Kilmarnock, on behalf of the Federation, returned thanks for the kindly and enthusiastic welcome which had been received.

SECRETARY'S REPORT.

Mr Thomas Amos, M.A., the Hon. Secretary, submitted his Annual Report, which was in the following terms :

For the second time in the history of the Burns Federation our Annual Meeting is being held south of the Border.

We need

to make no apology for having met to-day in this ancient city, whose name occurs so often in Scottish song, ballad, and story. In his Border tour it was visited by Burns, and the Cumbrian shores and hills must have been well known to him during his stay in Dumfriesshire. Our presence in Carlisle may in a way be taken as a thankful acknowledgment of the fact that the appreciation of the genius of Burns is by no means limited to his fellow-countrymen. The year that has elapsed since our great meeting in Glasgow has been one of comparative quiet after the strenuous activity of the past few years owing to the Auld Brig and Scottish Chair movements; nevertheless I have great pleasure in announcing a steady advance in our life and work. Four Clubs have affiliated during the year, viz. :-Glasgow Daisy, Cambuslang Wingate, Colorado Springs, U.S.A., and Greenock St. John's, and the roll of the Federation now numbers 210 Clubs. During the year eighty members' diplomas have been sent out, many of these to be used by young Scotsmen as a means of introduction to Burns Clubs in our Colonies. The outstanding event in the Burns world during the past year has undoubtedly been the establishment of the Chair of Scottish History and Literature in Glasgow University. After years of mingled hope and despair we at last see the dream of the late William Freeland more than realised. Years ago at our meeting in Dumfries he began the agitation for a Lectureship in Scottish Literature, and now, thanks very largely to the great success of last year's Glasgow Exhibition, we are assured that in the immediate future Scottish students will be able to have special instruction in the history and literature of their own country. Such a Chair will perforce deal with Burns and his poetical heritage, and as students of the Bard we wish it all success. In this movement one cannot assess the value of the work done by the Burns Federation from the amount of money credited to us, although that sum is by no means inconsiderable. We first made this clamant want known, we assiduously kept the movement before the public for many years, and now that the huge task has been accomplished we may modestly congratulate ourselves on the part we have played. It is a pleasure to report that the Chronicle has again been a success. We have never had so many Clubs contributing to the publishing fund, and the whole edition was quickly bought up. That the Chronicle has been able to exist for twenty-one years and each year give to the world something fresh and interesting on a seemingly threadbare subject is, in a great measure, owing to the unwearied efforts of our veteran editor, to whom we again acknowledge our indebtedness. Another item worthy of our notice was the recent unveiling of a statue to Burns in Montrose by Dr Andrew Carnegie, who delivered on the occasion a very able and characteristic speech, in which he extolled the worth and showed the growing power of the Poet. In addition to these leading features of the year, we have to record our appreciation of the quiet missionary work in spreading a knowledge of Scottish song and poetry among the young that is being so successfully carried on by many of our Clubs. The best work for the Federation in the future seems to lie in this direction. The visitation of local clubs by central district organisations such as exist in Glasgow and Ayrshire is doing much to bind the Burnsians of these districts together and to vitalise club life. Burns Clubs now fully understand that they have an educational as well as a social side, and in many cases the patriotic work that is being done deserves all credit. It is with great pride we note the growing

importance and size of our annual meetings. To bring lovers of Burns together is one of the aims of the Federation, and this gathering to-day is a wonderful proof of its success in this direction. We have here two hundred delegates from Burns Clubs in Scotland, England, and Ireland, and I have no doubt each will find himself richer in experience and wisdom by his visit to the ancient city of Carlisle, whose Mayor and whose Burns Club we sincerely thank for their kindly and generous hospitality.

On the motion of Mr G. H. Cockburn, the Secretary was thanked for his Report.

FINANCES.

Mr G. A. Innes, Kilmarnock, on behalf of Mr Joseph Brockie, the Hon. Treasurer submitted the financial statement, which showed that the balance last year was £301 5s 7d, and had £100 not been expended in connection with the Chair of Scottish History the balance would have been £337 10s 9d, as compared with an actual balance of £237 10s 9d. The Federation during the year had actually made a gain of about £36.

The Report was unanimously adopted.

THE "CHRONICLE."

The President, in submitting a report on the Burns Chronicle, said that the publication continued to pay its way. He said the study of Burns was only beginning, and that it took a great deal of trouble to get rid of the many false impressions which existed in regard to Burns. It was agreed to continue the annual subsidy in aid of the publication of the Chronicle.

THE SCOTTISH CHAIR.

Mr Joseph Martin, Glasgow, submitted a report on the Chair of Scottish History and Literature. At the last annual meeting, he said, the Rev. Mr Forrest reported that no increase in the fund for this object had been made during the previous year, but at that time we were all looking forward to a satisfactory result from the Scottish Exhibition of National History. The practical inauguration of this scheme was made in 1907, although prior to that period the late Mr Freeland brought the matter before the Federation and other associations, and in the interval it had not been lost sight of. The first meeting was held in the rooms of the National Burns Club, Limited, Glasgow, on 25th April, 1907, when those taking part in the discussion were Professor Smart, Mr M'Naught, Rev. David Graham, Dr Neilson, the late Rector Murray, Captain Sneddon, and others. Commenting on this a report appears in vol. I. (1907) of Scotia, the journal of the St. Andrew's Society, in which the writer says:-" At last there appears to be a prospect of something practical being done in the way of establishing a Chair of Scottish History and Literature in Glasgow University. Inspired by the success of the Auld Brig preservation enterprise the National Burns Club, Limited, has moved in the matter. A preliminary committee has been appointed, and there will before long, probably, be an appeal to the general public. No one who knows anything of the allied subjects will consider that this active step has come a moment too soon. At a subsequent meeting held on 4th July, 1907, a committee was formed with Dr Wallace as convener, and an appeal was immediately made to the public for subscriptions for the purpose