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misrepresented by his biographers. It was purely a departmental investigation at the instance of the Board of Excise into the alleged political misconduct of one of their officers. Burns, in his defence to the accusations, says: "It would be insanity to sacrifice our Constitution to an untried visionary theory." It was for expressing sentiments such as these that Burns was slandered and

nearly ruined. He lived a hundred years before his time. It has taken a century and more and a succession of eminent statesmen, backed up by the British people and supported by the Press, to effect the reforms which Burns advocated, and for doing which he narrowly escaped dismissal and disgrace in these old and evil days, "without," as he says, "so much as a hearing or the slightest intimation.' Mr Findlater, the Supervisor, always held that the Poet's promotion was not affected, and that he would have gone on in his usual routine. The private records of the Board, since discovered, confirm the correctness of the Supervisor's opinion. Mr Findlater avers that Burns continued to perform his duties with care and regularity. We gather from his letters that he never altogether lost. hope, and always had the sympathy and support of warmhearted and influential friends. Thus he writes to Mrs Dunlop "I cannot be settled, as a Supervisor, for several years. I must wait rotation of the list, and there are twenty names before mine."

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Burns gradually discovered his hopes of promotion had not been blasted, and he again writes to Mrs Dunlop : "I have been appointed to act temporarily as Supervisor in place of Mr Findlater, who is absent on sick leave. look forward to an early appointment as full Supervisor. My political sins seem to have been forgiven me." In 1795 Burns mentions that he is now in the Supervisors' list, and " as we come on there by precedency, I shall soon be at the head of that list and be appointed."

The great Napoleon was at this period gazing with covetous eyes across the Channel. Volunteer corps were being constituted throughout the country, and Burns was among

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the first to enrol. a toast: Gentlemen, may we never see the French, and may the French never see us." This wise and witty toast sounded in some ears like sedition, so Burns, on his return home, sent his bugle call, "The Dumfries Volunteers," sounding through the land :—

At a public dinner of the corps he gave

"Does haughty Gaul invasion threat?

Then let the loons beware, sir;
There's wooden walls upon our seas,

And Volunteers on shore, sir."

This stirring song filled the ranks of the Volunteers from John o' Groats to Solway. Burns was again exultant and full of hope, but it was only a gleam of sunshine 'mid renewed storms, for the Poet was himself sensible that his constitution was sinking. It was not till near the latter end of his days that there was any falling off in respect to his attention to business, and this was amply accounted for in the presence of disease and accumulating infirmities. The Board certainly never sent Burns a censure, and nothing short of such could delay an officer's promotion. Mr Findlater says: "Had Burns been subjected to a Board's censure, I must, ex officio, have known of it, as it could not have been concealed from me; and I therefore consider the authority for what I have stated on this subject to be of the most unquestionable and decisive description-such, indeed, as nothing but the most obstinate prejudice will resist." All such censures submitted to the respective Supervisors to be registered and delivered to the officers, who must give written receipt for them. I say without hesitation that Burns would, had he lived, have been promoted in due course, and that at a shorter period of service than any of his predecessors. Another authority says: "The admonition could not be regarded as an official censure, as it was inoperative in respect of any prejudicial effect on the Poet's official character, and so we dismiss the subject."

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Had he lived he would have been appointed, in the ordinary course, as Examiner at the chief, office in

January 12th, 1797; and on the 10th August, the same year, he would have been appointed Supervisor at Dunblane, his successor on the list having stepped into his vacant place. Even the enemies of Burns must admit that the Excise ought to be the most competent judges of his conduct as an officer. Findlater, his Supervisor, says no officer under him was more regular in his duties than Burns. Mitchell, his collector, treated him as a friend. James Macfadzean says there were no means of screening from the official eye even trivial faults, and he pronounced it to be impossible that Burns's habits could be, or could approach, what has been represented by some."

In conclusion, allow me to refer to one more of the many instances of the known services rendered to the Poet and the Poet's memory by the Excise and their friends. His Supervisor sat up with him throughout the night before he died, and he continued to vindicate the Poet's character until his death, forty-three years after Burns's.

UNVEILING BURNS MEMORIAL AT

GALASHIELS.

ATURDAY, 31st May, 1913, was one of the most important days ever experienced in the annals of Galashiels, when two important events in its history took place. The first of these was the unveiling of the memorial erected to Robert Burns, Scotland's National Bard, at the foot of Lawyer's Brae, in commemoration of his having written the song of Braw, braw lads o' Gala Water." The other was the opening of the fine new Square whereon once stood the old Corn Mill, by which one of the greatest improvements ever effected in the town has been completed.

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THE BURNS MEMORIAL.

The idea of a memorial to Burns originated with the Cycle Parade Committee, who in 1907, by means of the proceeds of one of their parades, erected two ornamental pillars at the foot of Roundtree Bridge wherewith to complete the improvement carried out by the widening of Bank Street. For three years following this the proceeds of the parades were set aside to form the nucleus of a fund wherewith to erect the memorial, this fund at the end of the third year amounting to something like £120. While not a large sum, the Committee felt justified in proceeding with their scheme, but as the cycle parades were losing some of their popularity and financial support they had to consider other means whereby to raise the wherewithal to erect a memorial worthy of the Poet. A sub-committee was therefore appointed to collect further funds, and so generous was the response made to their appeal by a number of local gentlemen that they were able to carry out the work as they originally intended. In due course designs were advertised for, and after much careful

consideration that of Mr F. Doyle Jones, of Chelsea, consistin of a bronze bust of the Poet on a granite pedestal and base, was selected out of about forty received by the committee. The site chosen for the memorial was at

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the foot of Lawyer's Brae, at the junction of that street with Albert Place. The ground was given free by Mr Scott of Gala, and the Town Council gave their consent to the erection of the memoriai on the site. The granite work was carried out by Mr G. Sutherland, sculptor, and the way in which the whole of the memorial has been

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