Blacklock and Burns: A Belated Tribute-R. Duncan 72 PREFACE. THE growing interest of the Clubs in the work of the Chronicle, manifested by their contributions to the Publishing Fund, is very encouraging to all concerned in its production, and augurs well for its continued usefulness as the only Burns periodical in existence. The space devoted in this issue to the Glenriddel MSS. carries its own explanation; the question was one of primary importance, and its solution as sudden and unexpected as it was eminently gratifying. The Editor begs to inform contributors that the space at his disposal islimited by the publisher's contract, hence belated articles, otherwise perfectly suitable, fail to find a place each year for this reason alone. He again tenders his thanks to all who have so kindly assisted him in the work. BENRIG, KILMAURS, January 1st, 1914 D. M'NAUGHT. PROPOSED SALE OF THE GLENRIDDEL MSS. HE most stirring event of the year in the Burns Tworld is undoubtedly the reported sale of the Glen riddel MSS. by the Directors of the Liverpool Athenæum, The in whose custody they have remained since 1853. transaction appears to have been carried through in the early summer with a considerable amount of secrecy, for it was not till near the end of the month of July that it leaked out and became public property through the medium of the daily press. Immediately the Federation, the leading Burns Clubs, and Burnsians everywhere began to bestir themselves, and preliminary action was taken by the solicitors of the Burns family to prevent the sale being consummated. As the case is likely to come before the Courts of Law at an early date, we deem it the most judicious course to lay before our readers only what has already appeared in the public prints, arranged chronologically so as to give a connected narrative of the proceedings from their inception. --EDITOR. LIVERPOOL VOLUMES FOR AMERICA. Liverpool has sustained a serious literary loss by the sale of the Glenriddel Manuscripts of Burns's poems and letters, which have been in possession of Liverpool Athenæum for sixty years. The Manuscripts have passed into the hands of a London agent, who is understood to have been acting on behalf of an American millionaire, and the transaction has been carried through with a certain amount of secrecy. In fact, many proprietors of the Athenæum were unaware of the transfer, though a majority of the members of the institution gave provisional consent at a meeting held some weeks ago, when the executive were authorised to negotiate for the sale. The price is said to be £5000. When the volumes came to Liverpool's possession it was generally thought that they were intended to find a permanent resting place in the city, and many people think that a serious mistake has been committed in allowing them to go to America.-Glasgow Herald, July 23rd, 1913. THE GLENRIDDEL COLLECTION. Much regret and indignation will be felt at the announcement that the fine collection of Robert Burns Manuscripts at Liverpool Athenæum has been sold by that club. The buyer, according to report, is an American, and the price the record one of £5000. We understand that the revived proposal to sell the manuscripts received very strenuous opposition in Liverpool, but that opposition appears not to have been crowned with the success of a former occasion, when (so at least it was reported) the late Mr J. Pierpont Morgan made certain proposals to the members of the Club. The Manuscripts, as will be seen from the donor's letter quoted below, were gifted unconditionally to Liverpool Athenæum ; but it appears to me that, whatever their legal rights, the members of thet institution had no moral right to part with them. During the sixty years that have passed since then the volumes have been one of Liverpool's most treasured possessions, and many students and admirers of Burns have visited the city purposely to see them. Now, it appears, they are to leave the country-to go whither so many of our finest literary and artistic treasures have gone; and to join, it may be, that other and even finer collection, the almost perfect series of letters written by Burns to George Thomson when assisting him with his Scottish Airs.-Glasgow Herald, July 23rd, 1913. BURNS MSS. AT AUCTION. On being interrogated to-day, three or four of the chief Metropolitan dealers in literary MSS. said they knew nothing of the reported sale to a London agent on behalf of an American millionaire of the Glenriddel Burns MSS. owned by the Liverpool Athenæum. On the other hand, these MSS. were, as a fact, offered at a big sum to and declined by a London dealer about a year ago. As to the reported price of £5000, it may be recalled that the Burns" Family Bible," now happily in the museum at Alloway, fetched £1650 at auction in 1904, while for one poem only in the Poet's autograph, "The Jolly Beggers," £490 was realised at the Huth sale in 1911. |