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It is almost incredible that Murray should have mastered in so short a time every language spoken and written by people who made any pretence to civilisation and culture, from Saxon to Sanscrit. In addition, he possessed a large store of that general information which is seldom acquired except by personal experience and contact with the outside world.

It is a time-honoured maxim that salvation is the heritage of the man who has the sense of humour, and it appears to have been one of Murray's possessions, in spite of ill-health, which at times must have been a galling yoke to one who had such an insatiable desire for work and so keen a sense of duty. His patience, his good-nature, his quaint humour so vividly reflect the character of the man, that one feels in reading these writings as if one were in communion with a living voice and a robust spirit.

Although Murray was never out of his native Scotland, and certainly never in Abyssinia, we can imagine what a correct estimate he had formed of the character and con

dition of those people. In fact, Salt himself, who had nearly two years' experience in their midst, fully recognised the value of Murray's information, for he not only expressed himself to that effect in his letters, but, in the interests of the Foreign Office, he frequently solicited Murray's advice. None of Murray's biographers or eulogists I have read have given much information respecting his correspondence and friendship with Henry Salt. Yet, had it not been for this correspondence, so accidentally brought about, Murray might have probably remained an obscure minister of a country parish. It was through the influence of Salt and Lord Castlereagh that he was recommended as a suitable candidate for one of the vacant Professorships in the University of Edinburgh in June, 1812. After a keen contest, he was elected in the following month by a majority of two votes as Professor of Oriental Languages, and he undertook to teach Sanscrit, Bengalee, Hindostanee, Persic, Arabic, and other dialects. After he was elected to the Professor's chair he resigned his charge as minister

of Urr, which he had held for six years.

Up to this time he had written and published a poem on Arthur, General of the Britons, which he had carefully revised since he submitted it to the criticism of Burns; The Life of Bruce; an account of Egyptian Theology; The Coptic Language, and History of Egypt, which formed an appendix to his edition of Bruce's Travels; Outline of Oriental Philology; Philosophical History of European Languages, the latter of which was left unfinished at his death, but which was edited and subsequently published by Dr Scott. Of course, it was not to be expected that one who rose from so obscure a position would find his path to fame a bed of roses at a time when Edinburgh assumed the position of literary autocrat. When this work appeared it was severely criticised by Dr Brown on account of Murray's philological conclusions. In the course of this treatise Murray maintained, as a probable theory, that the languages of Europe may be traced to a single radical dialect, which may analytically be resolved into a few monosyllables, perhaps nine in number. The severity of Dr Brown's criticism is uncalled for, inasmuch as Murray did not dogmatise on the point, neither did he lay it down as an infallible axiom, but only spoke of it as a probable theory. we learn from a letter to his friend Salt in May, 1812.

This

The great work Murray left unfinished at his death contained similar conclusions to those that have been arrived at by subsequent scholars on the subject. Many authors, it is true, have left behind them work of a more mature and lasting character. Nevertheless, by his premature death at the early age of thirty-seven, the literary men of the time acknowledged that the learning of the country suffered a great and incalculable loss. Had this brave and noble character who had so heroically struggled against poverty and disease been spared a little longer, it is probable that his achievements in the science of philology would have been such that no other in the same field could have taken from him an honour and distinction which by right should have been his. After

Murray had been in Edinburgh about nine months, it was his intention to visit his wife and family in the April of 1813, who were still living at Urr, but his health finally gave way. His wife having been warned of his condition, arrived in Edinburgh on the 13th of that month, and found him wasted away to a mere shadow, but deeply engrossed in his favourite studies, quite unconscious of his approaching end. The next day he was induced to remain in bed; towards evening he became worse, and gave his wife instructions about the payment of some small debts. the shadows of death fell upon him he expressed his deep regret in not being able to see his little boy and girl, to give them his last parting kiss and blessing. On the following day, April 15th, he took a last farewell of his sorrowing wife, and quietly passed to his rest.

As

The last letter Murray wrote to his faithful friend, Henry Salt, reached London in the absence of that gentleman, and before he had a chance of returning an answer Murray was no more. Although he and Murray never met, the correspondence produced a friendly attachment between them, and Salt never referred to "that great and noble man," as he called him, without a deep sense of emotion.

This then, is the story of Dr Alexander Murray, who, though he rose from the humble position of a shepherd boy, his gentlemanly disposition and scholarly attainments made a deep and lasting impression on all with whom he came in contact. He was interred in the burying-ground of Greyfriars' Church, Edinburgh, where a monument has been raised to his memory. A monument has also been erected to his memory on a commanding eminence at Tanotrie, overlooking his birthplace. It is build of square blocks of granite hewn from the mountain side, rising to a height of eighty feet, where it stands in solitary magnificence amid the Galloway hills.

Few distinguished men are so little known outside their native land as Alexander Murray. The indomitable perseverance and courage with which he struggled and

overcame difficulties would have crushed many a brave spirit with a more more robust physical constitution, and speak more in his praise than the learned works which were their result.

In his own country, however, he has not been forgotten, and it is gratifying to state that his fellowcountrymen did not allow the centenary of his death to pass unheeded. In the month of April, 1913, people flocked from all parts of Scotland in their tens of thousands to the wilds of Minnigaff to do homage to this distinguished Scot amid the shadows of his native crags and peaks.

WM. M'ILWRAITH.

BURNS AND BONIE MARY MENZIES.

DISCOVERY OF A DESCENDANT.

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N the 27th August, 1787, Robert Burns, Scotland's greatest Bard, set out in a chaise from Edinburgh along with Mr Wm. Nicol, teacher, on a tour to the north, partly with the view of visiting a number of relatives he had in Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire, going by way of Linlithgow, Falkirk, Plean Castle and Stirling, then on to Kenmore and Aberfeldy, where he composed "The Birks of Aberfeldy." which at that time belonged to the Menzies of Bolfracks. It is said that when here he met Sir John Menzies, fourth Baronet and Chief of Clan Menzies, and may have visited him at Castle Menzies, which is only about two miles from Aberfeldy-this is said to have been on the 30th of August, 1787. From there he visited the Duke of Atholl, and at Blair Castle he met Lady Charlotte Murray, eldest daughter of the Duke of Atholl, and afterwards the wife of Sir John Menzies, the fourth B.ronet of Castle Menzies. Proceeding north he visited the Falls of Fyers, Gordon Castle, Fochabers, and Aberdeen, arriving about 8th September, 1787. From there he went out to Glen Dye, and the Mill of Dye, in the Mearns, which is in the parish of Strachan, a few miles from Banchory. In this part of the country the Poet had many relations, and had thus gone off the main roads for travellers to visit his kith and kin and to meet bonnie Mary Menzies, one of the greatest beauties then in Aberdeenshire or the North. Her beauty-fame had travelled far south to Burns and his relatives in Ayrshire, from relations of the Poet who lived or owned a farm called "Jelly-brawns," where bonnie Mary Menzies had spent some time on a visit to the relations of Burns, who had that farm. The wife of the farmer was then a very old woman, and was a near relative

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